Kanna

Latin Sceletium tortuosum is a succulent plant originally from South Africa, where it still grows today. It belongs to the Cosmos family. It grows to 30 centimeters in height, but tends to spread in width. The leaves are 4 cm wide, light green and fleshy. The flowers are white-yellow to light orange in color. The petals are many in the shape of thin petals. Kanna has its strongest place in traditional folk medicine in southern Africa. But it is slowly spreading to the whole world.

South African herders, hunters and gatherers have used it since prehistoric times as a so-called mood modulator. The first mention of the herb was written in 1662 by Jan Van Riebeeck, who described the uses of the herb. Traditionally, Kanna was chewed or eaten dried. It was also often smoked or snorted. Another popular method was the production of tinctures.

WHAT DOES KANNA CONTAIN?

The mesembrine alkaloids contained mainly include mesembrine and mesembrenon. Other alkaloids are mesembrenol and mesembranol. Fermented preparations contain the so-called delta-7-mesembrenon. A method for the determination of active ingredients has been developed for the extract of kanna, which is called Zembrin. The psychotropic effects of kanna are based on the fact that the active alkaloids of this shrub inhibit phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE-4) and serotonin.