What is Kanna or Sceletium tortuosum?

A little-known psychoactive plant from South Africa that's actually called Sceletium tortuosum.

Kanna, canna, canna-root, channa, gunna, kougoed, kauwgoed, Kauwgood, Kon (meaning "quid"), and Kou are only a few of its common names.

Kougoed means "chew(able) stuff" or "something to chew," and "kanna" follows by association. Several other plants have also been given the names "kanna," "canna," or "kouged", which can cause a bit of confusion. 

The ice plant family Mesembryanthemaceae, which includes the Kanna Sceletium tortuosum (Linnaeus) N.E. Brown, is in the subfamily Mesembryanthemoideae, sometimes referred to as the Mesembryanthemums. The name Mesembryanthemum tortuosum has also been used for the kanna plant (Linnaeus).

The Aizoaceae family of plants is well recognised for having a large number of alkaloid-containing species. Sceletium also has S. anatomicum, S. expansum, S. joubertii, S. namaquense, and S. strictum as species. Sceletium species are similar to one another and are frequently mistaken for Mesembryanthemum species.

It is likely that the terms "kanna" and "kougoed" refer to species that are similar to "kanna," contain the same active ingredient (mesembrine), have comparable effects, and are utilised in the same way.

Kanna is known to produce mild euphoria or mood enhancement with clear thinking, a relaxed awareness state, and reduced anxiety.

Kanna History and Indigenous use

The indigenous hunter-gatherer peoples of South Africa, known as the San, inhabit a rich heritage of plant medicine where Kanna shares a name with the Eland antelope—a spiritual figure symbolizing abundance, fertility, and love. 

It is well documented that the South African Hottentots (Khoikhoi) chewed a number of herbs known as channa, kanna, or kougoed, with Sceletium tortuosum being one of these plants. Although Sceletium tortuosum is the Sceletium species most commonly associated with the term "kannada," other Sceletium species known to contain alkaloids also go by these popular names

Explorers believed that kanna leaves, which were chewed for their euphoric effects, were a source of pleasure and drunkenness. In the past, people believed that kanna was a mystic entheogen that, depending on the veracity of the original tales, caused merriment, laughing, visions, and torpor.

In actuality, however, kanna differs slightly from these historical accounts; it is a mild entheogen with relatively weak / mild effects.

Many pieces of South African rock art, some of which look to be incredibly visionary, are said to have been influenced by the usage of kanna. Dutch explorers in South Africa were the ones who first describe Kanna in the 1600s.

Even while we now recognise Sceletium tortuosum as kanna, its origins remain a mystery. From the beginning of time, hunter-gatherers in South Africa are known to have utilised the plant as a mood-altering stimulant.

Peter Floris, who cites the plant in his Voyage To The East Indies In The Globe (1611–1615), provided the earliest account of kanna. According to Floris, kanna shares with Korean ginseng the characteristic of having "an exceptional repute in China as a restorative."

However, he was unable to find any new information. The first record of the plant's usage in writing dates to 1662 and was penned by Jan van Riebeeck. Van Riebeeck conducted business with native tribes in southern Africa, trading sheep for kanna, which was later determined to be a ginseng-like plant.

Botanist and astronomer Peter Kolbe said that the Hottentots (Khoikhoi) and other South African tribes (such as the Namaquaa) chewed on plants known as kanna, Canna, or Channa for their ceremonies, healing dances, and as a psychedelic that caused visions [19]. Unfortunately, the majority of explorers omitted to mention the botanical source in any detail.

It wasn't until the end of the nineteenth century that it was hypothesised that Mesembryanthemum species—at the time still known in South Africa as kanna—must have been the source of the plant. Sceletium expansum, Sceletium tortuosum, Sceletium anatomicum, and Carpobrotus edulis have all come to be connected with Kanna. There is no concrete evidence between the Hottentots to the use of mesembryanthemums in the past or now.

Sceletium tortuosum is referred to by the same name as the eland antelope (Taurotragus oryx) by the South African Bushmen (San): kanna. The mystical eland antelope is referred to as kanna by the Hottentots (Khoikhoi).

