Sceletium tortuosum is a little succulent plant that grows in the semi-arid Karoo and Namaqualand regions of South Africa. It has a long history of traditional use among the hunter-gatherers of the region.
The plant, known as kanna or kougoed by the San and Khoikhoi people, was mainly chewed or smoked to stay alert and suppress appetite during long hunts. The San were traditionally hunter-gatherers, while the Khoikhoi were pastoralists who herded livestock.
The name kanna (meaning “eland” in the click language of the San), has a symbolic reference to this large antelope, as the “trance animal”, which was called upon during religious and spiritual gatherings. Kougoed is Afrikaans for “something to chew”. The plant can be chewed after being dried and fermented, which is believed to intensify its effects.
