Sourcing Standards
High quality kanna extracts are only possible using high quality kanna plants. Our quality standards for kanna are determined by genetics, cultivation methods, and ethics.
We only source from growers who use high alkaloid strains of Sceletium tortuosum (kanna), employ sustainable cultivation methods, and follow South Africa's Bioprospecting, Access and Benefit Sharing (BABS) regulations.
High Alkaloid Genetics
We exclusively source kanna from growers that cultivate high alkaloid strains of Sceletium tortuosum — plants with mesembrine, mesembrenone, ∆7-mesembrenone, and other active alkaloids at levels of 1.7% or higher. Current harvests reach alkaloid levels up to 2%.
These proprietary strains are the result of 20 years of intensive cultivation and genetic selection by our supply partners.
Nutraceutical Grade Cultivation
All of our extracts are produced with nutraceutical grade kanna — an industry term rather than a regulated designation.
Nutraceutical grade kanna is grown with natural air and sunlight, under netted canopy, in modified earth substrates. The plants are tended by dedicated “kanna moms” who ensure the success of each grow cycle.
Nutraceutical grade produces high-alkaloid plants at a more accessible price.
Sustainable Growing Practices
All of the kanna we source is grown with zero use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, or other conventional farming practices that would jeopardize the integrity of our extracts. Every lot is screened for residues to back that up.
As a succulent that evolved to grow in desert conditions, kanna requires far fewer inputs than other commercial crops, resulting in a much smaller carbon footprint.
At every stage of the cultivation process our growers follow strict protocols that reduce waste and conserve natural resources.
Benefit Sharing Agreements
Kanna has been a central part of Khoisan culture for longer than recorded history. Because its use rests on Khoi and San traditional knowledge, Sceletium falls under South Africa's BABS regulations and the Nagoya Protocol.
Our growers hold the BABS permitting and the benefit sharing agreements the regulations require. To honor traditional knowledge holders directly, we have also created our own benefit sharing agreement that allocates 3% of all our Sceletium purchases to Khoi communities.
How the plant becomes an extract is covered on our extracts page.
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