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KANNA
Sceletium tortuosum is a succulent plant commonly found in South Africa. Known by the native San people of South Africa as “Kanna,” enjoys a long history of native use – as early as 1662. The first known written account of the plant's use was in 1662 by Dutch Navigator, Jan van Riebeeck. The net effect of sceletium ingestion is a feeling of tremendous well being, heightened awareness, mental alertness and a keen-mindedness that is quite pronounced.
Euphoria
Kanna is highly sought for it's ability to enhance mood. James Giordano, professor of neurology and biochemistry at Georgetown University Medical Center makes a bold claim, “yes, it’s natural MDMA.”
JC Ways of Manchester, England experienced Kanna while in Amsterdam, “I felt quite smiley and euphoric,” he recalled. “I kind of had a lot of energy, yet I kind of really just wanted to relax and chill out.”
Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vice.com/amp/en/article/v74xym/kanna-herbal-legal-mdma
Admittedly this article is quite hyperbolic.
Suppression of Anxiety
Can Kanna function both as an anti-depressant and a anxiolytic? Promising studies do in fact suggest such. The plant appears to be a first-rate anti-depressant and anti-anxiety aid. It could potentially be used by people with low mental energy, mild-to-moderate depression and anxiety disorder.
In one study of the effects of sceletium reported in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, the main alkaloids of the plant demonstrated the capacity to extend the activity of serotonin. This activity, known as SSRI, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibition, is essentially how pharmaceutical antidepressant drugs work. In essence Kanna can function similar to prescription SSRI's without the dangerous side effects such as gastrointestinal disorders, loss of sex drive, insomnia and exacerbated depression.
Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.foxnews.com/health/sceletium-potent-mood-booster.amp
How exactly does Kanna function? Sceletium tortuosum is a dual 5-HT Reuptake and PDE4 Inhibitor.
Now before things become more complicated we need to discuss anxiety and what anxiety is in Layman's Terms.
First to start with the Brain:
- Thalamus is the relay station
- Neocortex is the “thinking brain"
- Amygdala is the “emotional brain” which produces the appropriate emotional response.
When you see, hear, touch, or taste something, that sensory information first heads to the thalamus, your brain's relay station. The thalamus then relays that information to the neocortex (the “thinking brain”). From there, it is sent to the amygdala which produces the proper emotional response.
The Amygdala is intended to protect us from danger. The issue is that the danger posed to humans as hunter-gathers and that of the modern era differ tremendously yet the response from the Amygdala is the same; "Fight-or-Flight". If the amygdala senses danger, it makes a split-second decision to initiate the fight-or-flight response before the neocortex has time to overrule it. This response triggers the release of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol enabling you to fight or flee.
But what happens when we are experiencing modern stressors while working at a desk or driving behind the wheel of a car? This is what causes anxiety. The emotional brain is overriding the rational - thinking portion.
Kanna works as an anti-anxiety by essentially weakening the activity of the threat-response, i.e the part of the brain signaling that your in danger.
Supplied here is a comprehensive study conducted by the National Center for Biotechnology Information to test the efficacy of Kanna and just how does it effect the brain.
(kanna extract Zembrin is used in this study)
Using two independent fMRI designs, we show that Zembrin compared with placebo administration reduces anxiety-related (Bishop et al, 2007) amygdala reactivity and attenuates amygdala–hypothalamus coupling. These results not only have importance as the first evidence on the dampening effects of Zembrin on the brain’s threat system but support further work on the clinical applicability of dual PDE4 and 5-HT reuptake inhibitors for the treatment of anxiety disorders and depression.
Effective from the first dose!
Amygdala reactivity was attenuated after 25mg of Zembrin. Follow-up connectivity analysis on the emotion-matching task (EMT) showed that amygdala–hypothalamus coupling was also reduced. These results demonstrate, for the first time, the attenuating effects of S. Tortuosum on the threat circuitry of the human brain.
Easier to read form:
Let's Recap:
Kanna is a natural psychotropic with active alkaloids mesembrine, mesembrenol and tortuosamine. These compounds produce the staggering effect of dampening the brains threat response system. Functioning primarily as an anti-anxiety Kanna also has properties consistent with anti-depressants and
nootropics.
For those wanting to start with a Full Spectrum product:
Zembrin the extract used in the clinical study:
Disclaimer: Essentially this entire post is plagiarized. The goal was to supply key information from sources one could use to further research.
Sceletium tortuosum is a succulent plant commonly found in South Africa. Known by the native San people of South Africa as “Kanna,” enjoys a long history of native use – as early as 1662. The first known written account of the plant's use was in 1662 by Dutch Navigator, Jan van Riebeeck. The net effect of sceletium ingestion is a feeling of tremendous well being, heightened awareness, mental alertness and a keen-mindedness that is quite pronounced.
