Kanna

[Rrecovery]

I just have to share my experience with Kanna - a legal herb from Africa.  It has the longest recorded history of any other psychoactive herb.  It is considered an SSRI.  It has no recorded side effects.  There are no reports of withdrawal symptoms.  I have already cut my dose in half with no symptoms.  Kanna can be smoked (effects will be instantaneous), snorted (burns nose), or taken sublingually (this is how I take it).  I use a very small pinch of it under the tongue for about 15 minutes, I do not swallow my saliva, then I spit it out and rinse my mouth.  Things taken sublingually do not go through the g.i. tract.  Pharmaceutical antidepressants caused me to have IBS for 25 years!  I have no side-effects what-so-ever.  Kanna does not cause sexual side-effects either.

On the Kanna I believe I feel like normal (non-depressed) people.  I believe this based on listening to people.  I am a very spiritual person, but unmedicated I never FEEL the love, peace and joy that most people with my outlook and habits report feeling, e.g. I can "know" I have a lot to be grateful for, but I cannot FEEL gratitude.  Now that my serotonin levels are adequate, my 30 years of recovery work is coming to fruition in an experiential way - amazing!  I have created a good life during those 30 years, but I still could not enjoy it.  Now I can!

Since starting the Kanna I've come off of: 5-HTP, DHEA, Passion Flower, and Lemon Balm that I used to treat the depression and the insomnia it creates.  I'm also going to come off of Theanine and Doxilamine Succanate (an antihistamine used for sleep).  When I was on pharmaceutical anti-depressants I didn't need anything else for sleep, but I've been on a buttload of stuff these last 3 years since my g.i. tract couldn't handle the anti-depressants anymore.

I have been thinking about the chicken and the egg.  Why were my parents so troubled?  And their parents?  Could the genesis be untreated low-level depression that made life little more than a chore?  Can this kind of suffering create personality disorders?  I give myself a lot of credit for living such a functional life and helping/contributing to the world in a positive way even though I felt pretty miserable.  That's what 30 years of therapy had bought me.  Now I get the whole reward - enjoying life, FEELING happiness, peace, joy, gratitude, contentment, good-will.  WOW!!!

[Kizzie]

Hi Rrecovery - just thought I'd post to see how using a bit of Kanna daily is going?  Is it allowing you to look at the trauma from your past more openly/clearly/compassionately? I was interested in MDMA and/or weed for that reasons but MDMA is illegal and when I tried pot I really disliked the head high it gave me (even on milder types).

Do you know if it can be used in conjunction with an SSRI?  I was prescribed a new one last year (Celexa) and it has made quite a difference although as I mentioned in another thread I only have glimpses of the higher end of positive feelings - moments of joy, abandon ....

Anyway, I'm so glad you found something that works for you 

[Rrecovery]

Hi Kizzie, I am still doing extremely well on the Kanna.  It definitely helps me to put my past in perspective on an emotional level.  I forgave my family and set appropriate boundaries with them many years ago, but because I was still feeling fairly miserable despite 30 years of therapy, I couldn't let go of the past - it was ever present because I was STILL miserable and who knew whether I would ever feel okay.  Now I feel okay, and the past is the past because the present feels good and interesting and pregnant with possibilities.

I'm also no longer feeling lonely.  I feel so content in my own skin and in my own company that I don't feel a burning need for more closeness, although I'm still open to it.  The friendships I have feel more meaningful to me; I do not feel disconnected from others, I don't feel like I don't matter - I feel loved and appreciated and wanted.

Amazing what a little extra serotonin can do to a person's experience of life. 

The suggestion is that Kanna should not be taken with other SSRIs, but I imagine it's to prevent the possibility of serotonin syndrome.  I'm no psychiatrist, but if I were in your position I would probably try adding a little Kanna, and if it seems to help, you could slowly come off Celexa while increasing the Kanna.  I believe our bodies are much more equipped to process things of the earth than they are pharmaceuticals.  FWIW the SSRIs I was on had more side effects and less positive action than the Kanna.

I know you have also done a lot of work and are a very wise person, you deserve to feel the fruit of your efforts too.   

[Kizzie]

That's absolutely wonderful to hear Rrecovery!    and  and   

Thanks for the feedback/info, I will give some thought to Kanna.  Where we moved to is quite cutting edge in terms of psychoactive meds/herbs so I may actually be able to find a GP or T who I can talk about this with.  Anything I can do to encourage those positive, life affirming (thriving versus surviving) parts of my brain/self is worth considering.

[Kizzie]

BeHealthy - I've found it in Canada (although I haven't picked any up yet).

[Rrecovery]

Hey Rrecovery,

I'm intrigued by Kanna. Never heard of it before your post. Just curious about the availability. Are you in the US? Europe? Canada? I'm starting a list of things for my semi-annual MD visit. Most of the pharmaceuticals today either leave me horizontal or don't affect me much at all. I've already been through most of the SSRI's on the market.

I went through all the SSRIs and SNRIs they all gave me IBS and many a restlessness I didn't appreciate.  I'm in the US.  I have read that Kanna is legal worldwide; it is not a hallucinogen even at high levels so hopefully it will remain legal.  I only need the tiniest dose, and not even everyday.  It's inexpensive.   

[Rrecovery]

Hi BH, There is a legal psychoactives herb shop where I live.  I'll ask them about where non-local folks can get it.  Given what I've experienced lately, the power of a simple herb to make all the pieces come together again, I want you to have a good option should you choose to pursue it.