The Kanna Plant: Botany, Habitat, and the Indigenous History Behind Sceletium tortuosum

At first glance, the Kanna plant doesn’t look particularly remarkable. It’s a low-growing succulent that hugs the ground, producing fleshy leaves and small, daisy-like flowers that open beneath the bright South African sun. If you happened to walk past it in the rocky hills of Namaqualand, there’s a good chance you’d never give it a second look. Yet for generations, this modest little plant has occupied a unique place in the cultural history of southern Africa. Today, it’s also attracting the attention of botanists, pharmacologists, and wellness enthusiasts around the world.

Most articles about Kanna begin with its modern uses as a supplement. But long before standardized extracts, laboratory analysis, and Kanna tablet formulations, Sceletium tortuosum was simply another plant growing wild across one of the most biologically diverse landscapes on Earth. To understand why Kanna has become so fascinating today, it helps to go back to where its story actually starts: in the arid landscapes of South Africa’s Northern and Western Cape.

Kanna (Sceletium tortuosum) at a Glance

A Plant Built for Harsh Country

Sceletium tortuosum belongs to the Aizoaceae family, a remarkable group of succulents that has evolved to thrive in some of southern Africa’s driest environments. Its native range stretches across the Western Cape and Northern Cape provinces, particularly the semi-arid region known as Namaqualand.

Namaqualand is famous for its dramatic seasonal transformation. For much of the year, the landscape appears almost barren, with rocky hills, sandy soils, and sparse vegetation stretching toward the horizon. Then, after winter rains arrive, millions of wildflowers bloom across the region in one of the world’s most spectacular floral displays. Hidden among these seasonal blooms are countless hardy succulents, including Kanna.

The plant itself rarely grows very tall. Instead, it spreads close to the ground, storing water in its thick, fleshy leaves to survive long periods without rain. Mature plants produce delicate white, pale yellow, or light pink flowers that resemble miniature daisies. As the plant ages, its leaves dry and develop the distinctive skeletal network that inspired the genus name, Sceletium, derived from the Greek word for “skeleton.” Like many succulents, Kanna is remarkably well adapted to its environment. It tolerates poor soils, intense sunlight, and prolonged drought, conditions that would challenge many other flowering plants.

The First People to Understand Kanna

Long before Western botanists assigned Sceletium tortuosum its scientific name, the plant was already well known to the Indigenous Khoisan peoples of southern Africa, including both the San and Khoikhoi communities. Historical accounts dating back several centuries describe the plant being gathered, prepared, and used for a variety of purposes. Early European travelers recorded observations of Indigenous communities chewing prepared Kanna during long hunting expeditions, social gatherings, and ceremonial occasions. Ethnobotanical research has since expanded on those early observations, documenting the plant’s long-standing cultural significance within the region.

Modern articles sometimes make sweeping claims that Kanna has been used “for thousands of years” (me, too … guilty!), but the archaeological record doesn’t allow us to assign such a precise timeline. What we can say with confidence is that Kanna’s traditional use is well documented in historical writings and ethnobotanical research, and that its relationship with the Khoisan peoples predates modern scientific interest by centuries.

Like many traditional botanical medicines, Kanna wasn’t simply consumed because someone discovered it by accident. Knowledge about where to find it, how to prepare it, and when to use it formed part of a much broader understanding of the local environment that was passed from one generation to the next.

Why Traditional Preparation Was So Important

One of the most fascinating aspects of Kanna’s history isn’t the plant itself. It's what people did after harvesting it. Freshly collected Kanna was traditionally crushed and allowed to ferment before being dried. Historical records describe bundles of plant material being sealed inside animal skins, woven bags, or other containers for several days before the material was spread out to dry in the sun. The resulting product became known as kougoed, an Afrikaans term that translates roughly to “something good to chew.”

Researchers continue to study exactly how fermentation influences Kanna’s chemistry, but many believe the process altered the plant’s naturally occurring alkaloid profile while reducing compounds that may have been less desirable in the fresh plant. Although scientists are still investigating these biochemical changes, it’s a reminder that traditional botanical knowledge often involves surprisingly sophisticated preparation methods rather than simply eating plants directly from the ground. Historical accounts describe several different ways of using prepared Kanna. Chewing was perhaps the most common, but fermented material was also brewed into teas or smoked, depending on local customs and circumstances.

From Wild Succulent to Modern Supplement

Today’s Kanna products bear surprisingly little resemblance to the fermented plant material prepared centuries ago. Rather than harvesting wild plants, reputable manufacturers now rely on cultivated Sceletium tortuosum, grown under controlled agricultural conditions. After harvest, specialized extraction techniques concentrate specific naturally occurring alkaloids (notably, mesembrine), allowing manufacturers to produce standardized ingredients with far more consistent composition than raw plant material could provide.