Euphoria
Kanna is highly sought for it's ability to enhance mood. James Giordano, professor of neurology and biochemistry at Georgetown University Medical Center makes a bold claim, “yes, it’s natural MDMA.”
JC Ways of Manchester, England experienced Kanna while in Amsterdam, “I felt quite smiley and euphoric,” he recalled. “I kind of had a lot of energy, yet I kind of really just wanted to relax and chill out.”
Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vice.com/amp/en/article/v74xym/kanna-herbal-legal-mdma
Admittedly this article is quite hyperbolic.
Suppression of Anxiety
Can Kanna function both as an anti-depressant and a anxiolytic? Promising studies do in fact suggest such. The plant appears to be a first-rate anti-depressant and anti-anxiety aid. It could potentially be used by people with low mental energy, mild-to-moderate depression and anxiety disorder.
In one study of the effects of sceletium reported in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, the main alkaloids of the plant demonstrated the capacity to extend the activity of serotonin. This activity, known as SSRI, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibition, is essentially how pharmaceutical antidepressant drugs work. In essence Kanna can function similar to prescription SSRI's without the dangerous side effects such as gastrointestinal disorders, loss of sex drive, insomnia and exacerbated depression.
Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.foxnews.com/health/sceletium-potent-mood-booster.amp
How exactly does Kanna function? Sceletium tortuosum is a dual 5-HT Reuptake and PDE4 Inhibitor.
Now before things become more complicated we need to discuss anxiety and what anxiety is in Layman's Terms.
First to start with the Brain:
- Thalamus is the relay station
- Neocortex is the “thinking brain"
- Amygdala is the “emotional brain” which produces the appropriate emotional response.
When you see, hear, touch, or taste something, that sensory information first heads to the thalamus, your brain's relay station. The thalamus then relays that information to the neocortex (the “thinking brain”). From there, it is sent to the amygdala which produces the proper emotional response.
The Amygdala is intended to protect us from danger. The issue is that the danger posed to humans as hunter-gathers and that of the modern era differ tremendously yet the response from the Amygdala is the same; "Fight-or-Flight". If the amygdala senses danger, it makes a split-second decision to initiate the fight-or-flight response before the neocortex has time to overrule it. This response triggers the release of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol enabling you to fight or flee.
But what happens when we are experiencing modern stressors while working at a desk or driving behind the wheel of a car? This is what causes anxiety. The emotional brain is overriding the rational - thinking portion.
Kanna works as an anti-anxiety by essentially weakening the activity of the threat-response, i.e the part of the brain signaling that your in danger.
Supplied here is a comprehensive study conducted by the National Center for Biotechnology Information to test the efficacy of Kanna and just how does it effect the brain.
(kanna extract Zembrin is used in this study)
Using two independent fMRI designs, we show that Zembrin compared with placebo administration reduces anxiety-related (Bishop et al, 2007) amygdala reactivity and attenuates amygdala–hypothalamus coupling. These results not only have importance as the first evidence on the dampening effects of Zembrin on the brain’s threat system but support further work on the clinical applicability of dual PDE4 and 5-HT reuptake inhibitors for the treatment of anxiety disorders and depression.
Effective from the first dose!
Amygdala reactivity was attenuated after 25mg of Zembrin. Follow-up connectivity analysis on the emotion-matching task (EMT) showed that amygdala–hypothalamus coupling was also reduced. These results demonstrate, for the first time, the attenuating effects of S. Tortuosum on the threat circuitry of the human brain.
Easier to read form:
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
The South African endemic plant Sceletium tortuosum has a long history of traditional use as a masticatory and medicine by San and Khoikhoi people and subsequently by European colonial farmers as a psychotropic in tincture form. Over the past decade, the plant has attracted increasing attention...
www.nature.com
Acute Effects of Sceletium tortuosum (Zembrin), a Dual 5-HT Reuptake and PDE4 Inhibitor, in the Human Amygdala and its Connection to the Hypothalamus
The South African endemic plant Sceletium tortuosum has a long history of traditional use as a masticatory and medicine by San and Khoikhoi people and subsequently by European colonial farmers as a psychotropic in tincture form. Over the past decade, ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Let's Recap:
Kanna is a natural psychotropic with active alkaloids mesembrine, mesembrenol and tortuosamine. These compounds produce the staggering effect of dampening the brains threat response system. Functioning primarily as an anti-anxiety Kanna also has properties consistent with anti-depressants and
nootropics.
For those wanting to start with a Full Spectrum product:
Swanson Premium Full Spectrum Sceletium Tortuosum 50 mg 60 Veg Caps - Swanson®
Improve your day-to-day wellness with Swanson Premium Full Spectrum Sceletium Tortuosum 50 mg 60 Veg Caps from Swanson Health Products.
www.swansonvitamins.com
Zembrin the extract used in the clinical study:
Disclaimer: Essentially this entire post is plagiarized. The goal was to supply key information from sources one could use to further research.