Since ancient times, the Bushmen have revered the eland as the quintessential "trance animal," acting as its chief magical ally in rituals that include rain-making and divination, healing, and group trance dances. Additionally, rites include the usage of kanna. Long-distance foot travellers like the San and the Hottentots (Khoikhoi) would quench their thirst and pain by chewing on fermented kanna.

Lewis Lewin, a researcher, expressed scepticism about the possibility that plants from the Aizoaceae family may be the source of the effects in his 1924 book Phantastica. He proposed that the drug may have been Cannabis sativa, a plant that the Hottentots do often consume. He said that additional hallucinogenic plants in South Africa, such Sclerocarya caffra and S. schweinfurthiana, should be taken into consideration as potential options. 

What does Kanna look like?

Hardy and woody, Kanna has vivid green fluid-filled leaves. The plant is simple to produce, and many ethnobotanical collectors have grown, fermented, and prepared their material for the plant because of its popularity.

A prostrate herbaceous shrub that may reach a height of 30 cm (12 in. ), Sceletium tortuosum has fleshy roots and spreading branches made of smooth, fleshy stems. The uneven, smooth, lanceolate-oblong, glossy green leaves are 4 cm (112 in) in length and 1 cm (12 in) in width.

The white or pale yellow blooms are 4 to 5 cm (1 12 – 2 in) broad, and the thick, angular, fleshy leaves are arranged in clusters of one to five. The leaves are directly linked to the branches rather than having stalks. The fruit has tiny, angular seeds.

Although kanna is legal everywhere, it is largely unknown outside of South Africa.

Mesembrine and mesembrenone are its two primary chemical components. While some authors have referred to kanna as a hallucinogen, it is not a psychedelic because it is very minimally psychoactive and frequently combined with other plants, most notably cannabis or dagga (also known as lion's tail or Leonotis leonurus).

Where is Kanna Found in the Wild?

South Africa is where Sceletium tortuosum is found naturally.

How is Kanna Prepared?

Alkaloids are known to be present throughout the entire plant, but they need to be carefully processed before usage. Oxalic acid, which can cause severe irritability and allergies, is a recognised component of kanna, as it is typical of the genera Sceletium and Mesembryanthemum. Oxalic acid must undergo a fermentation process in order to be broken down.

When the plant is at its strongest, around October, the material is traditionally picked, crushed between two rocks, and then left to "ferment" for a few days in a closed container.

Originally, bags made of hemp or animal skins were employed for this. After being exposed to the sun for two or three days, the bag is removed, and the contents are well mixed. Once again outside, the bag is shut. The kanna is removed from the sack after a week and laid out to dry in the sun. The dried plant material is diced or powdered and then prepared for usage.

An other technique is burning freshly harvested plant material over flames until it is thoroughly dried, and then powdering the product 

Most of the canna alkaloids are soluble in alcohol. The alkaloids from the plant material can flow into the solution and saturate it with the alkaloids by soaking the Sceletium tortuosum powder in food-grade ethanol or 99% isopropyl alcohol. The mixture is eventually filtered, and the powder is thoroughly pressed before being discarded.

The extract must next completely expel the ethanol or isopropyl. Any traces of alcohol are dangerous to consume. An alkaloid-rich tar resin is produced after the solution has been thoroughly cleaned. You can combine this extract with kanna powder or other plant material. It can also be preserved as resin.

How do you take Kanna?

Most Kanna products are either made of the processed dry material or a range of extracts. Many tinctures and elixirs that include kanna or a mix of kanna and other plant remedies are also available from some stores or herbalists.

Kanna is commonly chewed or taken in capsule form. The dried plant can also be brewed into a tea, snuffed with tobacco or extremely finely ground powder, or smoked with Cannabis sativa, also known as Lion's Tail, alone or in combination.

It is advisable to ground the prepared herb in a general-purpose spice grinder before snuffing the extremely fine powder that gathers on the inside of the lid since plant material is frequently too coarse for snuffing. For snuffing, as little as 20–30 mg may be necessary.