For companies like ours, that level of consistency matters a great deal. Anyone who’s ever grown herbs in a backyard garden knows that plants don’t always produce identical chemical profiles. Rainfall, soil quality, temperature, sunlight, harvest timing, and genetics can all influence the concentration of naturally occurring compounds. That’s why the kind of standardization we have in modern manufacturing is so important. Instead of simply grinding dried plant material into a capsule and hoping we got it right, we can measure and verify the concentration of those key alkaloids, giving customers a much more reliable end product.

Why Sustainable Sourcing Matters

As interest in Kanna has grown internationally, so has the importance of protecting the plant in its native habitat. Wild harvesting has always been part of Kanna’s history, but increasing commercial demand raises understandable concerns about pressure on natural populations. Fortunately, many modern producers have shifted toward cultivation (growing their own) rather than relying exclusively on wild collection.

Cultivated production offers several advantages. It reduces pressure on naturally occurring populations, allows growers to select healthy plant stock, and provides greater consistency from one harvest to the next. Controlled cultivation also makes it easier to monitor growing conditions and maintain quality standards throughout the production process.

For consumers, sustainability and quality often go hand in hand. Companies that invest in cultivated supply chains are generally better positioned to produce standardized extracts while helping preserve wild populations for future generations.

A Small Plant With a Remarkable Story

Plants have stories, and many of them are fascinating (as any PBS Eons addict will tell you). Before Kanna became a product on a supplement store shelf, it was a hardy succulent growing among the granite outcrops and sandy plains of South Africa. Before researchers identified mesembrine or studied phosphodiesterase inhibition, Indigenous communities had already developed careful methods for preparing and using the plant. And before it found its way into wellness routines around the world, it was simply another remarkable species adapted to one of the planet’s most demanding landscapes.

Understanding that history doesn't just make Kanna more interesting. It also reminds us that modern botanical science and traditional knowledge aren’t competing stories. In many ways, they’re chapters of the same one.

FAQs

Is Kanna a Succulent?

Yes. Sceletium tortuosum is a low-growing perennial succulent belonging to the Aizoaceae family, commonly known as the ice plant family. Its thick, fleshy leaves help it survive the dry conditions of South Africa’s Western and Northern Cape provinces.

Where Does the Kanna Plant Grow Naturally?

Kanna is native to South Africa, particularly the semi-arid regions of the Western Cape and Northern Cape. It is especially associated with Namaqualand, an area known for its unique succulent flora and spectacular seasonal wildflower blooms.

Why Was Kanna Traditionally Fermented?

Historical accounts describe harvested Kanna being crushed, fermented, and then dried before use. Researchers believe fermentation may alter the plant’s alkaloid profile and reduce certain naturally occurring compounds, although the process is still being studied.

Is Modern Kanna the Same as Traditional Kanna?

Not exactly. Traditional preparations typically involved fermented whole-plant material. Modern supplements, like Kanna gummies, generally use standardized extracts produced under controlled manufacturing conditions to provide more consistent alkaloid concentrations.

Is Wild-Harvested Kanna Better Than Cultivated Kanna?

Not necessarily. Many reputable manufacturers prefer cultivated Kanna because it supports sustainability, reduces pressure on wild populations, and provides more consistent raw material for standardized extracts.

References

Harvey, A.L., Young, L.C., Viljoen, A.M., & Gericke, N.P. (2011). Pharmacological actions of the South African medicinal and functional food plant Sceletium tortuosum and its principal alkaloids. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 137(3), 1124–1129. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21798331/

Manganyi, M.C., Bezuidenhout, C.C., Regnier, T., & Ateba, C.N. (2021). A chewable cure "Kanna": Biological and pharmaceutical properties of Sceletium tortuosum. Molecules, 26(9), 2734. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8124331/

Olatunji, T.L., Siebert, F., Adetunji, A.E., Harvey, B.H., Gericke, J., Hamman, J.H., & Van der Kooy, F. (2021). Sceletium tortuosum: A review on its phytochemistry, pharmacokinetics, biological and clinical activities. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 280, 114476. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378874121007054

Terburg, D., Syal, S., Rosenberger, L.A., Heany, S., Phillips, N., Gericke, N., Stein, D.J., & van Honk, J. (2013). Acute effects of Sceletium tortuosum (Zembrin), a dual 5-HT reuptake and PDE4 inhibitor, in the human amygdala and its connection to the hypothalamus. Neuropsychopharmacology, 38(13), 2708–2716. https://www.nature.com/articles/npp2013183

South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). Sceletium tortuosum. PlantZAfrica. https://pza.sanbi.org/sceletium-tortuosum

Van Wyk, B.E., & Gericke, N. (2000). People's Plants: A Guide to Useful Plants of Southern Africa. Briza Publications. https://archive.org/details/peoplesplantsgui0000vanw