How Much Kanna Is in a Kanna Drink?
The number on the can is only part of the story. What it measures, which extract it names and what else is in the can matter just as much.
"How much kanna is in a kanna drink" has a simple-sounding answer that falls apart on contact. One can lists 15 mg, another 50 mg, another 500 mg, and one lists no amount at all. Those numbers are not measuring the same thing. This post explains what the figures on labels refer to, how they compare with the doses used in human trials, and how to read a can for yourself. For the full side-by-side with prices and ingredients, see our kanna drink ranking.
Stated kanna amounts on drinks we checked range from 3.75 mg of alkaloids per serving to 500 mg of an unnamed extract, with most cans between 15 and 50 mg. Human trials used 8 to 50 mg a day of one standardized extract, Zembrin. Because brands use different extracts and units, the milligram figures are not directly comparable, and no kanna drink has been tested in a published trial.
What do kanna drink labels say?
Here is what each brand's own page states, checked October 28, 2026. We did not lab-test any product, and brands change formulas, so confirm on the current label.
| Drink | Figure on the label or page | What the figure refers to |
|---|---|---|
| Upstate Elevator Uplift Spritz (Pink Grapefruit, Lychee Blood Orange) | 50 mg per 12 oz can | Zembrin, a named standardized extract [3] |
| Upstate Elevator Blackberry Zinger Unwind Soda | 15 mg per can | Zembrin [3] |
| On the Brightside | 15 mg per can | Zembrin; the amount comes from a launch press release and a sponsored post, not the product page, so check the can [4][5] |
| Silly (Psilly Goose; our product) | 35 mg per can | Kanna extract; standardization not stated on the label [8] |
| Myce Spicy | 500 mg per can | "Kanna extract," described as an HPLC-verified standardized powder; no brand name or alkaloid percentage on the page [6] |
| GIÓ Berry Mule | No amount on the brand page | A third party reports 125 mg; unverified against the can [7] |
| Kanva Botanicals Release + Relax (2 oz shot) | 3.75 mg per serving, 2 servings per bottle | Sceletium alkaloids, not extract weight [9] |
See the ranking for the complete comparison and how we weighed it.
Why can't you compare the numbers?
Because "mg of kanna" can mean three different things: milligrams of a named, standardized extract, milligrams of an extract whose strength is not stated, or milligrams of the alkaloids themselves.
Zembrin is a 2:1 standardized extract of Sceletium tortuosum, and the trials we cite used it [1]. A can that says "500 mg of kanna extract" with no strength given could contain more or less of the active alkaloids than a can with 25 mg of Zembrin; the label does not let you tell. The Kanva shot is the opposite case: it prints 3.75 mg of alkaloids per serving [9], a statement about the compounds, not the powder. That number is more specific, but it cannot be placed next to 35 mg of extract.
NCCIH adds a general caution: the words "standardized," "verified" or "certified" on a supplement do not necessarily guarantee quality or consistency [2]. A bigger number on a can is not a bigger studied dose.
How do label amounts relate to the doses in studies?
The human trials we verified used 8 mg and 25 mg of Zembrin; our dosage page also lists a 2017 trial at 50 mg.
A 2013 safety trial gave 8 or 25 mg once daily for three months to 37 healthy adults [1]. A 2014 trial of 21 healthy adults gave 25 mg daily for three weeks [10]. These are the doses researchers chose; they are not recommendations. Two Upstate Elevator cans print 50 mg of Zembrin, which sits at the top of the studied range. Cans labeled 15 mg of Zembrin sit below the 25 mg most often tested. Cans with other extracts have no matching clinical data at all.
Do kanna drinks contain enough kanna?
We cannot say, and neither can anyone else yet. "Enough" assumes an effect to aim for and a dose that produces it, and no kanna drink has been tested in a published trial.
The trials were small, in healthy volunteers, short, and mostly connected to the extract's owner; one of two anxiety studies found no effect on its measures [11]. Even for Zembrin, the research shows what was measured at a given dose, not what a person will feel. Our post on what kanna feels like goes through that. A sensible reading: the milligram figure tells you what you are drinking, not whether it will do anything.
How do you read a kanna drink label?
Work through six questions. If the label cannot answer them, look at the brand's own product page.
- What unit is it? Extract, alkaloids, or unspecified.
- Is the extract named? "Zembrin" ties the number to the studied material. "Kanna extract" alone does not.
- Per can or per serving? Kanva's bottle holds two servings [9]; check how many servings the container holds before you do arithmetic.
- What else is in it? Several cans add kava, L-theanine, caffeine or other botanicals. The kanna figure is only part of the formula.
- Where does the number come from? The brand's page or the package is firmer than a press release or a third-party blog. Regard blog figures as unverified.
