NUTRITION AUTHOR
Aja Webber
KAVA: AN ANCIENT WAY TO UNWIND n The end of a hard day calls for some de-stressing. Instead of reaching for that glass of wine, try some kava root tea.
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ith all the stressors that come with living in this busy world, it can be hard to find time just to relax. Whether it be a glass of wine, a CBD product or a sweaty workout, almost everyone has some way of dulling the anxiety from the day. There is, however, a lesserknown extract that some Austinites swear by: the kava root. Kava is a shrub that grows in the South Pacific, Hawaii, Micronesia, Vanuatu, Fiji, the Samoas and Tonga. Although the slow-growing plant takes about four to seven years to mature, its size and capabilities are intriguing once it is fully grown. The root grows to be just as big as the shrub itself, and that is where the relaxation extract comes from. The root from the kava plant is harvested, laid out in the sun to dry and then typically made into a tea. This tea has been known to have a range of benefits from reducing anxiety, helping with insomnia and some claiming an aid in seizure disorders. Tracy Pingel is the owner of SquareRüt Kava Bar in Austin, Texas. At the beginning of Pingel’s journey, her bar was serving kava out of buckets, but now the process runs much more smoothly.
OCTOBER 2021
After the kava root is dried out, it is crushed into a fine powder and sent over to Pingel’s bar where she then brews it into a variety of teas. “Once it comes to us, we actually squeeze our kava daily. It’s a 30- to 40-minute process for each batch,” Pingel says. “We developed a mechanical press to make it easier and more consistent.”
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