HOW TO USE KANNA
How To Prepare & Use Kanna
Traditionally, Kanna’s dried and/or fermented roots and leaves was smoked, sniffed or chewed by native South African tribes and used in sacred rituals.
Nowadays, in the Western world, Kanna can be obtained in many forms. It has been made available for purchase in various forms, including (but not limited to): powder form, seeds, extracts, capsules, tea bags, e-liquids, tinctures, dissolved in honey.
The following preparation and ingestion methods are among the most widely used.
How To Prepare Kanna
When preparing your Kanna, you’ll want to use the whole plant. You’ll find that it ferments better with its roots and the stems reportedly contain a Mesembrine content that can be as much as 3 times higher than its leaves (Smith et al, 1996]).
After starting the fermentation process by crushing the plant material, you’ll need to place it in a sealed, sterile (preferably transparent) container. As it ferments, you’ll start seeing the colour change to a darker green and brown shade. Open your container every now and then to air your mixture and leave to ferment for up to 8 days. Place your kanna into a wide but shallow container and spread evenly, leaving it to dry in direct sunlight until it feels dry to the touch. This can take around 5 days, though you can also oven dry it at 80°C.
When your Kanna feels dry to the touch, you can use a pestel and mortar or even a coffee grinder to grind it into a powder. However, if you’re wanting to chew it or make it into a tea, it’s best to leave it the way it is. Using this preparation method, 1g of fresh Kanna can yield up 5mg of dried produce.
How To Use Kanna
Much like with any herbs that you ingest, its effects heavily depend on your metabolism, build and previous use. The following dosage and ingestion recommendations should therefore only be used as guidelines to follow and to build from:
Sceletium Tortuosum (Linnaeus)
Kanna
Family
Mesembryanthemaceae (Aizoaceae or ‘Ice Plant’ Family)
Also Known As
Canna, canna-root, channa, gunna, kanna, kauwgoed, kauw-goed, kon, quid, kou, kougoed, tortuose fig-marygold
HOW TO CHEW KANNA
Like the South African native tribes, you can choose to chew Kanna’s fermented leaves, stems and roots for an extended period of time or throughout your day.
- MILD
- MEDIUM
- STRONG
- XXL
- 100 – 200 mg
- 200 – 400 mg
- 400 – 600 mg
- 600 – 1000 mg
You can expect Kanna’s full intoxicating and euphoric effects to last for up to 2 hours, after which it starts fading out over another 1 to 2 hours.
HOW TO SNORT KANNA
Though said to be the most ‘effecient’ method of ingestion, it’s far from pleasant as many have reported itching, clogged nasal cavaties and even nosebleeds as a result of snorting Kanna. So if you’re brave enough to take on the challenge, make sure you grind your mixture into a very fine snuff powder.
- MILD
- MEDIUM
- STRONG
- XXL
- 25 – 50 mg
- 50 – 100 mg
- 100 – 250 mg
- 250 – 500 mg
Snorting Kanna will ensure that its euphoric effects will kick in within minutes and you can expect to enjoy its full effects for about 20 to 60 minutes, after which they’ll start fading during another 20 to 60 minutes.
Please note though, this method of consumption isn’t very suitable for pain relief as Kanna’s alleviating effects aren’t as pronounced when snorted.
HOW TO SMOKE KANNA
For smoking Kanna, using a rough grind is most enjoyable. Though you can use a fine powder or even shredded Kanna depending on your preferences. The smoke is often described as ‘sweet’ and being ‘mild‘ and ‘easy on the lungs‘.
- MILD
- MEDIUM
- STRONG
- XXL
- 50 – 100 mg
- 100 – 250 mg
- 250 – 400 mg
- 400 – 500 mg
When smoked, Kanna’s effects come often come on within seconds, often starting as a ‘head rush’, peaking at around 30 to 60 minutes after consumption and then fading for another one to one and a half hours. Kanna smokers often report ‘nervous’-like feelings that transform into a more relaxed, euphoric feeling. Smoking too isn’t recommended for pain relief. Like with snorting, Kanna’s alleviating effects aren’t very noticable when smoked.
HOW TO BREW KANNA
One of the most popular ways of consuming Kanna, is by brewing it into a tea. Make sure you use hot, not boiling water though! This method of ingesting Kanna is extremely suitable fo pain relieving and relaxation since its sedative effects (less so than europhic effects) are more pronounced when brewed.
- MILD
- MEDIUM
- STRONG
- XXL
- 200 – 400 mg
- 400 – 600 mg
- 600 – 1000 mg
- 1000 – 2000 mg
After drinking your brew, you can expect effects to come on within approximately one to one and a half hours, lasting as long as 4 to 5 hours.
How Often Can I Use Kanna?
Kanna has been reported to have a reverse tolerance effect. This occurrence is characterized by a ‘reduction of insensitivity caused after drug tolerance has been established‘. In layman’s terms it means that, with frequent use, you will not need to increase the dose over time in order to achieve the same effects.
However, daily (ab)use of Kanna with high dosage can cause the reverse tolerance to start fading after a couple of months. For more information about this phenomenon, please read this experience regarding frequent use for an extended period of time.
Like with any herb though, it’s best to try and test the waters first and see what works for you. It’s tempting to dive right in, but if you listen to your body and build upwards from a small dose, you’ll be able to enjoy Kanna to its fullest potential.