- Is there a facts panel and a warning? FDA requires supplement labels to carry a Supplement Facts panel showing the amount of each dietary ingredient [12]. Drinks can be marketed as conventional foods or liquid supplements depending on how they are presented, and FDA's nonbinding 2014 guidance describes how to tell the two apart [13]. We did not check how each brand here is classified.
See also how to read a kanna label.
What does reading two labels look like?
Take two cans from the table. Upstate Elevator's Uplift Spritz prints 50 mg of Zembrin and 20 mg of kavalactones; its Blackberry Zinger soda, from the same brand, prints 15 mg of Zembrin and 100 mg of kavalactones [3]. Same maker, same extract name, and the kanna and kava amounts swap places. Now compare Myce's 500 mg of unnamed extract with Upstate's 50 mg of Zembrin [3][6]. The first number is ten times the second, but because the Myce page does not give an alkaloid percentage, you cannot say it contains ten times the active compounds, or even more of them.
The practical lesson: compare within a brand's own flavors and within a named extract, and regard cross-brand milligram comparisons as rough at best.
What should you check besides the milligrams?
Your medications and your health situation come before the number on the can.
WebMD lists concerns about interactions with MAOIs, SSRIs, SNRIs, tricyclics, antipsychotics, triptans and St. John's wort, notes that how these work is not fully understood, and says there are no data on use in pregnancy or breastfeeding [14]. Kanva's label warns against use with SSRIs or SNRIs [9]. If any of that applies, talk to a doctor or pharmacist first. See is kanna safe.
This page is general information, not medical advice. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Kanna products are not intended for any disease or health condition.
References
- Nell H et al. A randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled trial of extract Sceletium tortuosum (Zembrin) in healthy adults (describes Zembrin as a 2:1 standardized extract). J Altern Complement Med 2013;19(11):898-904. PubMed
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Using dietary supplements wisely. nccih.nih.gov
- Upstate Elevator. Product pages for Pink Grapefruit Uplift Spritz, Lychee Blood Orange Uplift Spritz and Blackberry Zinger Unwind Soda (accessed 2026-10-28). Upstate Elevator
- BevNET. Introducing On the Brightside, the feel-good soda (press release), July 8, 2026. BevNET
- PricePlow. On the Brightside soda (sponsored post), August 5, 2026. PricePlow
- Myce. Spicy (product page, accessed 2026-10-28). Myce
- GIÓ. Berry Mule (product page, accessed 2026-10-28), and PricePlow. Zembrin delivery formats. Drink GIÓ · PricePlow
- Psilly Goose. Silly (product page, accessed 2026-10-28). Psilly Goose
- Kanva Botanicals. Release + Relax kanna kava relaxing tonic (product page, accessed 2026-10-28). Kanva Botanicals
- Chiu S et al. Proof-of-concept randomized controlled study of cognition effects of the proprietary extract Sceletium tortuosum (Zembrin) in cognitively healthy subjects. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2014;2014:682014. PubMed
- Reay J et al. Sceletium tortuosum (Zembrin) ameliorates experimentally induced anxiety in healthy volunteers. Hum Psychopharmacol 2020;35(6):1-7. PubMed
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA 101: Dietary supplements. fda.gov
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Guidance for industry: Distinguishing liquid dietary supplements from beverages. January 2014. fda.gov
- WebMD. Sceletium: uses, side effects, interactions. webmd.com
Frequently asked questions
How much kanna is in a kanna drink?
It varies. Among the drinks we checked, stated amounts run from 15 mg of Zembrin in some cans, to 35 mg in one drink, to 50 mg of Zembrin in Upstate Elevator's Uplift Spritz, to 500 mg of an unnamed extract in Myce. One shot lists 3.75 mg of alkaloids, and GIÓ's page states no amount [3][4][6][7][8][9].
Do kanna drinks contain enough kanna?
'Enough' for what is not something we can answer. Published human trials used a standardized extract, Zembrin, at 8 to 50 mg a day, and no kanna drink has been tested in a published trial. Milligrams of different extracts are not directly comparable. See kanna dosage.
Is 25 mg of Zembrin the same as 25 mg of kanna on a can?
Not necessarily. Zembrin is a named, standardized 2:1 extract [1]. A can that says 'kanna extract' without naming it or stating its standardization could contain a different amount of the active alkaloids at the same milligram figure.
Why does one can say alkaloids and another say extract?
Brands report different things. Kanva Botanicals prints 3.75 mg of Sceletium alkaloids per serving, which is not the weight of extract [6]. Most cans print milligrams of extract. The two cannot be put side by side.
Where do I find the amount if the label doesn't say?
Check the brand's own product page, then the Supplement Facts or Nutrition Facts panel on the package, then ask the brand. If a brand will not state the amount, that is useful information. Do not rely on third-party blogs for the number.