Kanna Extract: What Ratios, Standardization and Milligrams Actually Tell You
A label that says '20:1 kanna extract' sounds precise. It describes how much plant went into the extract, not how much of anything active is in it.
Kanna extract is the form behind most of the research and most of the premium products. It is also where labels get confusing fast: ratios, percentages, milligrams of extract, milligrams of alkaloids, and the word "standardized" used loosely. This post explains what each of those numbers does and does not say, using published definitions rather than marketing copy.
Kanna extract is a concentrate made from Sceletium tortuosum with a solvent. A ratio like 10:1 means about 10 parts dried plant per 1 part native extract, which measures yield, not potency [1]. Only a measured alkaloid content, ideally with the extract named and a lab report, says how strong a given extract is [1][2].
What is kanna extract?
It is a concentrated preparation made by drawing compounds out of the plant with a solvent such as water, ethanol or a mix, and then concentrating them.
Kanna, Sceletium tortuosum, contains at least 25 alkaloids in four structural classes, with the mesembrine class predominant [13]. An extract keeps some of those and leaves behind most plant fiber. Early pharmacology work used a standardized ethanolic extract [5]. Which alkaloids it keeps depends on the solvent and process. The best-known research extract, Zembrin, is described as a hydroethanolic extract standardized to 0.35 to 0.45% total alkaloids [4]; see what Zembrin is. For the plant itself, see what is kanna.
What does a kanna extract ratio like 10:1 or 20:1 mean?
It states how much starting plant went into a given amount of extract, and nothing more.
A 2022 review by botanical-quality specialists defines the plant-to-extract ratio (also called the drug-extract ratio, or DER) as the amount of starting plant used to make an amount of native extract. A 10:1 ratio means about 10 g of dried material gave 1 g of native extract. "Native" means before any carrier or filler is added [1].
The same review lists the pitfalls:
- The ratio describes yield, not potency. Yield depends on the plant, solvent and process [1].
- It is a common misconception that a higher ratio means a better extract. A high ratio can reflect a partial or selective extraction [1].
- Two extracts with the same ratio are not necessarily equivalent. Equivalence "cannot be determined without a detailed comparison" of solvents and manufacturing processes [1].
- Carriers change the picture. Adding excipients lowers the native extract content and changes the apparent ratio, so the percentage of native extract and excipients should be disclosed [1].
So "20:1" tells you the concentrating factor of the process. It does not tell you the mesembrine content, whether the alkaloids survived the process, or whether the product contains much extract at all.
What does standardized kanna extract mean?
It means the maker controls the amount of at least one marker compound, so different batches stay consistent.
For kanna, the markers are the mesembrine-type alkaloids. The Zembrin specification, for example, fixes total alkaloids at 0.35 to 0.45% and describes the proportions of mesembrenone, mesembrenol and mesembrine within them [4]. That is a much more informative statement than any ratio. But the word alone proves little: NCCIH cautions that "standardized" on a label does not necessarily guarantee product quality or consistency [2], and the Frontiers review notes that marker levels may not vary in step with other compounds of interest [1].
Zembrin itself shows how the two numbers relate. A 2013 trial describes it as a "2:1 standardized extract" [3]. That is a low concentrating ratio, yet the product is well specified because its alkaloid content is fixed. A 20:1 extract with no stated alkaloid content could be less characterized than a 2:1 extract with one. Ratio and standardization answer different questions.
How is kanna extract different from kanna powder?
Powder is the ground plant; extract is a concentrate of its soluble compounds.
Alkaloid content in raw plant is unpredictable. A review of wild-harvested material describes inconsistent mesembrine-type alkaloid content [6]. Chemical profiling finds population-specific differences between collection sites [7], and growing medium affects alkaloid levels, with roots and shoots differing: roots had more mesembrenone and shoots more mesembrine [8]. Processing matters as well. In a controlled fermentation study, mesembrine fell from 1.33% to 0.05% while a related alkaloid rose from below quantitation to 0.11% over 10 days [9]. WebMD likewise says the amount of each chemical in a sceletium product can change with region, weather, harvest timing and processing [11].
An extract can reduce that variability if it is made to a specification. A powder cannot, unless each lot is tested. Neither is automatically better. See the upcoming kanna powder post for the herb side.
How strong is kanna extract?
There is no single answer, because strength depends on the specific extract, and labels usually do not state it.
A rough illustration using the Zembrin specification: 25 mg of an extract at 0.35 to 0.45% total alkaloids [4] contains about 0.09 to 0.11 mg of total alkaloids (our arithmetic). A different extract of the same weight could contain far more or far less. A U.S. label gives the weight of a dried extract, or the total extract weight or volume plus solvent for a liquid [10], but it is not required to give an alkaloid percentage. That gap is why a lot-specific lab report matters. See how to read a kanna label.
How can you compare two kanna extracts?
