A succulent built for dry places
Fleshy leaves store water, helping kanna thrive in arid, well-drained sandy and stony soils, often sheltered among other low-growing plants.
More about kanna
Meet kanna
An indigenous South African succulent with a story far older than any wellness trend — and the botanical at the heart of every kanna kraal ritual.
Chapter one
The plant
Kanna is the common name for Sceletium tortuosum, a low-growing succulent in the Aizoaceae family — the same family as South Africa's vygies. It is also known as channa and, once traditionally prepared, as kougoed.
A season of rest
In the dry season the plant goes dormant. Its leaves dry out, leaving behind a fine network of veins.
Where the name comes from
“Sceletium” comes from the Latin for skeleton, after those skeleton-like leaf veins.
A plant of place
Born in Southern Africa
Kanna grows naturally in the arid and semi-arid regions of South Africa's Western, Northern and Eastern Cape — including Namaqualand, the Klein Karoo and Kannaland.
These are also the lands our family calls home. Our roots run through Namaqualand and Kannaland, and family still lives in both regions today. For us, kanna is part of a homecoming.
Namaqualand
Kannaland · Klein Karoo
Where kanna grows, and where our family's roots run.
Our family roots
A living tradition
An ancient relationship
Long before kanna had a botanical name, it was known to the Khoi and San peoples of Southern Africa. Prepared as kougoed, it was chewed and shared — carried on long journeys, part of community and ceremony, and woven into everyday life.
“Kanna Kraal is not introducing a new ingredient. We are sharing an indigenous South African botanical with a much older story — and we hold that story with respect.”
We speak to our family heritage and to kanna as a South African indigenous botanical tradition. We do not claim formal community membership, endorsement or ownership of this knowledge.
A thoughtful process
From plant to kougoed
Traditionally, kanna was not simply eaten fresh. It was transformed.
Harvest
The plant is gathered.
Crush
Leaves and stems are bruised or crushed to open them up.
Ferment
The crushed plant is sealed and left to “sweat” for several days.
Dry
It is then dried, traditionally in the sun.
Kougoed
The result: kougoed, an Afrikaans word for “something to chew”.
Why not simply eat it fresh?
Traditional preparation changes the raw plant. Fermenting and drying are often described as making kanna gentler and more palatable, and are thought to change its natural chemistry. It is a reminder that people have been working thoughtfully with this plant for a very long time.
Why it matters
Look beneath the surface
Stress and strain don't always look the way they feel.
What people may see
On the outside, many people appear to be managing well.
- Showing up
- Smiling
- Working
- Parenting
- Coping
What may be happening underneath
A lot can be going on beneath the surface, even when someone looks fine.
- Ongoing stress load
- Feeling depleted
- Poor or shallow rest
- Emotional overwhelm
- Mental fatigue and fog
- Tension in the body
- Difficulty focusing
- Irritability or low patience
- Feeling disconnected from yourself
- Low resilience
- Pulling away from others
If what's beneath the surface feels like more than everyday strain, please speak to a healthcare professional.
Why this matters
Your mind, body and nervous system work as an interconnected whole.
- Mind, mood and body are connected.
- The nervous system shapes how we respond to life's challenges.
- Prolonged stress can affect focus, rest and emotional steadiness.
- Hidden strain often shows up before we find the words for it.
- Support works best when it is gentle and consistent.
How kanna may support a return to balance
As part of a regular, consistent routine, kanna may help support:
A calmer response to stress
Easier unwinding and rest
Greater emotional steadiness
A more grounded sense of self
Clearer focus and presence
More space between trigger and response
Kanna is a food supplement, not a medicine. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you take prescription medication, especially antidepressants or other medicines that affect serotonin, speak to your doctor or pharmacist before using kanna.
Returning to yourself often starts below the surface.
PauseResetPresence
The range
Look on the inside
Every kanna kraal ritual starts with the same plant, but not the same profile. Kanna naturally contains a family of alkaloids, and different extracts carry them in different balances. Those balances may shape different felt experiences, so we have shaped our range around different needs and moments of the day.
Coming soon: Homecoming Morning Drops and Breathe.
Inside the range
Inside Whole
Why the name
Whole is named for the feeling of being more centred, balanced and able to meet daily life with steadiness.
Inside the profile
A mesembrine-led kanna extract, shaped for everyday clarity, emotional steadiness and resilience.
Mesembrine
Mesembrenone
Δ7-mesembrenone
Mind + body
May support a centred sense of balance, resilience and clearer daily functioning.
Why it may feel this way
Its balance sits between Awaken and Exhale, which may help support an everyday sense of steadiness rather than intensity.
BalanceClarityResilience
Shop WholeKanna is a food supplement, not a medicine. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you take prescription medication, especially antidepressants or other medicines that affect serotonin, speak to your doctor or pharmacist before using kanna.