I've had depression that hasn't responded to many common prescription drugs, so I've been through phases of supplement experimentation and research. My sympathy goes out to you as well. Some kept me going, many didn't.
(X-posted elsewhere from a GABA discussion here in the forum)
The important thing to remember about supplements (aside from the all-important drug interactions) is that they or their metabolites need to cross the blood-brain barrier to be psychoactive.
Oral GABA does nothing because it can't cross the BBB. You could mainline it and it wouldn't work. It is a placebo. (
Study,
abstract summary,
basic answer.) Finding single-compound GABA analogs that
can cross the BBB is a large field of study and patents, because GABA imbalances are inherent in so many conditions.
I have seen some evidence for inositol in large doses (500mg-3g) for anxiety, but can't find the link right now. (Scientific evidence is my guiding star, if you couldn't tell.
)
On to Kava!
Kava extract, on the other hand,
does have active ingredients than can apparently cross the BBB and have anti-anxiety and sedative effects by
hitting GABA-A and H1 and some other receptors. (Cool, it's a
reversible MAO-B inhibitor too! That would increase your brain levels of dopamine and phenylethylamine. I
love researching this stuff!)
I drank Kava in its raw form in Fiji where they ground the roots fresh, during parties in the village where I was volunteering. Tasted like pondwater.
That was a nice buzz.
I danced
and slept better.
Yet I've never gotten that buzz from Kava supplements in the States. The active Kava compounds, the
kavalactones,
probably start to degrade with air exposure as soon as Kava root is ground into powder (perhaps water or alcohol extracts maintain potency longer?). The Kava root powder I bagged and brought home from the village and used a week later was almost useless, for instance.
Some companies use parts of the plant other than the root, which not only degrades the quality, it might be responsible for the reports of liver damage. So, the
leaf extracts apparently
are stronger in the psychoactive department than the root extracts (same study as link #1), but
they're also more hepatotoxic (liver damage).
I'd stick with the root extracts, as they do have effect as well...or I sure thought so.
(If I can find the full text of
this article, I'd be happy to send it along to you if you'd like? It suggests that taking glutathione along with kava reduces the liver effects, but it's only an abstract.)
However, I've heard good things about quality, standardized kava extracts. One company I've been recommended by an herbalist is
this place, where you can buy whole root, or standardized strong kavalactone paste (for use in small amounts of course). I'm sure there are others. I just wouldn't trust any place that (1) doesn't have a standardized kavalactone % labeled and (2) doesn't specify what part of the plant it's from.
Important cautionary note: Kava has a
strong (temporary) inhibitory action on many important liver enzymes for drug metabolism (
also tested here). If you're taking other medications, I'd be
extremely cautious because this means it will increase your blood levels of many other drugs. (St. John's Wort has similar risks in this way.) Taking kava with other drugs is probably also a
cause of liver damage because of the combined strain it puts on the liver in a few ways. If you're drinking caffeine at the same time (CYP1A2 metabolized) it will probably feel a lot stronger.
It
doesn't appear to affect the enzymes responsible for nicotine metabolism (2A6 and 2B6) so you can vape.
Hope this helps, and that you find the right solution for you! [/pharmacology nerdgasm]
