Kanna is a drug traditionally used in South Africa, I have heard, no source sorry, that in high doses it has been used in ritual settings but mostly in lower doses as an antidepressant and stimulant.
It's mainly an SRI, but according to this study it has effects on norepinephrine reuptake, some gabbaergic receptors, opioid and inhibition of PDE3 and PDE4 enzymes.
So beware of certain interactions.
Unfermented Kanna contains quite a lot of oxalic acid which... dismantles the liver I think, unfortunately I haven't found any studies on what's left of it after the fermentation process but I don't think it's feasible on a regular basis in the long run.
https://www.researchgate...ublication..._alkaloids
Quote:
Its claimed efficacy in depression has been linked to inhibitory effects on 5-HT reuptake (Gericke and Viljoen, 200Cool, although these effects have not been thoroughly studied. The present results demonstrate that the proprietary standardised extract of Sceletium tortuosum known as Zembrin® does have potent inhibitory effects on the 5-HT trans- carrier. Considering that a plant extract can contain several hundred components, it is perhaps surprising that Sceletium extract affected so few sites in the broad panel of receptors, ion channels, transporters and enzymes used in this study. Potent inhibitory activity was also found against PDE4 and, to a lesser extent, PDE3, but not for other PDEs. Significant reductions in radioligand binding to a few receptors were also observed: GABA receptors, 2-opioid receptors, -opioid receptors, cholecystokinin-1 (or -A) receptors, EP4 prostaglandin receptors and melatonin-1 receptors. However, the concentrations required were 30 to 150 times higher than those required with 5-HT transport tests. Therefore, the clinical effects of Sceletium tortuosum extract (Zembrin®Pleased are likely to derive from their inhibitory effects on 5-HT reuptake processes and PDE4 activity. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are well known as antidepressants, and PDE4 inhibitors have also attracted considerable attention as potential antidepressants, although clinically tested pharmaceutical compounds have had dose-limiting side effects, namely nausea and vomiting (Kanes et al., 2007).
That's all very interesting, but what did it do to me and why did I take it?
Basically because I was depressed and I had good results for a while with sertraline, an SSRI, but it started not to work anymore, altered my moods even more and made me angry and didn't help my mood anymore. So I stopped and I had already read a lot about Kanna in search of self-medication. I also had Mirtazapine which did not help my mood and which I dropped for another reason (0 energy, impossible to wake up).
It can be chewed, made into a tea, smoked, snorted, I'm only going to talk about the tea and sublingual.
Between 0.5 and 1g of the plant in a tea during the day, often drunk in two doses a few hours apart, proved to be very effective on me to silence the dark thoughts, ruminations, desires of mutilation and suicidal ideation, I could be in a very bad day and the Kanna helped to chase these thoughts from my mind. Unlike antidepressants, the effect is immediate and you don't need to take it daily for it to be effective, so I would only take the tea on days when I was feeling quite low, as I said above I don't think it's great on a daily basis. At these doses, in addition to the depressive thoughts that disappeared, I felt a body high that could be both relaxing and stimulating depending on the context, which is quite typical I think of sero drugs. As far as side effects are concerned, it makes you insomniac if you take it too late in the afternoon and it can cause nausea and diarrhea, but I didn't have much of that at these doses.
To sum up, I would say that it's really an effective crutch but I wouldn't recommend relying on it in the long term, it's also a bit stimulating but if you get close to 1g it can become more tedious to be well concentrated. For a duration ... between 4 and 6 hours I would say maybe a bit more.
I have also used Kanna recreationally
In the evening with friends, if I chew about 1g I feel a certain serotoninergic high quite euphoric at the same time there is a trippy high like I smoked a joint of a very weak weed, there was clearly an empathogenic effect and a manageable dehinibition (not like alcohol etc...), desire to share things, feeling of connection with my friends, the music sounds much better, if I drink a not strong beer, I want to laugh and dance. Later in the evening and two beers later I think, I walk again 1.5g, I have a bit of a stomach ache this time but it's still manageable, I'm stimulated and euphoric, I get in the mood of my friends who have drunk a lot, in short I had a good time.
I've used it in combination with cannabis, Benzo and Kratom, both depressants potentiate the euphoria of high recreational doses and the feeling of being high while making the body high more enjoyable.
It makes cannabis very psychedelic at high doses of both, I had very meditative almost dissociative mental effects, feeling like I was floating in vague colours and shapes with my eyes closed, music becomes magical and even with my eyes open all the colours are more vibrant and the HD textures a bit like a low dose of psychedelic. If I took too much (more than 3-4g in my house), very strong nausea or even vomiting but from 1.5-2g, I always had some nausea but I never took these doses without a big joint or vapo or cannabis oil and in my house cannabis calms the nausea.
Meditating in this state is very pleasant and interesting. It's easier to let your thoughts and feelings flow.