Beer can also be fermented by adding canna for a mild psychedelic effect.  The benefits of smoking cannabis can be enhanced by chewing kanna. The effects of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) as well as the urge for nicotine are allegedly suppressed by kana.

Kanna Powder Dosage

Orally, powdered kanna is ingested and kept in the mouth before being swallowed.

With regard to dosage, two grams result in a "tranquil mellowness" after 30 minutes, while five grammes of the powder are enough to reduce anxiety.

Higher doses generate more entheogenic effects (euphoria, visions), while lower dosages provide more sedative effects.

Higher doses can result in side effects like mydriasis, analgesia, lack of appetite, tingling in the tongue, gagging reflex, a sense of congestion in the brain, and sounds in the ears.

For extract, dosage depends on how you prepare your itt. A dose of a 10x extract is 2.0g, while a dosage of a 100x extract is 0.2g. Check the product's description for the suggested dose as the precise amount may differ depending on the manufacturer.

Zembrin, a commercial Sceletium tortuosum extract from South Africa, is prescribed between 25 and 50 mg per day for cognitive effects and 100 to 200 mg per day for significant depression and anxiety by South African psychiatrists.

According to research, it is entirely safe to eat up to six mg per kg of body weight each day. That amounts to 420 mg per day for an adult human, which is far more than the dosage that is effective.

What Does Kanna Feel Like?

As an empathogenic herb, kanna is thought to widen the heart, heighten empathy, and make you feel more connected.

Kanna has historically been described as producing an ecstatic intoxication, little doses have very different consequences. These can include a reduction in worry and tension, an improvement in confidence, a sense of wellbeing, and a gradual lowering of inhibitions that enables more in-depth social interaction.

Euphoria and states of contemplative tranquillity can also be effects. Many consumers believed that kanna's calming effects gave one the option to focus on inner thoughts and sensations or on the beauty of nature, as desired.

Additionally, kanna has aphrodisiac properties and can make skin and touch more sensitive.

Mild visuals can be produced by higher doses, particularly when mixed with Cannabis sativa.

Kanna Experiences

Erowid's experience vaults are well worth a read to learn about other peoples experiences on Kanna...

"So – it’s 8am, I’ve just had breakfast and I’m about to head off to work, I’m 100% sober. I look over at the two vials and think ‘Hmmm. Why not try this, straight up?’ So I do – with my usual technique of tapping a fair bit (approximately 60mg) out of the bottle into my crooked forefinger, wrapped around the end of my thumb. Whoof.I sip my tea, and go about my busine…whoa. Suddenly, everything’s a little lighter, a little faster and ever so slightly dizzy. I would compare this (much as I’ve seen reported elsewhere) as being comparable to a small amount of alcohol, without being too physical. My mental state is sharpened, but there’s no push as with a stimulant. Rather, this is a gentle lift in mood and faculties. I continue to drink my tea, pack my work stuff and wait for my wife to join me as we head off to work. We walk a mile or so to the train and chat about our planned holiday. While waiting for the train I’m in a pleasant mental state, planning my day and going over work matters. By the time I get to work about half an hour later I would say all effects had worn off, though, having said that, I noticed an improved mental ability that lasted until about midday.All in all, the experience reminded me that I should allow substances to work their magic instead of expecting them to smack me upside the head the experience reminded me that I should allow substances to work their magic instead of expecting them to smack me upside the head, as is my usual method.I’ll be doing Sceletium again, quite soon. I’m looking forward to using it on its own, to see how it performs without being overshadowed by other, stronger, chemical, drugs. It’s a safe, positive and mood-enhancing substance."

