In the modern world of beverage, it can be challenging to sort one functional ingredient from another. Under the moniker of "functional," retailers tend to lump a wide array of products together: prebiotics, probiotics, caffeine, THC, CBD, kava, kratom, kanna, ashwagandha, lion's mane, lemon balm… the list goes on. But these ingredients aren't remotely the same thing – they don't share a purpose, a mechanism, or even a category. So it's understandable that approaching On The Brightside™ comes with some questions: what Zembrin® really is, how it relates to kanna, and more specifically, what it is not.
First, let's define some things.
For the purposes of this conversation, a "drug" is something that intentionally impairs, inebriates, or intoxicates you, or is designed to serve a specific therapeutic medical purpose. The word "psychoactive" gets thrown around a lot in this space, but definitionally, "psychoactive" just means anything active in your brain. That label could apply to caffeine as easily as it applies to THC. "Psychotropic" is the more accurate word for things like THC or psychedelics. Zembrin® is not psychotropic, but as an adaptogen, it can deliver a mood lift or relaxing effect that's noticeable – similar to how caffeine delivers an energetic effect that's noticeable, but not generally impairing.
Zembrin® is not:
A drug. Zembrin® could be classified as an adaptogen or nutraceutical, perhaps even a nootropic. It does have an effect on the brain, but it is not impairing, intoxicating, or inebriating. It's also not designed for a specific medical purpose, and we won't promise it will cure anything. It may support a stressful day or a good conversation with friends, and it's backed by science – but it's a standardized extract of one specific strain of a succulent from South Africa. It isn't hallucinogenic, psychedelic, or otherwise. It's just chill as hell.
Kanna — sort of. Zembrin® is a very specific cultivar of the same plant often referred to as kanna. Kanna, or Sceletium tortuosum, is a catch-all name for every cultivar of this succulent, and the range of the active compound inside varies widely from plant to plant. Zembrin® uses only one strain, cultivated by the Khoi-San people of South Africa. The plant is checked at harvest for the "fingerprint" of that specific cultivar using analytical technology, and every batch of Zembrin® is standardized to the same amount of mesembrine and mesembrinone — the alkaloids of interest. Each batch is traceable back to the individual plant. Zembrin® is endorsed by the South African San Council, with exclusive use of their trademark for a kanna product.
In short: not all kanna can be called Zembrin®, and not all kanna is reliable enough to deliver a consistent vibe every time. Zembrin® is backed by science. Generalized kanna can't claim the same.
Kava. The names sound similar, so these two get confused constantly. Kava is a wholly different plant – Piper methysticum – with a different vibe and an entirely different set of active components called kavalactones. It produces a temporary numbing sensation completely unlike kanna or Zembrin®. Kava is popular in a lot of drinks these days, but it's shown some liver toxicity concerns over time, something kanna has not.
Kratom. Kratom is a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia used for a variety of purposes. In large doses it can act as a sedative similar to opioids. There are extracts and synthetic versions of kratom called 7-OH. Kratom is increasingly a concern to local health departments, with some evidence it can be addictive and difficult to quit. A couple of podcasts have done excellent deep dives if you want to go further down this one – Sawbones and Search Engine are both worth a listen. One should be cautious if considering kratom. On The Brightside™ doesn't contain it, either.
Cannabis. Cannabis contains a wide range of psychoactive molecules, with THC and CBD being the most relevant, and it's a completely separate plant from kanna or Zembrin® — Cannabis sativa. THC is psychotropic and can cause impairment and inebriation. For a lot of people, that's exactly the point, and there's nothing wrong with that. It can also be sedating, and it will show up on a drug screen for work. CBD, on the other hand, is not psychotropic and is generally considered useful for anxiety and a range of other things. It's popular as a chill-out supplement, but it doesn't deliver an active feeling and requires accumulation in your system over time. CBD may or may not show up on a drug screen. On The Brightside™ will not. On The Brightside™ is built for the moments when you want the ease without any of that — no impairment, no accumulation, no waiting.
L-theanine. A great ingredient, often found in green tea. It's calming but doesn't deliver an active feeling — solid for mood and stress support, but it works in the background rather than presently in your mind.
Everything else Zembrin® is not
I can't cover every functional botanical Zembrin® isn't, but here are the popular ones. The throughline: most of these require very high doses, like 1 to 2 grams or more, to hit a therapeutic threshold, and that tends to wreck the taste of a beverage. Not a problem for Zembrin®, which works at 25–50mg per day. A tiny fraction of the rest.
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Magnesium — a mineral, not a botanical, but common in this category, usually as magnesium glycinate. Mild calming effect for some through nervous system regulation, but it's slow-acting rather than active, and most people don't notice anything from a single can.
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GABA — a neurotransmitter your body already produces to help calm the nervous system. The problem: taken orally, very little of it actually crosses the blood-brain barrier, so the dose in most beverages is mostly along for the ride. Some people report a mild effect, but it's nowhere near as consistent or noticeable as Zembrin®.
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Lion's Mane — a functional mushroom for energy and presence. Not psychotropic, generally no active feeling.
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Ashwagandha — used for thousands of years in India for a variety of purposes; typically requires weeks of continued use to see benefits.
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Cordyceps — a functional mushroom with potential benefits, but no active feeling, often paired with caffeine.
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Rhodiola rosea — intended as a mood lift, but often doesn't deliver an active feeling.
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Lemon Balm — calming, may carry some antioxidant properties via rosmarinic acid, but often doesn't deliver an active feeling.
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Maca Root — a functional herbal extract often used as a libido aid.
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Tart cherry — a concentrated extract useful as a sleep aid.
So: not a drug. Not kava, not kratom, not cannabis, not a stack of barely-effective herbs you'd need a tablespoon of just to taste anything. Just one plant, one standardized extract, in a dose small enough to taste great and big enough to actually feel.
That's the whole story.
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