Kava: Medicine Hunting in Paradise: The Pursuit of a Natural Alternative to Anti-Anxiety Drugs and Sleeping Pills (Paperback)

~ Christopher S. Kilham (Author) "On a balmy evening in June of 1980, I sat with a small group of friends around a dinner table in a spacious home at..." (more)
Key Phrases: kava business, fresh kava root, potent kava, Baie Martellie, Chief Willie, Port Vila (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Truly exotic locales can be visited in Kava: Medicine Hunting in Paradise, Chris Kilhams's odyssey of a medical research mission on the South Pacific island of Vanuatu."
(

Publishers Weekly 

)

Product Description

Kava, Piper Methysticum, is the most effective relaxing and stress-relieving plant in all of nature. This book is the tale of plant researcher Chris Kilham's investigations into this plant and his far-ranging explorations deep in the South Pacific in search of a source of kava. Kilham takes the reader on an adventurous journey through the mystical native legends, outlandish history, and exciting science surrounding this potent plant. A story replete with pulpit-pounding missionaries, kava-drinking natives, sorcerers, a mysterious Tahitian prince, and the author's own humorous outlook amidst difficult and perilous circumstances, Kava is a must-read for those who love tales of travel and adventure and those interested in plant medicine.

Kava is poised to become an important and now readily available natural alternative to stress-relieving drugs. 

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Park Street Press (June 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892816406
• ISBN-13: 978-0892816408
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #568,624 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solved my search for an insomnia cure, January 21, 2001

By	Phil Lee (Minneapolis, Minn, Silicon Tundra, USA) - See all my reviews

This book gave me the comfort level and impetus to try Kava as a cure for my chronic insomnia. Previously I read and tried melatonin, with no success. Finally a protracted illness lead me to search again. The author gives enough details on the plant, pharmocology, and ethnobotany. There is eight pages of full references for additional research, if desired.

Went to a local health food store / COOP with the book in hand and had the staff present the different brands of Kava in stock. Finally selected a Kava tincture because a salesperson / user said that this is the best form, compared to powdered root, capsules, and other standardized extracts. He said you will get the fastest and most powerful effects with this tincture, especially since the label said it was extracted from Vanuatu Isl 4-8 yr old roots. He was right on target; the tincture gave a white cloudy mixture when a couple of dropperfuls in 1/3 glass of water. It tasted pretty musty, as expected from reading about the Nakamals, native kava bars!! Got a slight numbing of the tongue too! Fell asleep within 30 minutes and did not wake up for 6 hours, refreshed and alert. The next best thing to being there with the author, who wrote a great story.

My first time using tinctures. Normally I use capsules or try to make a tea out of the bark or root. The book told me of the uselessness of making a tea, as heat destoys the kavalactones.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An engaging, thought-provoking journey to Vanuatu to find kava suppliers., July 22, 1996

By A Customer

We're featuring this book in a section of COCONUT, the Web Guide to the Tropical World. The section is all about kava, and the author's new book comes out at a perfect time, as interest in Kava is growing rapidly all over the world.This book rambles at times, but the story of the author's encounters with a village of ni-Vanuatu people is wonderful and memorable and happily, it forms the bulk of the book.For a full review of Chris Kilham's KAVA book, check out the COCONUT website (which will be making its grand opening in August 1996) at http://www.coconut.com.---- Brian Dear, Editor of "COCONUT"