Kanna: A Gentle Ally for Opening the Heart

Kanna (Sceletium tortuosum) is a South African plant with a long history of traditional use. Known for its calming and heart-opening effects, it has been used for centuries to ease stress, uplift mood, and support emotional connection. Unlike stronger plant medicines, kanna does not induce visions or take you on a journey outside yourself. Instead, it works subtly, helping you feel more present in your body and more in touch with your emotions.

In our ceremony, we use small doses of kanna to support the exploration of desire and craving. This is not a plant that makes you “space out” or lose yourself in altered states. Quite the opposite—it invites you to soften into your experience, to be here, now, with what is. It quiets the mind just enough to allow deeper listening—to the body, the heart, and what moves beneath the surface.

One of the reasons we work with kanna is its ability to support a deep sense of presence. Many people describe feeling more open, more at ease, and more connected to themselves and others. It can enhance bodily awareness, making it easier to sense the flow of energy without needing to chase a peak or an endpoint. When working with desire, this can be particularly valuable—rather than acting on impulse, we learn to hold and explore it, to feel what lies underneath.

However, kanna does not affect everyone in the same way. Some people experience warmth and emotional openness right away, while others may feel little at all at first. This is because kanna often requires a process called "priming"—a period of regular use before its effects become noticeable. This makes it an especially interesting plant for ceremonial work around desire and craving. It mirrors the practice of slowing down, of learning to tune in rather than immediately seeking a result.

Kanna is not about escaping—it’s about arriving more fully. And in a ceremony where we explore our relationship with longing, this gentle plant serves as a beautiful guide.