KANNA IS A LEGAL PLANT MEDICINE THAT YOU CAN SNORT

Ready to explore a new high?

Kanna first crossed my radar in 2022, during a visit to Amsterdam’s chillest shroom shop, Kokopelli. A woman popped into the dispensary, searching for a supply of the substance. She worked for a smart shop nearby, but they’d sold out. The Kokopelli employees shook their heads. “We sold out of kanna too!” 

My ears perked up. Drug dispensaries–like rave dancefloors–are excellent frontiers for scoping out trends in psychoactive substances. So what was this new drug that the heads were hyped on? 

Turns out kanna isn’t new at all, but a succulent from South Africa called Sceletium tortuosum that has been used by indigenous tribes for its mood-enhancing and fatigue-fighting effects. Kanna was traditionally chewed or smoked as an essential treatment for pain, stress, and anxiety; its tranquilizing properties were particularly helpful for alleviating the stress that comes from surviving the harsh conditions of Bushman land environments. According to researchers, European colonizers who dispossessed native South African tribes of their land became interested in kanna as an alternative to sought-after ginseng, thus bringing it into the herbal worlds of colonial pharmacopeia. The Dutch named it “kougoed,” meaning “good to chew,” and by the 17th century, the area where kanna grew abundantly was referred to as “channaland.” 

Today, kanna remains relatively obscure amongst recreational drug users, and remains far less popular than kratom and kava–other similar-sounding legal plant medicines favored by the hippie-leaning set. But kanna has started attracted scientific attention for its anti-depressant anxiolytic effects, with an animal study showing it could be as effective as the antidepressant drug imipramine in treating depression, and other studies demonstrating that it could be beneficial for a wide range of conditions ranging from ADHD to PTSD, sleep disorders, low sex drive, and Alzheimer’s. A Pharma company called Zembrin sells patented, low-dose kanna extract pills as a nootropic supplement, while other companies are trying to cultivate versions of this plant to sell as plant-derived dick pills. 

Recently, kanna has also started trending amongst underground psychedelic circles, with some newer kanna companies positioning the substance as “nature’s MDMA” – a healthier alternative to white party powders that stimulates serotonin without the side effects of SSRIs. Over the last year, I started getting samples of these kanna products in the mail: low-dose tinctures and capsules that promised subtle mood-boosting effects if taken regularly over a stretch of time. 

Tfw when you discover a trendy “new” drug lol

Then, a couple months ago, I stumbled across Kanna Extract Co while browsing the booths at a psychedelic party in Los Angeles. In between hits of his kanna vape, company founder Ryan Latreille was offering samples of a high-potency kanna extract to curious passersby. The company offers four kinds of kanna extract powders with various effects like “Lift” and “Rest,” as well as chocolates and tinctures. “You can actually snort the powder for the strongest effects,” he told me with a grin, offering me a bump with a little orange plastic spoon. I leaned in, took a couple sniffs, and quickly felt like I was coming up on Molly, my body shuddering with waves of rolling relaxation as my eyes began to wobble. The effects were intense, immediate, and far stronger than what I’d experienced with the low-dose tinctures. “What the fuck!” I exclaimed, unable to believe that this experience was somehow… legal?