Kava

Habit: This superb spreading plant has dark green foliage coupled with a slightly wavy habit. It is valuable in the rockery. Branches spread horizontally with dense foliage. Fairly fast growers, with prostrate stems rooting as they spread, they can be invasive, but are generally quite easy to control. They all have white-silver variegations in leaves of varying shades of green.

Planting: In 50cm square hole, which is not necessarily as deep, mix two-thirds soil with third compost, and a cupful of bone phosphate, but NO other FERTILIZER. Give good mulch of peat and compost to keep roots cool and spray leaves to prevent leaf burn. Accustomed to poor soil in nature, add only one third compost to planting area, which should be dug over to depth of at least 25cm.Plant into 30cm square holes dug into this prepared soil. They range from small to large-leafed, light, dark and variegated-even curly. Larger and more vigorous types should be used for large gardens only.

Feeding and watering: Mulch regularly with a compost or peat moss in summer to retain moisture and prevent root burn. Summer rainfall generally sufficient moisture, except in dry spells when it might be necessary not only to provide water but also to spray the leaves to prevent leaf-burn also in winter. Little feeding is necessary but when mulching plant in spring to help keep roots cool and moist you may add handful of bone phosphate. Keep well watered.

Propagation: By division and root cuttings in early spring. Steep banks are often a problem area in gardens and in old days these were often turned into terraces, but today the informal look is preferred and ground covers are used, providing not only beauty but acting as soil retainers. Fine subjects for such areas are cotoneaster horizopntalis; vygies, Dimorphotheca varieties, ivies and Polygonum, capitatum.

Care: Cut back hard when necessary or ivies may get out of hand.

Uses: Excellent under trees; on sunny or shady banks; to prevent soil erosion.

Kava and health: Kava is also called kava-kava and kava pepper. Kava tea has helped in relaxing people for thousands of years. Kava coffee and tea promotes feelings well-being and improves mental function. Research indicates that the active chemical ingredients in kava-kava may be positive for the medication of mental health symptoms, including depression, insomnia, and weaken sex drive. Kava-kava anxiety supplements also aid in relaxing. Kava is available in tablet, capsule, and extract form. Kava root is believed to grant the body with pain-relief. Kava back ache or kava back pain is recommended by many herbalists in order to treat twinge. Kava-kava advice is also suitable for anti-inflammatory protection, predominantly in the urinary tract. Kava is also drunk in sacred ceremonies. Samoan kava ceremony takes place in Samoan village and if you are a kava lover you will fall in love with this place.

It is significant to observe that there is an increasing concern concerning kava’s safety. Large doses of kava have been associated to liver damage and even liver failure. The dangers of kava are somehow increased and warning labels have been added to kava products. Side effects of kava-kava lead to a disease known as kava dermopathy, which results in dry, scaly skin. Do not kava paxil during pregnancy.

Raw + kava root + sale on wholesale products have also increased the production of kava supplements and products. Similarly Kava root + bowls + sale on other kava-kava tablets have enhanced its trade in recent years.