"One night, however, I was cleaning the house, without anything in my system except for a few cups of coffee. My work drive had mostly petered down, and I was just feeling very exhausted and unmotivated. I was also getting quite hungry but didn't want to prepare dinner just yet. I decided to give kanna a try. I insufflated what I would estimate to have been maybe a tenth of a gram -- a pea-sized amount from the tip of a pocket-knife blade. Initially there was a sharp burning sensation, as is usual with kanna. After about ten minutes, I found myself excitedly flipping through books, then gradually my attitude toward housework improved to where I was back in the swing, as I had been much earlier in the day. My hunger also went away for the next two hours.I have never noticed any effects which would move me to classify this as a 'party drug' or even anything particularly social in its nature. (Granted, I would say these same about cannabis.) It seems to be closest in nature to what I have heard of the coca leaf, cocaine's far milder and safer precursor."

"I recently ordered a 1/4 ounce of Sceletium Tortuosum for $40 USD after reading some historical information and old trip reports on an ethnobotanical website. I received my package which contained a baggie of brown, fine ground powder. Some of the historical information mentioned that sceletium had been snorted by indiginous African tribes. I snorted approximately 1gm of the fine powder. After about 15 minutes I began to feel a little giddy and got up to walk around. Soon thereafter I experienced a powerful rush that reminded me of the onset of MDMA. Over the next 30min., I had a few more of these rushes, though not quite as powerful as the first. For the next few hours, I experienced a potent caffeine-like buzz tinged with some euphoric elements. I became very talkative and stayed up late into the night. I was expecting something a little more sedate, but even so, the experience was fairly enjoyable.About a week later, I mixed sceletium with some tobacco and smoked it. This was more similar to the relaxing sceletium experiences I had read about. Similar to cannabis but without the clouded thought and not as potent.Overall, I think this herb deserves some more investigation."

Benefits of Kanna (Sceletium tortuosum)

• increased sensations of pleasure, well-being, and wellbeing; improved mood; stress alleviation;
• more focused and intelligent
• reduced pain
• reduced hunger
• Additionally, kanna is known to help in addiction recovery.

The southern African people of Namaqualand and Queenstown use a tea produced from the leaves that reduces pain and curbs appetite. 

Although the pharmacology of kanna is still poorly understood, mesembrine and scleletium tortuosum extracts may have antidepressant properties. People who used the commercially available Sceletium tortuosum extract Zembrin reported better sleep and less stress in clinical testing. 

Mesembrine-rich Sceletium tortuosum extracts have been proven to reduce cortisol, a stress hormone. Researchers hypothesize that the extract would be helpful for persons with high blood pressure and/or stress levels.  However, animal or human research are still needed to confirm this. 

Are there risks with Kanna use?

People don't usually feel negative effects associated with Kanna, but they can include appetite loss, and headaches.

Aizoaceae ice plants contain significant amounts of oxalates, particularly oxalic acid (3.6–5.1%). The oxalates in kanna should be fermented or heated in order to break them down because they can be harmful in big quantities and be very acidic and astringent. However for well fermented kanna, this should not be an issue. Consuming fresh or only slightly fermented kanna is not suggested.

As a serotonin reuptake inhibitor, kanna may interact in a harmful way with a wide range of other drugs, including but not limited to: Warfarin, antipsychotics, Sibutramine, Tramadol, and St. John's Wort. People using psychoactive medications like antidepressants, sedatives, hypnotics, or anxiolytics should proceed with caution. In fact, If mixing any drugs, always use extreme care. 

In addition, kanna shouldn't be taken with other SSRIs because it is a serotonin reuptake inhibitor (serotonin reuptake inhibitors). Serotonin syndrome is a disorder that results from an excess of serotonin in the neurological system. Serotonin syndrome patients may exhibit symptoms including tremors, twitching, anxiety, sleeplessness, and elevated heart rate.

Serotonin syndrome, which can result in seizures, delirium, and excessively high body temperatures, is brought on by serotonin levels that are too high. A person with serotonin syndrome may, in rare circumstances, go into a coma. Serotonin syndrome symptoms can range from being moderate to being life threatening depending on the individual.

Unless you have a a bullet proof source, buying Kanna can be risky. There are lots of  extracts.  But its a bit of a wild west. With no real regulation, these kind of herbal blends can be treated with all sorts of chemicals and then sold to consumers. 

