Kanna for Depression and Mood Improvement

Looking for a natural, mood-improving antidepressant? 

Kanna is just that.

Kanna is a plant that grows in South Africa, and it’s consumed for social, therapeutic, and ceremonial purposes.

It’s legal everywhere in the U.S., except Louisiana, and it’s very safe to consume.

For several years, likely millenia, Indigenous communities have used kanna for its mood-improving, energy boosting effects. Today, it’s used as an antidepressant in the South African medical system. [1]

And in America, kanna is gaining traction as a natural supplement, whose mood improving effects can help both everyday people seeking a lift in their day and individuals with psychosocial issues and mood disorders, like anxiety and depression.

The potential for kanna as a natural remedy is vast, and American interest in the plant is blossoming. 

In this article, we’ll explore the plant, its history, benefits and how to use it in detail.

What Is Kanna?

Kanna is a succulent plant that grows in South Africa. It’s known scientifically as Sceletium Tortuosum. 

Indigenous communities have used it for its energy, sociability, and mood improving effects.

Vice wrote an article once calling it “natural MDMA”, which is perhaps a little much, because kanna doesn’t induce powerful psychedelic experiences, even at high doses. [2]

All the while, kanna does have heart-opening effects and it can create a euphoric state at higher doses.

Most people use kanna at low to mid range dose levels (i.e. microdose levels), which can effectively combat anxiety and depression.

The History of Kanna

Kanna has likely been used for several thousand years by humans living in present day South Africa. 

Tragically, colonialists desecrated most Indigenous communities of the area, and the destruction included the erasure of their written and oral history. So we don’t have extensive details on kanna use prior to the 20th century. [3] [4]

There are a few known traditional uses:

• Relieve hunger and thirst

• Combat fatigue

• Promote sociability 

• Promote spirituality

The Science of Kanna

Kanna is still used today in the South African medical system as an antidepressant for its mood improving, anti-anxiety, and antidepressant effects. [5]

The plant’s active compounds (the primary ones are called “mesembrine” and “mesembrenone”) function as natural serotonin reuptake inhibitors. [1] [3]

The clinical application of kanna is to treat a variety of psychosocial and mood disorders, such as:

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Substance Use

• Bulimia

• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Kanna Benefits and Effects

From anti-depression to social connection to spiritual ceremonies, kanna has some fascinating use cases.

So what are the primary effects?

What does taking it actually feel like to take kanna?

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, participants reported the following effects from kanna: [6]

• Positive improvements in wellbeing

• Improved sleep

• Less stress

• Fewer adverse events (e.g., headache, abdominal pain) compared to placebo

Other studies suggest additional benefits: [4]

• Stress relief

• Sense of calm

• Improved mood

• More energy

• Increased sense of healing

• Increased sense of social connection

• Increased sense of spirituality

• Clinical reductions in anxiety and depression

Why Use Kanna? 

Kanna produces wide-ranging positive effects, and it’s easy to see why people pursue it. 

But there’s even more interesting facets to the kanna equation that make it desirable. 

Here are four reasons why people use kanna:

1. Mood-improving effects that are easy to manage

2. Safety

3. Legal (almost everywhere)

4. Additional health benefits

1. Manageable Effects

Individuals use kanna because the effects are easy to manage and even customizable for specific intentions (e.g., social, therapeutic, energy).

Kanna produces a euphoric “high” that’s rarely overwhelming. 

Using kanna at low and mid range doses induces a sense of bliss, calmness, and positivity.

At a high dose, the experience can be more “therapeutic”, as a deep sense of heart-warmth and security can allow one to process unresolved emotions, resistance, and trauma.

Kanna effects are dose-dependent, which offers a range of use cases customizable to what you most seek.

Some people will use kanna in social settings for a light boost; some people will use it in romantic settings; others may use it therapeutically in combination with yoga, meditation, or breathwork. 

One great thing about kanna is that experimenting with it is quite easy and safe.

2. Safety

The relatively subtle effects of kanna contribute to the “safety” associated with it. Afterall, if you take too much, you won’t really achieve a stronger buzz, you’ll likely just feel sick.

There are zero documented cases of toxicity or overdose with kanna. However, people who take antidepressants, such as SSRIs or MAOIs, should avoid kanna. Since kanna functions as a natural serotonin reuptake inhibitor, combining it with pharmaceuticals, which modulate this or similar processes, could create issues.

Now, there isn’t clear evidence on this combination and the precise negative outcomes, but it’s best practice to avoid kanna if you’re currently on an antidepressant. Always talk with your doctor or medical professional about your options.

Quick note on high doses: Typically, too high of a dose just leads to a headache or stomach ache. While people sometimes refer to kanna as a “plant medicine”, it does not induce the mystical altered perceptual experience that psychedelics at high doses can occasion. [7]

3. Legal 

You can order kanna directly to your door anywhere in the US, except in the state of Louisiana.

While the FDA has yet to regulate it, the DEA has yet to schedule it, so it’s really quite accessible in America today.

