Kanna for Anxiety and Mood: What the Research (and Reviews) Say
Kanna has picked up a reputation as the plant that takes the edge off. Scroll through reviews of kanna-based drinks and the same words keep coming up: calmer, lighter, more social, less stuck in my own head. But reputation and research aren't the same thing. So what does the science actually say about kanna, anxiety, and mood, and how does it line up with what everyday drinkers report? Here's an honest look at both.
What the Research Shows So Far
Kanna (Sceletium tortuosum) is a succulent native to South Africa, where it has been chewed, brewed, and fermented for centuries. Its best-studied compounds are alkaloids, mainly mesembrine, which appear to act on serotonin reuptake and on an enzyme called PDE4, two pathways closely tied to mood and the body's stress response. Most modern studie...
