Kanna Extract MT5 BLOOM Total Alkaloid 5%
View the current ingredient list, product description, and available sizes. The studies discussed above did not test this product.
View product details
Understanding 5% Total Alkaloids in Kanna Extract
TL;DR: A 5% total alkaloids label means 5 parts measured alkaloids per 100 parts of finished extract by weight, which isn't the same as a single alkaloid's share of the alkaloid fraction. A higher percentage alone doesn't prove more benefit or better quality. The main Zembrin studies (37 adults on safety, 16 on brain response) looked at one branded extract, so they don't prove anything about other products.
A percentage tells you about concentration. To understand a Kanna extract, read it alongside the ingredients, alkaloid profile, and batch information.
What does 5% total alkaloids mean?
If a label or laboratory report expresses total alkaloids as 5% by weight of the finished extract, that means 5 parts of the measured alkaloids per 100 parts of extract by weight. The reporting basis matters: a percentage of the whole extract is different from a percentage within the alkaloid fraction.
For example, a mesembrine share of the alkaloid fraction is not the same number as mesembrine's share of the entire powder. Read the report headings and units before comparing two numbers.
Concentration is not a clinical comparison.
A larger percentage alone does not demonstrate greater benefit, better quality, or suitability for a particular person. This guide explains how to read product information; it does not provide a serving conversion.
What research can tell us—and what it cannot
Published human studies have examined specific preparations of Sceletium tortuosum. For example, a small randomized study of the branded extract Zembrin followed 37 healthy adults for three months, evaluating safety and tolerability at the studied doses; it did not assess efficacy variables. That study did not compare Healing Herbals' extracts or establish that a 5% extract is superior. Read the 2013 safety and tolerability trial.
A separate study involved 16 healthy participants and measured brain responses after a single dose of Zembrin. Its small sample, specific preparation, and laboratory outcomes limit what can be concluded about other products or everyday outcomes. Read the 2013 brain-response study.
These studies provide research context. They do not test the products shown here and should not be read as evidence that those products are clinically equivalent to the preparation studied.
Questions to ask before comparing extracts
- Does the percentage apply to the finished extract, or to an alkaloid fraction?
- Which individual alkaloids and other ingredients are listed?
- Does the available report identify the same product and batch?
- What was tested, using which method, and in which units?
- Is a claimed benefit supported by research on this exact preparation?
For a step-by-step check of sample identity, test scope and missing results, read how to read a botanical lab report.
See the current product information
The current catalog lists Kanna Extract MT5 BLOOM Total Alkaloid 5%. Review its label and ingredients, then use our Kanna extract comparison guide to compare the information available for other extracts.
For the broader range of formats, explore our Kanna collection.
Research references
- Nell H, Siebert M, Chellan P, Gericke N. A randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled trial of extract Sceletium tortuosum (Zembrin) in healthy adults. 2013. doi:10.1089/acm.2012.0185.
- Terburg D and colleagues. Acute effects of Sceletium tortuosum (Zembrin) in the human amygdala and its connection to the hypothalamus. 2013. doi:10.1038/npp.2013.183.
Written by Herbal Healings
Leave a comment
This site is protected by hCaptcha and the hCaptcha Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.