Product Information: Sceletium tortuosum

Sceletium Tortuosum – Kanna / Kougoed

This plant was likely to have been used by pastoralists and hunter-gatherers as a mood-altering substance from prehistoric times. The earliest written records of the use of the plant date back to 1662 and 1685. The traditionally prepared dried plant material is chewed, or smoked, or powdered and inhaled as a snuff. Sceletium elevates mood and decreases anxiety, stress and tension. In intoxicating doses it can cause a euphoria, initially with stimulation and later with sedation. The plant is not hallucinogenic, and no severe adverse effects have been documented.

The active constituents of the plant are alkaloids, including mesembrine, mesembrenone, mesembrenol and tortuosamine. The alkaloid concentration in the dry material ranges from 0.05 to 2.3%. Mesembrine is usually the major alkaloid present, and has been demonstrated in laboratory studies (sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health in the United States, and conducted by the company NovaScreen) to be a very potent serotonin-uptake inhibitor. This receptor-specific activity, and some receptor activities found on nicotinic, dopamine and nor-adrenaline sites certainly validate the traditional uses, and suggest additional therapeutic potential.

In clinical practice tablets and capsules of Sceletium are being used successfully by a number of psychiatrists, psychologists and doctors with excellent results for anxiety and depression; and they can also be used by the lay public to elevate mood and for stress and tension.

Carefully selected plant material has been successfully cultivated on a limited commercial scale as an essential prerequisite to ongoing research and development, as the plant is not common in the wild, and is probably endangered.

Indications:

• Low mood
• Anxiety
• Hot flushes and irritability in menopause
• Smoking cessation support
• Alcohol rehabilitation support as part of a formal program
• Post-traumatic stress disorder support
• Attention deficit
• Study aid

For more information on Sceletium tortuosum, please see www.sceletium.com