Kanna: The Ancient Mood Herb from the South African Bush

Deep in the arid soils of what is now South Africa the plant Sceletium tortuosum has quietly carried a legacy of healing, social calm, endurance, and inner ease. Known locally as kanna or kougoed, which means “something to chew,” this succulent has been used by the indigenous Khoisan peoples and related groups for many centuries, perhaps millennia.

The earliest documented mention of kanna dates back to 1662 when European colonists first recorded its use. In traditional practice the leaves and stems of the plant would be harvested, sometimes fermented, dried, and then chewed. The saliva was swallowed or sometimes the herb was made into a tea, smoked, or snuffed.

Among the Khoisan and neighboring peoples kanna served many purposes. It was used by hunters and pastoralists to suppress hunger and thirst during long journeys across barren land. It helped ease fatigue, calm the nerves, and sustain mental alertness and social cohesion during long hunts or travel. In social and ceremonial contexts it was used to promote calm, ease of conversation, relaxation, and emotional openness often as part of community gatherings, rituals, and shared moments of rest and connection.

Traditionally kanna also had medicinal use. It was used to relieve toothache, abdominal pain or discomfort, and to ease hunger or thirst when other resources were scarce. For infants small doses, for example a drop of kanna juice in milk, were reportedly used in some communities to ease discomfort or colic.

In this way kanna existed in many roles as a practical ally for survival, a calming companion for the spirit, and a social herb for community gathering.

What Kanna Does: Mood, Mind, Body, and Social Connection

Modern phytochemical and pharmacological studies shed light on why kanna has the effects it does. Its leaves and stems contain a number of alkaloids, notably mesembrine along with mesembrenone and others. These compounds interact with the brain’s neurotransmitter systems including serotonin, and research suggests that kanna can act as a serotonin reuptake inhibitor and serotonin releasing agent.

Because of this kanna can gently elevate mood, soothe anxiety, reduce stress and tension, and foster a sense of emotional balance and calm. Beyond emotional effects people also report more physical ease including relaxation of the body, softening of muscle tension, and sometimes mild analgesic or pain relief effects when used appropriately.

Kanna’s benefits appear to extend into social and relational realms as well. In traditions and modern accounts alike people describe increased ease in conversation, reduced social anxiety, more emotional openness, increased empathy, and warmth among groups. This makes kanna a kind of social balm, a natural way to foster connection rather than escape.

Some sources highlight that kanna’s effects may support focus, mental clarity, and resilience especially in challenging environments or under physical stress. This aligns with how it was traditionally used by hunters or travelers enduring long journeys.

In modern life for someone walking an inner path of growth, healing, and transformation, kanna could serve as a gentle ally. It can help calm the mind, soften emotional tension, ease stress, and open space for introspection or connection with others.

Why Kanna Matters for the Modern Seeker and for Altered States Alliance

At Altered States Alliance we value depth, paradox, transformation, and community. Kanna embodies all of these qualities.

It carries ancestral memory and honors the long human tradition of using plants not to escape, but to align with environment, community, and inner rhythms.

It offers subtle transformation. Unlike dramatic entheogens that pull you into intense visions, kanna works softly. It can quiet the inner noise, calm anxiety, ease the nervous system, and create space for clarity, reflection, and grounded presence.

It supports connection. In a world often fractured and hurried, kanna’s effects of emotional openness, ease of social flow, and inner calm can help rebuild real human bond, deep conversation, and shared healing.

It gives a practical tool. For those walking a path of inner growth, fighting limiting beliefs, dissolving anxiety, and finding purpose, kanna may help balance the nervous system, open the heart, and create fertile ground for insight and integration.

What We Know and What We Still Do Not Know

Despite its long history and growing modern interest there remain important caveats.

Not everyone reacts the same way. Effects depend on dose, preparation, individual sensitivity, and context. What feels calming for one person may feel underwhelming or even unsettling for another.

Research has begun to document kanna’s antidepressant, anxiolytic, and mild analgesic effects. There is early evidence that kanna might reduce stress, ease tension, contribute to emotional balance, and mitigate mild pain. But the body of rigorous clinical trials remains limited compared to fully validated pharmaceutical interventions.

As with any plant medicine, respect, moderation, context, and integration matter. Historical use was embedded in community, tradition, intention, and respect. Those roots carry meaning.

Because harvesting pressures and habitat constraints have threatened wild populations of Sceletium tortuosum, sustainable cultivation and ethical sourcing matter now more than ever.

Conclusion

Kanna is not just a wild herb. It is a living thread in human history and culture. It is an ally for mood, calm, clarity, and connection. It is a bridge between ancient rhythms and modern stress.

For the modern seeker kanna offers a gentle passage. It can soften the mind, quiet the heart, and open space for healing, growth, introspection, and community.

If approached with reverence, intentionality, and respect for its origins, kanna may serve as one of the gentler tools for transformation and inner alignment that humans have rediscovered.

It reminds us that healing need not always be dramatic. Sometimes it quietly whispers through roots, leaves, and shared breath.

Sources

• Smith C. et al. “Sceletium tortuosum: A review on its phytochemistry, pharmacokinetics, biological, pre‑clinical and clinical activities.” Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2021. sciencedirect.com

• “Sceletium tortuosum (Kanna).” MDPI review of biological and pharmaceutical properties. mdpi.com

• “Sceletium tortuosum – Traditional Mood Enhancer.” SouthAfrica.co.za overview. southafrica.co.za

• “Traditional and modern use of Kanna.” Kanna-info.com historical summary. kanna-info.com

• “What does Kanna do?” article from DoubleBlindMag on traditional and modern uses. doubleblindmag.com

• “Benefits of Sceletium.” AcuDetox South Africa summary. acudetox.co.za

• Botanical and ethnobotanical profile of Sceletium tortuosum. en.wikipedia.org