I really wanted Sceletium tortuosum / Kanna to work, but the ones I've tried have had no noticeable effect on well-being.
The last one I tried was a 20:1 extract.
I was drawn to
Kava because I had become physically dependent on K@ (in fact, this was my very first experience with dependence of any kind - I don't even drink coffee regularly) and I really liked the idea of a product NOT causing physical dependence. Kava is very hit-or-miss, and I've had to cut back on daily use due to dermopothy that was becoming noticeable to acquaintances (like when showing someone a phone video - "Your hands are ROUGH!")
The first time I tried Kanna was when I quit K@ cold-turkey. I got past acute withdrawals and had moved into the longer-lasting post-acute stuff.
I didn't want to try anything that would make my body go into withdrawals when I stopped using it, and had read good things about Kanna.
Tried stuffing it in my cheek, chewing with gum, capsules, etc.
However, I did
not try smoking or insulflation (if I'm even spelling that right) but have read where that's not uncommon Kanna use.
Sidenote: There was this drink called "Limitless" that was sold in gas stations. Before they stopped selling it around here, it switched to Sceletium turtuosum as the main active (psychoactive) ingredient. That's when it "quit working", according to the guys I know who drank it. What was the original active ingredient? Phenibut.
(Effective maybe during the most difficult day of K@ withdrawal, but not for daily use.) They had a decent enough amount of this in the drink that people felt some degree of WDs when they'd go without it. I'm assuming this is about when the formula changed.
After trying three (3) doctor-prescribed antidepressants (Sertraline/Zoloft, Bupropion/Wellbutrin, Effexor), I started back with K@ at lower doses at set times of the day. It works for me, but alllllllllllllllways in my mind is the fact that I'm "on something".
I was able to clear up my Kava dermopathy painlessly. The closest thing to a "withdrawal"-type feeling was the fact that, NOT drinking Kava, I realized just HOW MUCH IT HAD BEEN HELPING ME SLEEP. So my sleep suffered, but my skin got real smooth.
But 100%, I understand WHY K@ is looked down on by Kava bars - it shouldn't be associated with Kava.
I cringe at the idea of people losing access to Kava somehow because of K@. Not necessarily me, but the fantastic people here who are using Kava to assist in dealing with debilitating or otherwise serious health issues. (...and I
really wanted Kanna to work! But I'll look into Mulungu again. Only vaguely familiar with it. Thanks!)