Kanna (Sceletium tortuosum) is a small succulent from South Africa's Karoo, used for centuries to lift the mood and soften the edges of a room. It isn't a stimulant and it isn't an intoxicant. It simply helps you arrive, present and at ease.
Kanna, and the people who knew it first
Long before the word supplement existed, Kanna grew low and unshowy across the semi-desert of the Cape. The San and Khoikhoi peoples knew it intimately, and everything the world understands about Kanna today begins with their knowledge. They fermented the plant and chewed it before long journeys, difficult conversations and celebrations. They called it kougoed: ‘something to chew’. Even the name Kanna comes to us from their languages.
It was the original social tonic: something you reached for not to escape the moment, but to be more fully in it. We didn’t discover any of this. We inherited it, and we don’t take that lightly.
Honouring the San and Khoikhoi
Kanna’s story belongs to the San and Khoikhoi peoples of Southern Africa, who have held and cared for this knowledge for generations. We share it with respect and gratitude, not as something to claim, but as a heritage to carry forward with care.
Keeping that respect practical: the Kanna in Ritual Social is cultivated, not wild-harvested, grown and processed in South Africa under a bioprospecting licence, within the country’s access-and-benefit-sharing framework.
What Kanna feels like
Kanna doesn’t announce itself. There’s no rush, no jitter, no fog. People describe a quiet lift, the room feels a little warmer, conversation comes a little easier, and the small tension you carry into a gathering loosens its grip.
That’s the character we build Ritual Social around: present rather than propped up.
“It doesn’t change who you are. It removes the thing that was in the way.”
What’s inside Kanna
Kanna’s character comes from a family of natural alkaloids, mesembrine chief among them, alongside mesembrenone and mesembrenol. Researchers are interested in how these interact with serotonin, the body’s mood messenger, which may be part of why the plant is traditionally linked to a brighter, calmer state.
What matters is the alkaloid family working together, rather than one molecule pulled out and used on its own.
Is Kanna safe and legal?
Kanna is native to South Africa and is legal to buy and enjoy here as a botanical, used in supplements and in food and drink. For most healthy adults it is well tolerated in modest amounts.
As with any active botanical, a little goes a long way.
A note on wellbeing
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, speak to your doctor before use. Kanna is a botanical enjoyed for everyday wellbeing. It is not a medicine, and nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition.
Ritual Social
15ml sachetRaspberry & passionfruit10 per cylinder
Ritual Social pairs Kanna with Guarana, Ashwagandha and Mucuna in a 15ml sachet that blooms into colour the instant it meets water. It’s the blend we made for the moments a glass usually fills.
Explore Ritual SocialKanna, quickly
What is Kanna used for?
Traditionally, Kanna is used to lift the mood, ease tension and encourage a sense of calm sociability. Southern African communities have reached for it for centuries before long journeys, difficult conversations and celebrations.
Is Kanna legal in South Africa?
Yes. It is indigenous here, and may be sold and enjoyed as a botanical in supplements, food and drink.
Does Kanna get you high?
No. Kanna is not an intoxicant and does not produce a high. People typically describe a gentle lift and a softening of social edges, present and clear-headed, not altered.
How does Kanna work?
Its character comes from a family of natural alkaloids, mesembrine chief among them. These are the compounds behind Kanna’s long reputation for lifting the mood and softening social tension.
Can you drink Kanna?
Yes. Modern botanical drinks such as Ritual Social blend Kanna with other plants so you can sip it rather than chew the raw herb.
Where does Kanna come from?
Kanna is native to South Africa, where it has been used for centuries by the San and Khoikhoi peoples, the original custodians of this knowledge. Both its traditional name and its use come from them.
Kanna is one of eleven botanicals behind Social, Serene and Sharp. Also in Ritual Social: Ashwagandha, Mucuna Pruriens. See all eleven botanicals →