Kanna: its a precious little succulent from South Africa, beautiful to grow...I have had a few plants but they have a hard time surviving in the Arizona summer..their growth is a bit stunted..But I have had continued sustainable access due to botanical babe friends.. The vibrant, green flesh of the Sceletium tortuosum is fermented, dried, and powdered before use. Traditionally, Kanna is snuffed or smoked (with wild dagga!) at a dosage of around 100-150mg. This process can be uneasy or super mild at first, then increases in euphoria, like a priming effect, with continued use at the same dosage. It is also traditionally chewed (like a gum, or mixed with natural gum or chewy fruit tree like Xakuxaku) or held under the tongue sublingually until the alkaloids are absorbed by the body, at a dosage of 200-400mg and upwards to a gram. This is fantastic. As a capsule or tea, more product is needed for a less effective experience (in my opinion).
Effects of Kanna with the traditional method of snuff is euphoria, precise vision, enhanced senses, a goofy, giggly feeling of elation, a centered and calm sense of happiness and peace. This comes on quickly and lasts for an hour or two, then smoothly relaxes the mind into mild sedation.
When smoked, Kanna produces a more body and mind sense of elevation, weightlessness, floaty euphoria, grinning like a cheshire cat..slightly analgesic. This effect takes around 40 minutes to take effect and last upwards of 2 hours. A fantastic alternative to potent cannabis smoke! Or a wonderful, peaceful pair to blend with cannabis to reduce intake of THC and provide and smoother, more balanced and peaceful landing from the "high"of THC versus the crash that some card-holders feel after medication via combustion. During this time of heavily medicated people using Cannabis a tad too much, I see Kanna as a major blessing because it potentiates the desirable effects of Cannabis, meaning less is needed of the substance to get the same results. Or better yet, the Cannabis can be substituted completely with Wild Dagga flowers (Leonotus leonurus), also coming from Africa. Wild Dagga grows superbly in dryer regions of California and Arizona.
Sublingual use of Kanna produces an analgesic, euphoric, happy, sense of well-being and elevation. This can be used in smaller doses for entering trance states of dance & drumming, creating art and social ease of beautiful conversation, enhanced intuition and feelings of mellow ecstasy. In larger doses (above 500mg), Kanna can become a stronger analgesic, more of a sedative, a more melty, sensual experience.
Efficacy is wonderful, smooth and happy. The powder is valuable for people coping with depression. Noted effects that need to be considered is that it does suppress appetite...not indicated for emaciated, aneorexic patients.. Kanna does need to be taken on an empty stomach in order for it to take effect. This may be hard for some patients? Also, it can disrupt sleep cycles depending on the time of day taken...If low doses are taken in the evening, people can be wide-eyed for hours.
Rather than the powder, which can be hard for some people to weigh out...I suggest tincture as a form of application for patients dealing with PTSD, anxiety, & depression, who benefit from a regular & consistent application. Tincture in warm water on an empty stomach can also be easier to digest (for people with sensitive bellies) and more consistent to control effect and dose.
IMPORTANT: taken from http://kanna-info.com/how-to-use-kanna - Sceletium tortuosum is a Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SRI). It should not be combined with other (S)SRI’s or Mono Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOi’s). (S)SRI’s are mainly found in antidepressant prescription medicines like Seroxat, Prozac, Cipramil, Fevarin and Zoloft. MAOi’s can be found in certain antidepressants and in plants like Syrian Rue (Peganum harmala), Banisteriopsis Caapi, Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) and Yohimbe.