Kanna
Sceletium tortuosum
Production
Sceletium tortuosum, known as Kanna, Channa, or Kougoed, is one of the most historically significant and scientifically fascinating plants in South Africa. A small succulent native to the arid Karoo and Namaqualand, it has been used by Khoisan hunter-gatherers for thousands of years as a mood elevator, stress reliever, and hunger suppressant during long hunting expeditions. Archaeological evidence suggests its use dates back at least 3000 years, making it one of the oldest documented psychoactive plant medicines in Africa. The plant's primary bioactive compounds — mesembrine alkaloids — act as serotonin reuptake inhibitors and PDE4 inhibitors, giving Kanna a measurable antidepressant and anxiolytic pharmacological profile that modern science is only beginning to fully characterise. In the past decade, Kanna has attracted extraordinary commercial and scientific interest as the global mental health supplement market has exploded. Several patented Sceletium extracts — most notably Zembrin — are now sold in supplements across the USA, Europe, and Asia. South Africa holds sovereign rights over this plant and its traditional knowledge under the Nagoya Protocol, making benefit-sharing with Khoisan communities a central legal and ethical issue in its commercialisation.
- Mesembrine (primary alkaloid — serotonin reuptake inhibitor)
- Mesembrenone (PDE4 inhibitor)
- Mesembrenol
- Tortuosamine
- Delta-7-mesembrenone
- Fermented plant material chewed as a mood elevator and stress reliever
- Snuffed as a powder for rapid anxiolytic effect
- Used to suppress hunger and thirst during long hunts
- Applied to alleviate pain — rubbed on gums for toothache
- Used by San healers in trance dance preparation
- Smoked alone or with dagga for relaxation
- Mesembrine confirmed as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor in vitro (Harvey et al., 2011)
- Zembrin (patented extract) demonstrated significant reduction in anxiety in double-blind RCT (Nell et al., 2013)
- PDE4 inhibition by mesembrenone suggests cognitive enhancement potential — confirmed in animal studies
- Safety and tolerability of Sceletium extract confirmed in Phase I human clinical trial (Coetzee et al., 2016)
- Reduction in amygdala reactivity to fearful stimuli shown in fMRI study (Terburg et al., 2013)
Arid to semi-arid Succulent Karoo. Extremely drought-tolerant. Full sun. Sandy or gravelly well-drained soils. Sensitive to frost and waterlogging. Rainfall 100–300mm per annum.
Little Karoo, Namaqualand, Knersvlakte, Tankwa Karoo — all within the Western and Northern Cape
Cultivation is well established for the extract industry. HGH Pharmaceuticals and other licensed producers grow certified Sceletium in the Western Cape. Zembrin extract is the most commercially successful patented Sceletium product, exported to supplement markets globally. Benefit-sharing agreements with Khoisan communities are legally required under South African biodiversity law.
Kanna holds a central place in Khoisan cultural and spiritual life stretching back millennia. The San and Khoikhoi peoples fermented the plant by burying harvested material in animal skins or bags for several days — a process that transforms the alkaloid profile and enhances potency. The fermented product known as Kougoed was chewed, snuffed, or smoked before and after hunting expeditions, in healing ceremonies, and in social gatherings. San healers used it as part of the trance dance preparation — the altered state it induces was considered a gateway to the spirit world. When Dutch settlers arrived at the Cape, Khoikhoi people introduced them to Kanna and it was described in detail by early VOC botanists and travellers. The commercialisation of Sceletium has been controversial within Khoisan communities, some of whom feel their ancient knowledge has been appropriated without adequate compensation. The benefit-sharing framework established under the South African Biodiversity Act is an attempt to address this historical injustice.