Pharmacology of Kanna

Kanna has between 1% and 1.5% alkaloids. The primary components, mesembrenone and mesembrenine, have yields of 0.86% and 0.2%, respectively, when separated.

Tortuosamine is one of a dozen different alkaloids that are present in extremely minute amounts.

The hallucinogenic elements are considered to be the alkaloids tortuosamine, mesembrine, mesembrenone, and mesembrenol.

Methyltryptamine (MMT) and N,N-DMT have been found in a Delosperma species, a near cousin from the same family, suggesting that tryptamines may also be present in the plant.  Oxalic acid is also present in the leaves.

The plant's leaves and stalks contain mesembrine (empirical formula C17H23NO3), with 0.3% discovered in the roots and 0.86% in the leaves, stems, and flowers. Mesembrine functions as a serotonin reuptake inhibitor with less pronounced phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitory actions (PDE4).

By up-regulating vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2), a high-mesembrine Sceletium extract demonstrated monoamine releasing activity in an in-vitro investigation. Neurotransmitters are transported by the protein VMAT2 outside of the cell, where they can exert their effects. VMAT2 transports substances in the brain such dopamine, serotonin, and GABA, activating them as a result.

Mesembrenone has been shown to increase energy utilisation in the body by inhibiting the enzyme phosphodiesterase 4, or PDE4, and act as a more balanced serotonin reuptake inhibitor.

Additionally, acetylcholinesterase inhibitor and cannabinoid agonist properties of kana have been found. The active ingredients in Sceletium tortuosum extract also stimulated the melatonin, prostaglandin, opioid, GABA, and opioid-related receptors in rats.

Can you microdose Kanna?

Yes! Kanna is a mild extracts to introduce yourself to the realm of microdosing. 

Utilizing sub-perceptual dosages of a substance, such as psilocybin or LSD, in order to provide an enduring effect, such as increased levels of creativity, energy, and attention, is known as microdosing.

Most microdosing regimens are based on the use of substances that resemble the key neurotransmitters serotonin or dopamine in terms of structure, i.e. tryptamines or phenethylamines, which are 5-HT2A agonists. 

Is Kanna Legal?

All nations accept Sceletium tortuosum when it is offered as a herbal preparation in any of its forms, including dry herbal material, extract, and tincture.

It is publicly marketed in several herbal shops and stores. Like many other useful herbs, it is sold as a purely herbal product based on its traditional usage because there are restrictions on making claims about any herbal treatment in many countries (FDA in the United States, TGA in Australia).

Zembrin, a kanna extract that can only be obtained with a prescription, is offered in South Africa.

How to find Kanna

Given its legal standing, kanna is unrestricted other than when it comes to making claims that it is a medicinal or therapeutic product. As a result, it's not too difficult to find kanna and items made from it.

The sole challenge, as with many items, might be determining the source of the plant material and if it was ethical. 

Herbal shops often sell kanna and kanna extracts.  Kanna extracts have a powerful, almost bitter tobacco flavour and come in different potencies, up to 100x. Additionally, Kanna can be purchased as tinctures or in mixtures with other herbal remedies.

It is possible to purchase seeds of Sceletium tortuosum and other Sceletium species from specialised nurseries and ethnobotanical sources. These seeds are sometimes referred to as mesembryanthemums. 

Is it Easy to cultivate kanna?

It's pretty simple to cultivate kana. It may be cultivated either from cuttings or from seeds. Similar to how cacti do, seeds are either lightly distributed over a bed of cactus soil or sown in takeout tek. Sceletium tortuosum thrives on sandy, dry soils with sporadic irrigation.

Although Sceletium tortuosum is not known to be weedy or invasive, caution should be used when bringing any plant to an area where it is not already natural. Despite having a relatively harmless appearance, many plants have the potential to wreak havoc on the environment.

Final Thoughts

As with any psychedelic, be cautious and respectful - do your research and prepare accordingly.  As always, we recommend you start with a low dose and make sure you have a proper set and setting.