I'm still relatively new to Kava and pretty much every medical website warns against its use due to the potential for irreversible liver damage. The countries that have already banned it obviously say to stay away. And those that haven't banned it (such as the US where I live) still pretty much advise against using it, at least on all the sites I've looked at so far.
I'm sure this discussion has taken place around here somewhere on this forum, but I'd like to know just how risky this stuff really is. The liver is nothing to mess with. I'm in my 40's and just had a full physical which showed pristine liver function - A+. Should I be ok? The warnings are scary. And I do drink alcohol during the week at night (never while taking Kava) and take medications which can have an effect on the liver (SNRI's and very small maintenance dose of a benzo which I'd like to replace with Kava) however I've been on those for 10 years, get my liver tested every year, and all good. The Kava I'm taking is the good stuff from Gourmet Hawaiian.
What are people's unbiased thoughts on this? I know this is a Kava forum so it may be tough to get the straight dope, but so far everyone around here has been great. I'm looking to ease my concerns, but not at the expense of the truth either.
I'm sure this discussion has taken place around here somewhere on this forum, but I'd like to know just how risky this stuff really is. The liver is nothing to mess with. I'm in my 40's and just had a full physical which showed pristine liver function - A+. Should I be ok? The warnings are scary. And I do drink alcohol during the week at night (never while taking Kava) and take medications which can have an effect on the liver (SNRI's and very small maintenance dose of a benzo which I'd like to replace with Kava) however I've been on those for 10 years, get my liver tested every year, and all good. The Kava I'm taking is the good stuff from Gourmet Hawaiian.
What are people's unbiased thoughts on this? I know this is a Kava forum so it may be tough to get the straight dope, but so far everyone around here has been great. I'm looking to ease my concerns, but not at the expense of the truth either.