Kanna (Sceletium tortuosum): The Plant, Its Alkaloids, and Its Forms

Kanna, botanically Sceletium tortuosum, is a low succulent plant from the Cape region of South Africa. It has a long history of traditional use there, and it is now sold worldwide in a range of forms that are far less interchangeable than the shared name suggests.

The Plant

Sceletium tortuosum is in the Aizoaceae family. It grows low and spreading in arid ground, and it is the leaf and stem that are harvested. The common name kanna is also applied loosely to several related Sceletium species, which is one reason species confirmation matters when buying.

The Alkaloids

The compounds of interest are mesembrine-type alkaloids. The four most commonly named are mesembrine, mesembrenone, mesembrenol and mesembranol. Their ratio to each other, not just the total amount, is what distinguishes one batch from another.

Mesembrine-dominant and mesembrenone-dominant material come from different source plants and different processing, and they are described very differently by people who use them. A product that lists only a total alkaloid percentage is leaving out the more informative half of the picture.

Raw Leaf Versus Fermented Leaf

Traditional preparation involves crushing the plant and fermenting it, historically in sealed containers left in the sun. Fermentation changes the alkaloid ratios, converting some compounds into others, which is why fermented and unfermented kanna are not the same material at different strengths.

Raw dried leaf is simply harvested and dried. It is the least processed option and the cheapest by weight. Fermented leaf is the traditional format and is usually described as smoother.

Extracts and Grade Names

Extracts are concentrated and sold under standardization names. MT55 is the most widely recognized, referring to a specific standardization of total alkaloid content. Other grades exist and the naming is not consistent across suppliers.

A grade name is only useful if you know what it stands for. Ask what the standardization actually is, and ask whether there is lot testing rather than a generic certificate carried over from an older batch.

Other Formats

Kanna is also sold as resin, tincture, nasal spray and vape juice. Each of these starts from an extract, so the questions are the same: which extract, at what concentration, in what carrier. The format changes the onset and duration, not the underlying material.

What to Ask Before Buying

Confirm the species. Ask whether leaf material is raw or fermented. For extracts, ask for the standardization and the alkaloid ratio rather than a single percentage.

Entheogenic Emporium lists kanna by form and by alkaloid profile rather than under one heading, so a mesembrine-dominant product is labeled as one instead of being sold as generic kanna.