Dandelions on the Hillsborough Trail in New Brunswick. These would make great dandelion tea!

Dear friends,

A while back I quit drinking coffee . It was hard but it was something I had to do and it turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever took in my life along with quitting smoking 9 years ago. I must admit it was very hard the first days; I was sleepy, grumpy and the headaches were very unpleasant but after the second week I was free! More money in my pocket meant more money to buy kava!

🙂

Coffee is such a big part of our Canadian culture but it is not that good for us despite all the hype and studies about it. A lot of prescriptions are given in doctor’s offices while coffee is dismissed and overlooked as a main cause of many troubles: insomnia, anxiety, head aches, nausea, and even psychosis. A lot of people don’t tolerate caffeine well and attribute their anxiety problems to other factors because they don’t drink that much coffee. Black tea, green tea and chocolate also contain some amounts of caffeine and therefore should be avoided by people with anxiety troubles.

Dandelion root tea has shown “choleretic” effects, which means that it can stimulate the liver to increase bile flow.* Once bile is released by the liver, its two main functions are to carry away waste and to break down fats during digestion. Dandelion’s beneficial effects on liver and biliary tract function have been proven in pharmacological studies.

I found that roasted dandelion tea was the best caffeine free alternative to my morning coffee: I don’t even miss it anymore.

It has the same bitter after taste without the caffeine and I like to drink it black. Morning before breakfast is really the best time to drink it because it increases the bile flow. Lots of nutrients need the help of bile to be absorbed and so that is a good thing.

Dandelion root tea has many other benefits; some claim it clears their acne others it keeps their cancer at bay.

More Dandelion Teas are Available Here

You should really try and see for yourself!

Buy Traditional Medicinals Organic Roasted Dandelion Root Tea

Finally the Kava Kava Capsules can be sold inside Canada! With the end of the draconian ban on kava products in Canada starting to see the light we can finally enjoy kava products! They can be purchased here.

Since the 2002 Kava ban in Canada has now been relaxed slightly Canadians are starting to see some products that contain Kava Kava available right in Canada so now we can ship these products directly to Canadian consumers instead of being forced to have USA kava suppliers ship from out of the country.

Hurray! Now more of us can enjoy the benefits of kava.  Kava products sold within Canada must meet strict safety and labeling certifications to ensure quality control and traceability.

For the last two years, Life Choice™ has attempted to legally bring their Kava Kava back onto the market. In March, Life Choice™ became the first Kava Kava product to receive a Natural Product Number—and therefore, a green light—from Health Canada.

Witht heir brand of Kava Kava, Canadians can once again enjoy the relaxing benefits of Kava Kava supplementation, with no worries over legality or safety.

The Kava Kava  Capsules can be purchased here.

The “Tranquility” Kava Kava Extract is also now available here.

Kava is going to be a big star!

June 2014 – So finally after 12 years it has been ruled that Germany’s Ban on Kava was unlawful! Finally! We can only wonder what will happen now as the ban being lifted might allow people in Canada to buy kava at their local kava store and we can set up a nice kava bar in New Brunswick!

Germany’s 12 year ban on kava has been overturned, after Germany’s Federal Administrative Court found the ban to be unlawful and inappropriate.

However, kava growers are being warned that the trade is still at risk because of serious problems with the quality of kava being traded.

The chair of the International Kava Executive Council, Tagaloa Eddie Wilson, says the council has been working with pacific farmers and governments to introduce kava production standards.

We need to make sure the growers and harvesters and producers are making good quality kava and not crushing up dust mites and cardboard boxes!

Kava growers around the Pacific are hoping the industry can come back to life, following the overturning of a 12 year ban on kava.

Kava Books at the Dollar Store!

Germany’s ban on products containing kava cut off much of the international demand for the product, costing Pacific countries hundreds of millions of dollars.

That ban has now been found to be unlawful and inappropriate by Germany’s Federal Administrative Court, and it’s hoped new markets for kava can be opened up to Pacific countries.

Leilani Momoisea reports:

The International Kava Executive Council says before the ban took place, the Pacific was starting to export about 250 million US dollars worth of kava to the European and US market. The council’s chair, Tagaloa Eddie Wilson, says it will take some time to rebuild the industry, but there is great economic potential there for farmers and rural communities. Tagaloa says it can take up to five years for kava to mature, but he expects supplies will be back to normal within three years.

