Kava bars have been popping up all over the nation in recent years. Many of them are well received and already have acquired regulars. What is it about these bars that make them so unique and has made their growth to popularity successful?
Kava bars offer a unique way in which Kratom can be ingested. This makes it easier to stomach the taste. Kava roots and leaves are pulled to create these drinks. The taste of each kava and kratom can often be quite potent and numbing. According to most drinkers and baristas, they can also come with various benefits.
Kratom is a tree that comes from South East Asia and is similar to coffee. It has more anti-oxidants than green tea and has been known to help with pain relief, increasing sexual performance, lowering blood pressure, and aide in opiate and alcohol withdrawal. The tree is also known to hold different characteristics that can promote happiness, increase energy level, or create a sedative and relaxing feel.
Gabi M, a barista from Low Tide Lounge in Pinellas County, FL gives us a bit of insight on Kratom through Barbara Lago from the University of Mississippi. She notes that through testing, Dr. Christopher McCurdy acknowledges some positive benefits for addicts who need an alternative to opium and pain meds withdrawal. He also states in the article that “kratom has long been used for coughs, diarrhea, muscle aches and pain…and has been used to wean people off (opium).”
Kava seems to be an alternative for people to achieve beneficial effects of Kratom, such as a more apparent sense of consciousness. While ingesting Kratom has an intensified effect of the alkaloids, the drink is used for those who are trying to achieve a stabilized sense of euphoria. They can also be drinking Kava to negate harmful habits, such as alcohol.
An accomplished writer for Forbes magazine and The Daily Brain website, David DiSalvo gives us an more in depth look at what Kratom can do on his blog by experimenting with various Krava brands. He noted that taking it in the morning would give him a burst of energy, he mentions its almost like a “strong cup of coffee”. He mentions the absence of a caffeine crash and makes note of the period of relaxation that follows after the feeling of energy. He doesn’t think that Kratom is a threat to the coffee industry, and doesn’t see any apparent problems with Kratom.
Although we know there are benefits to Kratom and the users who depend on it in order to stabilize their health, here is communities and industry leaders who do not see the effective work of Kratom. There aren’t very many reasons to ban Kratom with the knowledge and the research that has already been found, but as time moves forward it is becoming more of a struggle and a challenge to have Kratom become a more freely used alternative.
Florida is the one place where Kava bars and Kratom is explored. The state’s encouragement comes from various groups who are promoting health freedoms, and believe anyone has a right to use of any alternative medication in order to better their health. They see Kava and Kratom as a chemical with beneficial effects, but they also even see the potential for alternatives to synthetic medications like Oxycotin, Xanax, or Vicodin.
Bill Wohlsifer is an advocate for health freedoms and believes its up to individuals to exercise their own right. He also supports the potential markets and products that will emerge from the support of alternative health treatments. He believes that natural remedies, such as Kratom, need quantifiable evidence to show public harm before being added on the controlled substance list.
So it’s time for your thought, let us know what you may think about Kratom and it’s potential. Do you believe Kratom has right to be taken freely amongst those who depend on it due to their belief in its health benefits? Or should it be banned until we can get more research and gain more evidence?
We’ll leave you with this quote from Wohlsifer to ponder these questions. “When it comes to healing or nourishing the body, I endorse holistic, spiritual, dietary, pharmaceutical and surgical treatments. I have personally found value in each.”