Kanna: A Cannabis Ancestor and Its Benefits
By Leo F. Mega
Achieving homeostasis together on earth across species is nature’s mission. It’s no wonder, then, that nature continues to develop, evolve, and produce ancient medicines in this modern societal upheaval where folks are yearning for the medicines of old.
Kanna is an example of this, hailing from South Africa, Sceletium tortuosum, an indigenous medicinal succulent plant from South Africa. This herb is responsible for overall mental remediation, cognitive development, and mood modulation.
The main compounds found in Kanna are mesembrine, mesembrenone, mesembrenol, and mesembranol, the brat pack of mesembrine alkaloids. These Alkaloids are essentially compounds that contain nitrogen, which many living things need to live on earth. The nitrogen produced by the alkaloids will exert a wide range of health effects on the body, and in Sceletium tortuosum specifically, are responsible for the plant's multidimensional functional brain-related actions and benefits. Some of the benefits of Kanna are as follows.
Serotonin Support
Based on preclinical animal data, Kanna impacts serotonin directly through phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) via the bioactives in the plant. With this, Kanna is similar to a being with a decentralized brain. The multi-action on the central nervous system founds kanna's ability to be mood modulatory and promote relaxation and stress capacity. These compounds prevent serotonin from being reabsorbed quickly by the neurons. This protective act by the alkaloids on behalf of the body, allows the serotonin to be bioaccessible for longer for brains and bodies.
Releasing of Stress Response
Since the Alkaloids essentially emboldens serotonin reuptake inhibition in the brain, which increases this hormone in the brain, which is also what SSRIs have been expected to do, but tend to fall short for many people. Kanna’s compounds are a powerhouse for mental stability and mood leverage, two sought-after mental wellness traits that, when present, can elevate the body to a healthier quality of life.
The Kanna herb is an adaptogen, meaning it can be integrated into daily regimens and will operate around the bodyclock to make sure internal systems are balanced and at homeostasis, adapting to the needs of the body day-to-day. Recent research has gained traction for acknowledging that kanna does promote positivity in neurocircuitry, which offers a brain buffer from stress, making the body less reactive to stress.
Cognitive Support + Cognitive Flexibility
The stress resilience supported by Kanna’s premium botanical compounds opens up new neural pathways for regenesis in the brain, and the mood leverages benefits of the enhanced serotonin bioavailability. The cognitive enhancements are the child of the previous two parents.
Alpha2, Delta, and Theta brain waves, the waves akin to attention, focus, performance, and other cognitive tasks, are boosted. Cognitive flexibility, an outgrowth of neural plasticity, is also enhanced by the compounds found in Kanna. Cognitive Flexibility allows the body-mind to adapt to tasks based on context or environment. This is the result of an agile brain ready to take on the challenges of being alive.
