Is kanna like CBD? Is kava? They're two of the questions we get asked most.
It's a fair thing to wonder. Kanna and kava sit right next to CBD on our shelves, and if CBD is what you know, it's the natural place to start.
Here's the short version. They're different plants entirely, and neither one is a cannabinoid.
Table of contents
- What is CBD?
- What is kanna?
- What is kava?
- What does that mean for our products?
- How do you read a kanna or kava label?
- Where should you start?
What is CBD?
CBD is a cannabinoid, and one of the compounds found in the hemp plant. When you buy a CBD gummy or tincture, the active ingredient started life as hemp.
Sometimes CBD and hemp are used interchangeably, but CBD is the component of hemp extract most associated with wellness products.
What is kanna?
Kanna (Sceletium tortuosum) is a succulent native to South Africa's Karoo region.
The San and Khoikhoi peoples chewed it and brewed it for thousands of years, and it shows up in Dutch colonial records from 1662, when administrator Jan van Riebeeck traded sheep for it. Trading livestock for a plant is a sign of how highly prized it was.
It isn't related to hemp. While the active ingredients in hemp are called cannabinoids, the active ingredients in kanna are called alkaloids.
What is kava?
Kava (Piper methysticum) is a shrub native to the South Pacific islands, including Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa and Hawaii.
The root is the part that's used. Traditionally it's brewed into a drink and shared at gatherings, weddings and the welcoming of guests, a practice that goes back more than 3,000 years. In Fiji the bowl still goes around with a toast of "Bula," to life.
Like kanna, kava has no connection to hemp and contains no cannabinoids. The active ingredients in kava are called kavalactones.
What does that mean for our products?
Our kanna and kava products contain no CBD and no THC, and they aren't made from hemp.
That's the practical upshot of three different plants. If you've been reaching for CBD and want to try something else, kanna and kava are their own category.
The two gummies each do one job:
- Mango Brighter Mood Gummies promote a balanced mood.† Each gummy carries 10mg of kanna, with 100mg of L-theanine, 5mg of B6 and 100mcg of B12.
- Wild Strawberry Deep Delight Gummies help support relaxation.† Each gummy carries 25mg of noble kava root extract, standardized to 97% kavalactones.
The cans are made with a blend of the same two plants, in sparkling form:
- Pink Grapefruit Uplift Spritz and Lychee Blood Orange Uplift Spritz lead with kanna: 50mg of kanna, 20mg of kavalactones and 90mg of L-theanine per 12oz can.
- Blackberry Zinger Unwind Soda leads with kava: 100mg of kavalactones, 15mg of kanna and 90mg of L-theanine per 12oz can.
How do you read a kanna or kava label?
A CBD label tells you how many milligrams of CBD you're getting. Kanna and kava labels work the same way, with one difference worth learning.
On a kava label, look for kavalactones. Kavalactones are the active compounds in kava root, so that figure tells you more than the weight of the root alone.
Look for "noble kava," too. Noble kava means the traditionally cultivated root varieties, the ones with centuries of everyday use behind them. Ours is noble kava root.
On a kanna label, look for the milligrams of kanna per serving. Our Mango Brighter Mood gummy carries 10mg per gummy, and the Pink Grapefruit and Lychee Blood Orange Uplift Spritzes carry 50mg per can.
Where should you start?
If you're new to both plants, the Kanna & Kava Sample Pack is the easy way in. It carries one Pink Grapefruit Uplift Spritz, one Blackberry Zinger Unwind Soda, and two of each gummy. Try them all, notice which one you reach for first, and reorder that.
The whole lineup lives in our kanna and kava collection. For a full day mapped out hour by hour, read Need a Lift or a Landing?
Two more questions we hear often:
- Does Kanna Get You High? The short answer is no, and the post explains what to expect the first time.
- When to Take Kanna or Kava covers daytime or evening, gummy or can, and how long to wait.
For the full history of both plants, read What Is Kanna and Kava?. Still have a question a blog post can't answer? Book a free consultation with our education team.
†These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
