Bula Kava House News

I finally got around to putting down some of the happenings during my recent journey to Vanuatu. Here is part one of that story: “What kind of kava bar owner has never been to the motherland of kava use and cultivation?” I asked myself in January of 2012. This simple question set in motion the planning for a late spring trip to Vanuatu, which was recently voted as “The Happiest Country on Earth” by one of the periodicals that attempts to quantify those things. Was this “business trip” partially an excuse for me to spend some days in a less...

A new report by the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) confirms that kava consumption is not dangerous to your health. We were well aware already, but a little scientific backup never hurts. What’s actually dangerous is consuming mold, which can manifest in kava root and ground kava that is not stored properly. When kava is stored in a dry, sealed container, it maintains most of its potency and freshness for up to 2 years. At Bula, we’ll be using our kava within six months of purchase to ensure the freshest product possible. The report also explains that many Western-made drugs...

Getting into the business of selling a new mood altering product such as kava, I know that there will be concerns with regards to its safety. I figure that now, on our blog, is as good a time as any to begin addressing some of those concerns. My Informal Legal Disclaimer It is important to note that I, Judd Rench, owner of Bula Kava House, am not a doctor, scientist or anything else that takes many years of schooling to learn. What I present here is opinion based on what I have read regarding the findings of people more knowledgeable...

The kava that is enjoyed today at kava bars and ceremonies throughout the South Pacific, and increasingly elsewhere, is known scientifically as piper methysticum, “piper” meaning “pepper” in latin, and “methysticum” meaning “intoxicating”. There are close to 100 different recognized types of kava plants that are typically used for drinking. The kava plants that are used today are thought to be something of a man made crop. It is believed that kava first grew in a wild form called piper wichmannii. When humans began to realize the intoxicating properties of piper wichmannii thousands of years ago they would replant the...