My Experience with Happy Hippo’s King Solomon Hippo Kava

I acquired my newest shipment from Happy Hippo, one of my kratom vendor affiliates not too long ago, and went ahead and ordered their King Solomon Hippo Kava.

The cost up front was prohibitive to me at first, (what, $70, nothing smaller?) but for the sake of trying this stuff out, and for the fact that it’s concentrated and would go a fairly long way (roughly 30-60 servings), I went ahead and ordered it.

If you have no idea what kava kava is, or how it can help reduce your feelings of anxiety, please check out my post: Why Instant Kava May Be Better Than Phenibut For Anxiety

Expectations of King Solomon Hippo Kava

I expected the King Solomon Hippo Kava to be a concentrated kava root extract exactly as advertised. No more, no less. I expected it to have similar effects to the kava products I have tried in the past.

Since Happy Hippo sells this kava alongside their kratom products, I assume this product is primarily intended to be used for weaning off of a kratom cycle and not just for its anxiety reducing effects.

According to the product page, King Solomon Hippo Kava is supposed to be stem and leaf free. Stems and leaves can be harmful to the liver, and kava sellers should know this, so I expect King Solomon to be safe.

I have had some use of kava for my off-days with kratom, and it was effective at mitigating some of the psychological aspects of withdrawal. I expect that the King Solomon stuff could do the same, however I have not been using kratom with daily regularity as I did initially, so this post will not deal with that.

First trial of King Solomon Hippo Kava

I began with a dose of 1 gram measured on a digital pocket scale with some plain water on an empty stomach.

This is below the 3 to 4 grams as recommended on the product page. I washed it down pretty fast, so I did not feel the numbness of the tongue as I would with the instant Kava King powder I’d reviewed in the past. You have to take a good spoonful or two to enjoy Kava King. 1 gram was tiny by comparison. I believe their estimate that it is “at least 4 times stronger as fresh Kava root powder” is surprisingly accurate.

At just 1 gram, the kava did the trick and began to kick in, and I began to feel the calm feeling wash over me. The feeling was almost euphoric actually, more than I had remembered before, but this could have been just because I hadn’t used any kava in a while.

I believe I became used to the calming feeling, but I could sort of tell that it lingered for the rest of the day, approximately 4 or more hours after the first dosage.

Second trial of King Solomon Hippo Kava

This time, I upped the dosage to 2 grams. I did not take it on an empty stomach though, it was mixed into my protein shake for the morning. I think this was a bit of a mistake.

The kava effects did not hit me as suddenly as I did on an empty stomach and alone. The calm feeling had a later and more drawn-out onset and in general seemed to give way to a more sleepy feeling. I eventually got over the tired feeling with the help of my old frienemy caffeine and felt noticeably calmed for the waking remainder of my day.

Third trial of King Solomon Hippo Kava

I dosed 1 gram on an empty stomach again, just with plain water. I took it later in the evening, when I was already feeling somewhat sleepy from waking up bright and early. Keep in mind that kava does little to wake you up!

About an hour after dosing I began writing this post while under the influence of kava. I feel tranquil, but alas, I think I should have had some caffeine. It’s not the kava’s fault though.

I redosed 1 additional gram while preparing some food. A mild woozy effect that was lingering became more apparent as the new dosage began to hit me. Sleepiness did not increase this time. No feeling of worries were present whatsoever.

Personal suggestions for taking King Solomon Hippo Kava

• Always try a low dosage, measuring with a scale if you can, then move up maybe 1 gram about an hour later if it’s not to your liking.
• 1/2 teaspoon was just a little under 1 gram for me.
• I suggest taking it with water and stirring it up. It doesn’t clump too much, but there might be a few.
• Drink plenty of water, because kava has some diuretic effects.

Pill Scout’s Final Verdict

I really enjoy the King Solomon Hippo Kava. It’s concentrated, so there’s less stuff swimming around in your water when you dose it. It doesn’t numb the mouth as much as the Kava King stuff, but I don’t really care for that effect. The particles are also much smaller so they are gentler on the stomach. I have yet to try it more in social settings, but it feels like kava and probably does exactly the same thing it’s supposed to do.

The cost up-front was a little surprising at first, but if you know that you already like kava, you want to use it a few times per week (at least), and you’re already getting some kratom from the Hippo, you might as well get some of this. I like to pretend King Solomon Hippo Kava is what Costco would have in bulk if they sold the stuff.

(Remember, you can use kava to help you wean off of kratom and stave off withdrawals.)