Sceletium is a succulent, ground-cover plant from South Africa. It has a long history of use as a traditional medicine by native peoples of South Africa. Some people also use sceletium to get "high."
People use sceletium for anxiety, depression, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
Is It Effective?
NatMed Pro rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate.
- Athletic performance. Early research shows that taking sceletium extract for 8 days does not improve reaction time or agility in healthy, trained adults.
- Alcohol use disorder.
- Anxiety.
- Depression.
- Obesity.
- Pain.
- Stress.
- Other conditions.
More evidence is needed to rate sceletium for these uses.
Is it Safe?
Sceletium contains chemicals that are thought to work in the brain to cause sleepiness and other effects.
When taken by mouth: There isn't enough reliable information to know if sceletium is safe. Some people who have used sceletium report side effects including headache, loss of appetite, and depression.
When inhaled: There isn't enough reliable information to know if sceletium is safe or what the side effects might be.
Special Precautions & Warnings:
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: There isn't enough reliable information to know if sceletium is safe to used when pregnant or breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid using.
Sedative medications (CNS depressants)
Interaction Rating=Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Sceletium might cause sleepiness and drowsiness. Medications that cause sleepiness are called sedatives. Taking sceletium along with sedative medications might cause too much sleepiness.
Some sedative medications include clonazepam (Klonopin), lorazepam (Ativan), phenobarbital (Donnatal), zolpidem (Ambien), and others.
Herbs and supplements with sedative properties: Sceletium might cause sleepiness or drowsiness. Using it along with other herbs and supplements that have the same effect might make you overly drowsy. Some of these herbs and supplements include 5-HTP, calamus, California poppy, catnip, hops, Jamaican dogwood, kava, St. John's wort, skullcap, valerian, yerba mansa, and others.
There are no known interactions with foods.
The appropriate dose of sceletium depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for sceletium. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.
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