Business

Why You Should Buy Kava Only from Reputable Suppliers

Published

2 years ago

November 10, 2021

You might shop around for Kava and find it apparently supplied from many places, the prices of which and the speed at which it can be delivered may vary greatly. At the same time, quality and reliability also vary greatly. For these reasons, buying kava online from a reputable supplier is incredibly important. There are a number of reasons for this.

1. Purity and Nobility

Reputable suppliers will sell noble kava to customers, and within the packaging you will find only noble kava. Less reputable brands will use cutting agents, or mix the noble kava with cut-price tudei kava which may in some respects be the same plant, it is not the noble kava root and is nowhere near the same order of quality. Tudei kava is sometimes used by producers to reduce the amount of noble kava in the mix and thus cut costs. It’s like watering down good wine.

Reputable suppliers will only put into the product exactly what’s written on the label – 100 percent noble kava root. It should only take a single moment to look at the ingredients label to prove whether or not the noble kava root is the real deal, but you can also smell the kava once it’s prepared. If there’s any unpleasantness in the smell, then something is wrong.

2. Sustainability

Suppliers of a less reputable nature might not care where the kava is sourced from and how it is grown. There could be poor working conditions on the farms, or the farmers who grew and harvested the kava were poorly compensated in order to bring the final price point down. Kava is a premium item, but proper sustainable farming practices ensures that corners are not cut and that everyone involved in the process is paid and treated in a way that can keep the industry going on good terms.

The way kava is sustainably produced is a crucial part of what makes a supplier reputable. It demonstrates a level of ethics that supersedes pure profit, and yet the model is profitable for all concerned. It’s business done right, and for sensitive products like kava, a traditional natural product of the Pacific Islands, it’s important that it’s treated with respect and things are done right.

3. Safety

Reputable suppliers of kava don’t just employ sustainable practices in their farming, harvesting and processing of kava root, but also safe practices. Kava from a reputable supplier can stand up to the quality standards of any organisation, including the FDA and the HACCP. Those same reputable suppliers are willing to put that product up against anyone else’s and any international standard necessary to prove its purity, its authenticity and its quality. When you find packages of so-called pure kava root without even the most basic certifications, it doesn’t matter how cheap or easy to get it is, it simply can’t be trusted.

Hygiene is another big question mark around less reputable suppliers. If you buy from poor suppliers, you have no way of knowing exactly how the kava has been prepared and packaged. You can usually tell this by preparing the kava and seeing if there is any dark sediment present. If there is sediment, it’s a classic sign of unhygienic preparation. A reputable supplier is much more open about how they mature the roots, prepare the product and package it, and will let their certifications speak to their hygiene, not to mention the cleanliness of the kava once prepared and the better smell and taste.

Business

Turning Tragedy into Triumph Through Walking With Anthony

Published

4 days ago

April 18, 2024

Rosario Farell

On the morning of February 6, 2010, Anthony Purcell took a moment to admire the churning surf before plunging into the waves off Miami Beach. Though he had made the dive numerous times before, that morning was destined to be different when he crashed into a hidden sandbar, sustaining bruises to his C5 and C6 vertebrae and breaking his neck.

“I was completely submerged and unable to rise to the surface,” Purcell recalls. “Fortunately, my cousin Bernie saw what was happening and came to my rescue. He saved my life, but things would never be the same after that dive.”

Like thousands of others who are confronted with a spinal cord injury (SCI), Purcell plunged headlong into long months of hopelessness and despair. Eventually, however, he learned to turn personal tragedy into triumph as he reached out to fellow SCI victims by launching Walking With Anthony.

Living with SCI: the first dark days

Initial rehabilitation for those with SCIs takes an average of three to six months, during which time they must relearn hundreds of fundamental skills and adjust to what feels like an entirely new body. Unfortunately, after 21 days, Purcell’s insurance stopped paying for this essential treatment, even though he had made only minimal improvement in such a short time.

“Insurance companies cover rehab costs for people with back injuries, but not for people with spinal cord injuries,” explains Purcell. “We were practically thrown to the curb. At that time, I was so immobile that I couldn’t even raise my arms to feed myself.”

Instead of giving up, Purcell’s mother chose to battle his SCI with long-term rehab. She enrolled Purcell in Project Walk, a rehabilitation facility located in Carlsbad, California, but one that came with an annual cost of over $100,000.

“My parents paid for rehabilitation treatment for over three years,” says Purcell. “Throughout that time, they taught me the importance of patience, compassion, and unconditional love.”

Yet despite his family’s support, Purcell still struggled. “Those were dark days when I couldn’t bring myself to accept the bleak prognosis ahead of me,” he says. “I faced life in a wheelchair and the never-ending struggle for healthcare access, coverage, and advocacy. I hit my share of low points, and there were times when I seriously contemplated giving up on life altogether.”

Purcell finds a new purpose in helping others with SCIs

After long months of depression and self-doubt, Purcell’s mother determined it was time for her son to find purpose beyond rehabilitation.

“My mom suggested I start Walking With Anthony to show people with spinal cord injuries that they were not alone,” Purcell remarks. “When I began to focus on other people besides myself, I realized that people all around the world with spinal cord injuries were suffering because of restrictions on coverage and healthcare access. The question that plagued me most was, ‘What about the people with spinal cord injuries who cannot afford the cost of rehabilitation?’ I had no idea how they were managing.”

Purcell and his mother knew they wanted to make a difference for other people with SCIs, starting with the creation of grants to help cover essentials like assistive technology and emergency finances. To date, they have helped over 100 SCI patients get back on their feet after suffering a similar life-altering accident.

Purcell demonstrates the power and necessity of rehab for people with SCIs

After targeted rehab, Purcell’s physical and mental health improved drastically. Today, he is able to care for himself, drive his own car, and has even returned to work.

“Thanks to my family’s financial and emotional support, I am making amazing physical improvement,” Purcell comments. “I mustered the strength to rebuild my life and even found the nerve to message Karen, a high school classmate I’d always had a thing for. We reconnected, our friendship evolved into love, and we tied the knot in 2017.”

After all that, Purcell found the drive to push toward one further personal triumph. He married but did not believe a family was in his future. Regardless of his remarkable progress, physicians told him biological children were not an option.

Despite being paralyzed from the chest down, Purcell continued to look for hope. Finally, Dr. Jesse Mills of UCLA Health’s Male Reproductive Medicine department assured Purcell and his wife that the right medical care and in vitro fertilization could make their dream of becoming parents a reality.

“Payton joined our family in the spring of 2023,” Purcell reports. “For so long, I believed my spinal cord injury had taken everything I cared about, but now I am grateful every day. I work to help other people with spinal cord injuries find the same joy and hope. We provide them with access to specialists, funding to pay for innovative treatments, and the desire to move forward with a focus on the future.”