Ask for the same five details on each, and count any that go unanswered as unknown.
- The extract's name, or at least its plant part and solvent.
- The ratio, and whether it refers to native extract before any carrier [1].
- The marker compounds and their measured percentage, with the lab method.
- The weight of extract per serving, and what else shares the capsule or can.
- A lot-matched lab report. Our guide to reading a kanna label explains what a useful one shows.
If two products cannot be matched on these points, their milligram figures cannot be compared, however similar the labels look.
What kanna extract doses were used in research?
Human studies used 8 mg and 25 mg of one standardized extract, never an unspecified one.
A three-month safety trial in 37 healthy adults used 8 mg and 25 mg of Zembrin daily [3]. Two lab studies used a single 25 mg dose [12][14]. These are study conditions, not recommendations, and they do not translate to other extracts. Our kanna dosage page covers how milligrams differ across drinks and products.
What safety points apply to kanna extracts?
The same as any kanna product: serotonergic medicines, pregnancy and nursing, and limited long-term data.
WebMD lists MAOIs, SSRIs, SNRIs, tricyclic antidepressants, antipsychotics, triptans and St. John's wort as possible interaction concerns, says the FDA has not reviewed sceletium for safety and effectiveness, and says it is unknown whether it is safe in pregnancy or breastfeeding [11]. A more concentrated product raises the stakes of those questions rather than lowering them. Ask a doctor or pharmacist before using any kanna product if you take prescription medicines. 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. kannadrinks.com is published by Psilly Goose, a kanna drink maker.
References
- Monagas M, et al. Understanding plant to extract ratios in botanical extracts. Front Pharmacol 2022;13:981978. Frontiers
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Using Dietary Supplements Wisely. nccih.nih.gov
- Nell H, et al. A randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled trial of Extract Sceletium tortuosum (Zembrin) in healthy adults. J Altern Complement Med 2013;19(11):898-904. PubMed
- Murbach TS, et al. A toxicological safety assessment of a standardized extract of Sceletium tortuosum (Zembrin) in rats. Food Chem Toxicol 2014;74:190-9. PubMed
- Harvey AL, et al. Pharmacological actions of the South African medicinal and functional food plant Sceletium tortuosum and its principal alkaloids. J Ethnopharmacol 2011;137(3):1124-9. PubMed
- Manganyi MC, et al. A chewable cure "Kanna": biological and pharmaceutical properties of Sceletium tortuosum. Molecules 2021;26(9):2557. PMC
- Reddy K, et al. Mass spectrometry metabolomics and feature-based molecular networking reveals population-specific chemistry in some species of the Sceletium genus. Front Nutr 2022;9:819753. PMC
- Faber RJ, et al. Variabilities in alkaloid concentration of Sceletium tortuosum (L.) N.E. Br in response to different soilless growing media and fertigation regimes in hydroponics. Heliyon 2020;6(11):e05479. PMC
- Patnala S, Kanfer I. Investigations of the phytochemical content of Sceletium tortuosum following the preparation of "Kougoed" by fermentation of plant material. J Ethnopharmacol 2009;121:86-91. PubMed
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Dietary Supplement Labeling Guide: Chapter IV, Nutrition Labeling. fda.gov
- WebMD. Sceletium: Uses, side effects, interactions. webmd.com
- Terburg D, et al. 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 2013;38(13):2708-16. PubMed
- Olatunji TL, et al. Sceletium tortuosum: a review on its phytochemistry, pharmacokinetics, biological and clinical activities. J Ethnopharmacol 2021;280:114476. PubMed
- Reay J, et al. Sceletium tortuosum (Zembrin) ameliorates experimentally induced anxiety in healthy volunteers. Hum Psychopharmacol 2020;35(6):1-7. PubMed
Frequently asked questions
What is kanna extract?
Kanna extract is a concentrated preparation made by pulling compounds out of Sceletium tortuosum with a solvent, then concentrating the result. Studies have used a hydroethanolic extract standardized to 0.35 to 0.45% total alkaloids [4].
What does a 10:1 or 20:1 kanna extract ratio mean?
It means roughly 10 or 20 parts of dried plant went into 1 part of native extract [1]. The ratio describes yield, not potency, and a higher ratio is not automatically a better extract [1].
What does standardized kanna extract mean?
It means the maker controls the amount of one or more marker compounds so batches are consistent. NCCIH warns that 'standardized' does not necessarily guarantee product quality or consistency [2].
Is kanna extract stronger than kanna powder?
Usually more concentrated per milligram, but how much depends on the extract. Kanna powder is ground plant, and plant alkaloid content varies by population, growing conditions and processing [6][7][8].
How much kanna extract was used in studies?
Human studies used 8 mg and 25 mg of Zembrin, a 2:1 standardized extract [3][12]. Those numbers do not transfer to other extracts. See kanna dosage.