TAGALOA EDDIE WILSON: Now we are gonna have to work with our farmers to rebuild and get supply production up again in order to support the markets. At the moment there is still supplies ready, available now, but not in the quantities that the market we anticipate will require.

He says during the ban, attempts had been made to fill the gap by approaching alternative markets, but the stigma of the ban prevented any real traction.

TAGALOA EDDIE WILSON: Now that the stigma has been removed, we’ve now got an alternative market from the EU and the US market, we now have the Chinese and the Indian markets, and likewise other Eastern Asian countries.

Summer is short in Canada and sitting in the backyard sharing a batch of fresh kava is an amazing way to enjoy the experience!

The Huhugaituvwa Association, which represents kava growers on Pentecost island, says it’s hoped trading to those markets can resume quickly, as kava is the main source of cash-flow for many people in Vanuatu. Its managing director, Rosemary Leona, is hopeful that considering Australia’s proximity to the country, it will follow suit, and also relax its restrictions on kava coming into the country.

ROSEMARY LEONA: We’ve got a big group of Pacific Islanders in Australia that love their kava. It would be really beneficial, Australia is close to us and I really do hope that Australia removes the ban and enjoys the kava like the ni-Vanuatu or other Pacific Islanders do.

The vice-president of the Tonga Chamber of Commerce, Paula Taumoepeau, says Tonga doesn’t have that many export markets and before the ban kava had been shaping up to be a major export. He says with kava grown all around Tonga, he expects the industry to grow quickly, but it will especially benefit the outer-islands.

PAULA TAUMOEPEAU: Outer-islands, especially the ones with the higher hills and volcanoes, they grow the strongest kava. In the Niuas, Ha’apai and also in Vava’u, it will be especially good for the outer islands. We are trying to increase vanilla export as well but it’s good to have something else. Kava, all growers in Tonga know how to grow it, and how to grow it well.

Kava growers however, are being warned that the trade is still at risk because of serious problems with the quality of kava being traded. The International Kava Executive Council says it has been working with Pacific farmers and governments to adopt a regional standard for kava production and processing.

Blue Kava – One of our newest recipes for Kava! What a treat to add a bit of kava to some healthy juices and enjoy the sweet effects of kava while remaining healthy!

Kavalactones can be better extracted when making your kava if a little fat is used. I used to put soy lecithin but since I have stopped consuming soy products I found coconut oil works fine when I don’t use coconut milk, and by doing so I discovered many of the oil’s miraculous properties.

I use organic cold pressed coconut oil and put a very small amount, maybe half a teaspoon in the blender for my 2-4 cup mix. The one time I didn’t use the blender and massaged the kava in the bag, I noticed my hands were silky soft! I was so impressed I started using it on my skin, and I noticed a major change especially on my face, chest and back: it is clearing all my acne and fine wrinkles! My hands look 10 years younger only after a week! To me, that is clear proof coconut oil is a powerful anti-bacterial with bonuses.

Coconut Oil in Canada

I had bought the book The Coconut Miracle and finally after this discovery I was ready to really start discovering the miracle. My mother bought some as well; she doesn’t drink kava but she will start using it on her skin and replacing her cooking oil with it. She has recurring athlete’s foot and I suspect it could be candida so she will give it a try.

I also had the idea to put my cat on it as well. My sweetie has been battling mycoplasma since she was a baby and no antibiotic works; they only slow it down and they kill the good bacteria and make her sick. I read the coconut oil can break the mycoplasma bacteria’s tough layer so I will give it a try. I give her half a teaspoon per day along with probiotics. She doesn’t like the oil texture so I have to force her and use a dropper. The veterinary didn’t recommend a syringe or dropper in case it might get into the lungs and not be absorbed and I am afraid she refers to mineral oil which is not absorbed by the body; I understand how it could be fatal if droplets would ever go into the lungs but coconut oil is very well absorbed by the body so I am not too worried. So far it’s been more than a week and the bacteria is coming on stronger so I might have to increase the coconut oil dose slowly and see what happens.

Coconut Oil in Canada

Virgin Coconut Oil

It is important to make sure the oil you buy is organic, virgin and cold pressed for many reasons like oxidation and purity. Mine is refined for cooking and it seems to work. I will try an unrefined kind the next time I need to buy more.

Now one of my favorite songs, Coconut by Harry Nillson takes a whole new meaning! Coconut and kava are heaven sent which is probably why people in the pacific are the happiest on earth!