Kava

Kava is a leafy plant native to the islands of the West, from the Wavecrest Archipelago to Bushan. It grows best in the shade of island jungles, though cultivation under mesh (which has taken place on Guild plantations) is also a valid environment.

The roots of the kava plant are used to prepare a drug of the same name, traditional in the West. Fresh kava roots are chewed (for most potent effects) directly or pounded and then soaked in liquid to create a beverage. Kava can also be dried and then reduced to a powder to preserve it, but this produces a weaker final result. The taste is starchy and slightly pungent, with a distinctive aroma. The colour is tan to opaque greenish.

A typical kava drink causes effects within 20–30 minutes that last for about two and a half hours, but can be felt for up to eight hours. Some report longer-term effects up to two days after ingestion, including a feeling of mental clarity, patience, and an ease of acceptance. The effects of kava are most often compared to alcohol.

The sensations, in order of appearance, are slight tongue and lip numbing (the lips and skin surrounding may appear unusually pale), mildly talkative and sociable behavior, clear thinking, calmness, relaxed muscles, and a sense of well-being. The numbing comes from anesthetic properties of the plant, which can be used to reduce pain. Drinks brewed to maximize their content have greater effects, with a faster onset and lack of stimulation; the user's eyes become more sensitive, the person soon becomes somnolent and then has deep, dreamless sleep within 30 minutes. Sleep is often restful and pronounced periods of sleepiness correlate to the amount and potency of kava consumed.

Kava drinkers are often perceived as having lazy days after consumption of kava the night before, as latent effects of the drug persist in their bodies.

Consumption of leaves and stems can produce the same, though milder, effects, but also causes extreme irritation of the skin, lips, throat, and stomach (triggering significant nausea). Thus, these are not traditionally consumed in the West.