Product Review: KA! Empathogenics Kanna Chews

Nature's chewable MDMA.

I had heard about kanna when I first started experimenting with kava (check out my kava gummy review here), but I wasn’t able to find too many products in Canada. When I learned about KA! Empathogenics, I asked them to send me a box of their Kanna chews in exchange for a review and they quickly responded, with founder Stephanie Wang generously tossing me a packet in the mail the next day. When they arrived, I was keen to get started, but I waited until the next morning as the instructions clearly state that you must take the chews on an empty stomach, and I wanted to actually experience the effects rather than just take them and go to bed.

Now, I am a supplements girlie, and I’m a huge fan of my Om Mushrooms Lion’s Mane gummies and my daily ashwagandha capsules, but I hadn’t taken kanna before, and I was very curious to try. I’m always down to experiment with the latest buzz in the wellness game, and these chews came at just the right time. Plus, just taking capsules can get boring after a while — the packaging that KA! Chews came in and the promise of a candy-esque vitamin experience was appealing, reminding me of the Flinstones vitamin gummies I was eager to gobble up every morning as a child.

But before I get too into the actual KA! experience, let me do a quick aside to explain what kanna actually is.

Kanna

According to the KA! website, kanna is a “psychoactive (not psychedelic) plant from South Africa",” and has been clinically proven to help foster an “immediate sense” of grounded energy. Supposedly, it makes people feel “more alive, connected, and capable” in their every day.

But what is kanna, really?

Well, it is an indigenous South African plant, and it’s been used as an herbal remedy and mood elevator for centuries. It’s been called “Nature’s MDMA,” and most marketing materials for KA! will reflect and mention this. Kanna, or Sceletium tortuosum, is a succulent that looks like this:

Apparently, some people take it before going to parties as a mood-booster so they don’t feel they have to take other drugs and get a similar “blissful” effect, although don’t get too carried away with this — if you have taken MDMA before, kanna doesn’t come that close and it’s definitely much more subtle.

It’s typically said to make you feel very relaxed, lessen anxiety, and even act as a mild sedative. It can function as a pain reliever and appetite suppressant. While high doses can feel euphoric, it’s important to note, once again, that kanna does not get you high.

Traditionally, kanna was consumed as a dried powder or the leaves of the plant were chewed and eaten. It’s been used in South Africa since prehistoric times, though the first written account of it by a European was noted in 1662 during a Dutch expedition to South Africa. You can thank Jan van Riebeeck for the memo.

Anyway, now you know a little bit about kanna. What about KA!?

Dosing

KA!’s kanna chews come in a 30mg dose, which seems to be fairly standard for kanna. I tried half of one once just to compare, and the effects were really not noticeable, with the calm energy really only washing over me once I took the other half of the chew.

Taste

I have to be honest. The chews were promised to be “juicy” and “delicious,” and, unfortunately, they were neither. The taste is quite grassy, which, I suppose makes sense given that they’re handmade with 100% plants. To be frank, I wasn’t really expecting much from the taste, so I didn’t feel too off-put by it. I will say the chews were also very, uh, chewy and dry, and not so much “juicy” as the packaging advertised.

Again, though, taste isn’t a huge factor for me with supplements, so this didn’t affect my overall feeling about them nor did it hinder my desire to continue to want to take the kanna chews.

Effects

Shortly after chewing and swallowing the chew, I got a very tingly sensation in my mouth where I had been chewing it. It was a bit of a surprise, and neither pleasant nor unpleasant. As I kept taking KA!, it was something I came to expect and got used to.

The KA! website and other kanna information pages say that effects can be almost immediate, and that the full calming vibe will come on within two hours. I can attest to that— this was definitely the case for me. The first time my partner and I both took them, we enjoyed a very blissful sensation that peaked at around two hours after ingestion. We went on a walk and felt fairly dreamy the whole day. I loved the sensation, though after taking them every day, I found the dreaminess went away and I mostly enjoyed a very chill and relaxed aura with no sedative effects.

One time, I had a KA! chew in the morning when I woke up with a migraine, and shortly after, it was gone. I was really impressed with how seemingly quickly they worked, although, admittedly, I didn’t really get that instant pain relief ever again with them.

I usually took the chews in the morning and enjoyed a calm vibe the whole day. A couple of times I experimented with taking them at night to see if they could help me sleep better or more, but I didn’t see any noticeable difference, so I switched back to daytime and let myself enjoy a particularly chill day.

Value

Overall, I did enjoy the KA! chews, but when you translate the cost of the 10-pack ($38 USD) to CAD and add shipping, you’re paying around $68 a pack. To me, the cost for a Canadian is just not sustainable, especially if you’re supposed to be taking them every day.

I understand that they’re handmade and the packaging is fantastic and the effects are lovely, but the price point is just too high for me to ever purchase these for myself. I did request to try their tincture, which retails for $99 USD on their website, to see if that lasts longer and is more of a financial benefit. If the chews were $38 CAD and shipping was free, I would definitely be more keen to purchase more of them, and even consider a subscription (their website does offer a subscription model with a small discount for those who sign up).

When the tincture comes, I’ll write a review of that. In the meantime, consider checking out KA! chews and learning more about kanna to see if this could be a fun supplement to add to your day. Could be quite good for you if you’re neurotic like me and want to be a bit more relaxed. Thanks for sending these over, KA!

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Sofie Mikhaylova is a psychedelics, pop culture, and travel writer, among other things. Her writing has appeared in Vice, leafie, Psychedelic Spotlight, The Washington Post, Fodor's Travel, Double Dot Magazine, and more. Find her on Instagram, her newsletter Sofieland, her podcast Sofieland, and her website.