Could this change? Absolutely.

Ever since the War on Drugs, there's been a tendency to identify mind-altering substances and make them illegal, even when there’s zero scientific evidence to support prohibition.

At least for now, kanna is legal, and that’s a big reason why people are so interested in it.

4. Additional Health Benefits

The benefits of kanna go beyond a boost to one’s mood.

Studies suggest that kanna is effective at combating cancer and inflammation. It also has antioxidant effects that can be helpful for folks who have diabetes and obesity. [8]

Plants often impact the brain and body in a multitude of ways. Psychoactive plants can alter consciousness in the short term and have health implications - including positive ones -  in the long term.

Take coffee for example. Once consumed, it provides an energy boost! Over time, consumption is associated with health benefits for diabetes, cancer, Parkinsons, and Alzheimer’s disease. [9]

Most of us will drink coffee and use kanna because they improve our mindset in the moment, but the long-term health benefits are a nice perk too.

How To Use Kanna

People are drawn to use kanna as a social lubricant and as a tool to promote a sense of connection.

You’ll most often find kanna in the form of an extract powder or an oil tincture. 

Here are our main ideas for how to use kanna:

#1 Consider Route of Administration (ROA)

People either insufflate (or “snort”) the powder intranasally or consume it orally, by keeping it under the tongue and then swallowing it.

The former method is much more efficient, requiring a lower dose to achieve desired effects. 

ROA will also impact how quickly you feel the effects. When you insufflate, the active compounds enter the bloodstream faster, so you will feel effects in about 5-10 minutes, as opposed to 30 minutes if consumed orally. 

#2 Eat Some Food

It’s important to have some food in your system before consumption. If you try kanna and get a headache, you probably need food or better hydration.

#3 Start Low, Go Slow

This is the mantra for anything psychoactive.

You can always take more if you’re not feeling the desired effects.

And the effects don’t last terribly long - people often redose throughout the course of a social event.

#4 Consider Combinations

Combining kanna with other substances (safely, of course) can be quite pleasurable. It’s known as a “synergistic” compound because it mixes well with other things. [7]

Some popular combinations include kanna with cannabis or kratom. The euphoric buzz kanna affords can sort of “soften” the uncomfortable edges of anxiety or paranoia from these plants.

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Whether you’re looking for a natural antidepressant, a nice euphoric buzz, or a heart-warming supplement to your mindfulness practice, kanna could be the tool for you.

To this last use case (i.e. mindfulness), we at Pivot often introduce kanna to meditations or psychedelic journeys.

Kanna can support one’s healing or regulating process, as it helps open the heart and access rich emotions, grounding one in a sense of contentment and security.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or want to know more about kanna. 

We wish you the best if you give kanna a go.

Sources:

1. Harvey, A. L., Young, L. C., Viljoen, A. M., & Gericke, N. P. (2011). Pharmacological actions of the South African medicinal and functional food plant Sceletium tortuosum and its principal alkaloids. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 137(3), 1124–1129. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2011.07.035

2. Weiss, S. (2020, March 9). This legal supplement made me roll like I'd taken MDMA. Vice. https://www.vice.com/en/article/v74xym/kanna-herbal-legal-mdma

3. Gericke, N., & Viljoen, A. M. (2008). Sceletium--a review update. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 119(3), 653–663. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2008.07.043

4. Manganyi, M. C., Bezuidenhout, C. C., Regnier, T., & Ateba, C. N. (2021). A Chewable Cure "Kanna": Biological and Pharmaceutical Properties of Sceletium tortuosum. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 26(9), 2557. doi: 10.3390/molecules26092557

5. Gericke, J., Harvey, B. H., Pretorius, L., Ollewagen, T., Benecke, R. M., & Smith, C. (2024). Sceletium tortuosum-derived mesembrine significantly contributes to the anxiolytic effect of Zembrin®, but its anti-depressant effect may require synergy of multiple plant constituents. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 319(Pt 1), 117113. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2023.117113

6. Nell, H., Siebert, M., Chellan, P., & Gericke, N. (2013). A randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled trial of Extract Sceletium tortuosum (Zembrin) in healthy adults. Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.), 19(11), 898–904. doi: 10.1089/acm.2012.0185

7. Smith, M. T., Crouch, N. R., Gericke, N., & Hirst, M. (1996). Psychoactive constituents of the genus Sceletium N.E.Br. and other Mesembryanthemaceae: a review. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 50(3), 119–130. doi: 10.1016/0378-8741(95)01342-3

8. Bennett, A. C., Van Camp, A., López, V., & Smith, C. (2018). Sceletium tortuosum may delay chronic disease progression via alkaloid-dependent antioxidant or anti-inflammatory action. Journal of physiology and biochemistry, 74(4), 539–547. doi: 10.1007/s13105-018-0620-6

9. Butt, M. S., & Sultan, M. T. (2011). Coffee and its Consumption: Benefits and Risks. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 51(4), 363–373. doi: 10.1080/10408390903586412