KHAT PLANT
By:
Dr. Mohamed Al-Kamel
, Ain-Shams Faculty of Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
T
his site is under continuous development and upgrading. Issued in 1st January 1994. Last modification in 22nd september 2001.
F
or centuries Khat has been consumed where the plant is cultivated , primarily in East Africa and Arabian peninsula especially in Yemen .
WHAT IS KHAT ?
K
hat(pronounced "cot") is a natural stimulant from the Catha edulis plant, found in the flowering evergreen tree or large shrub which grows in East Africa and Southern Arabia to tree size . It reaches heights from 10 feet to 20 feet and its scrawny leaves resemble withered basil. Khat plant is a thirsty
seedless
plant which best grows above sea by many thousands of feet and can load droughts for several months while other crops fail.
Fresh Khat leaves are crimson-brown and glossy but become yellow- green and leathery as they age. They also emit a strong smell. The most favored part of the leaves is the young shoots near the top of the plant. However, leaves and stems at the middle and lower sections are also used.
Khat leaves contain psychoactive ingredients known as cathinone, which is structurally and chemically similar to d-amphetamine, and cathine, a milder form of cathinone. Fresh leaves contain both ingrediants; those left unrefrigerated beyond 48 hours would contain only cathine, which explains users' preference for fresh leaves.
OTHER NAMES FOR KHAT :-
Q
at, Kat, Chat, Kus-es-Salahin, Mirra, Tohai, Tschat, Catha, Quat, Abyssinian Tea, African Tea, and African Salad.
To see my Photo Album of Khat in Yemen, please
click here
.
AVAILABILITY AND PACKAGING
K
hat is usually packaged in plastic bags or wrapped in banana leaves to retain its moistness and freshness. It is often sprinkled with water during transport to keep the leaves moist. Khat also may be sold as dried or crushed leaves or in powdered form.
Khat is becoming increasingly available in the US, especially in cities like New York City, LA , Boston, California, Dallas, Detroit and Buffalo.
It is commonly sold in restaurants, bars, grocery stores, and smoke shops that cater to East Africans and Yemenis after its importation from Kenya, Egypt, and Arabia. Because Khat in leaf form starts to lose its potency after 48 hours, it is generally shipped to the US on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays for weekend use.
BASIC INFORMATIONS
* Biological name ( genus and species ) :
Catha Edulis or Celastrus edulis .
* Parts used :
leaves .
* Chemicals this herb contains :
Cathinone ( Cathinine ), Cathine(1), Cathidine, Celastrin ,Edulin, Choline , Ratine , Tannis and Ascorbc acid(2) .
* Other contents :
many Amino acids, Minerals and Vitamins especially Vitamin C .
MECHANISM OF ACTION
*
I
n humans, it is a stimulant producing a feeling of exaltation, a feeling of being liberated from space and time.
It may produce extreme loquacity, inane laughing, and eventually semicoma. It may also be an euphorient and used chronically can lead to a form of delirium tremens. So, Khat chewing produces a mild cocaine- or amphetamine-like euphoria that is much less potent than either substance with no reports of a rush sensation or paranoia indicated.
Up to 80% of the adult population of Yemen use Khat(3). Upon first chewing Khat, the initial effects were unpleasant and included dizziness, lassitude, tachycardia, and sometimes epigastric pain. Gradually more pleasant feelings replaced these inaugural symptoms. The subjects had feelings of bliss, clarity of thought, and became euphoric and overly energetic. Sometimes Khat produced depression, sleepiness, and then deep sleep. The chronic user tended to be euphoric continually.
In rare cases the subjects became aggressive and overexcited .
*
I
n animals, Khat produces excitation and increased motor activity.
KNOWN EFFECTS
I
t stimulates brain and spinal cord through synapses resulting in :
- Alleviation of fatigue and reduction of depression .
- Euphoria , excitation , high activity and mood .
- Increasing levels of alertness and ability to concentrate .
- Increasing of confidence, friendliness, contentment and flow of ideas .
- Increases motor activity .
- Positive sexual effects ( regarding the desire and duration of sexual intercourse according to the type and source of Khat ).
- Dispel feeling of hunger .
- Casual users claim Khat lifts spirits, sharpens thinking .
- Advocates of Khat use claim that it eases symptoms of diabetes, asthma, and stomach/intestinal tract disorders.
- Socially: It promotes communication as it's used to meet people, socialize with each others, communication issues and problems solving.
SIDE EFFECTS ( OVERDOSE SYMPTOMS )
- G
randiose delusions .
- Insomnia (loss of sleep ( alertness )).
- Anorexia ( loss of appetite ) and loss of weight .
- Breathing difficulties .
- Increase blood pressure .
- Increase heart rate .
- Stomach irritation .
- Constipation which may precipitate hernias .
- Khat plant may be treated chemically which may affect the liver (chemical hepatitis) .
- It interferes with absorption of iron and other minerals if taken internally .
- Opponents claim that Khat damages health by suppression of appetite and prevention of sleep .
- when its effects wear off, generates mild lapses of depression similar to those observed among cocaine users.
INTAKE AND MODE OF INGESTION
F
resh Khat leaves are typically chewed like tobacco.
By filling the mouth to capacity with fresh leaves the user then chews intermittently to release the active components. Chewing Khat leaves produces a strong aroma and generates intense thirst.
Its intake occurs mostly in moderation esp. in a special Yemeni style rooms designed especially for that purpose with the fine famous Yemeni-furnishing style provided with water pipes and these special rooms called " Diwan " which are so large and wonderful rooms !.
STORAGE
K
eeped cool and dry but don't freezed as a fresh green bundle or as a dry grounded leaves. During Khat transport from country to another, Khat bundles (15-35 twigs per each, 10-25 inch length) are wrapped in banana leaves to retain their moisture and freshness. Water is often sprinkled over them to keep leaves moist. In all conditions they must be included in a plastic pouch or bag for the same purposes.
TOXICITY
R
ated slightly dangerous particularly in children , persons over 55 and those who take large than appropriate quantities for extended periods of time .
TREATMENT FOR KHAT DEPENDENCE
K
hat is a sympathomimetic and its pharmacological effects are believed to parallel those of amphetamine.
Psychiatric manifestations induced by Khat are similar to the effects of other known stimulants.
Giannini Miller, and Turner (1992) described a recent, successful attempt to treat 2 cases of Khat dependency using protocols similar to those developed for cocaine. Both patients presented for treatment with psychiatric manifestations and were screened for stimulant and depressant drug addiction since substances other than Khat were involved in each case. Specific procedures for treatment entailed an inpatient detox phase of 1-2 weeks followed by long-term attendance at outpatient recovery programs.
Successful inpatient detox was facilitated with the use of bromocriptine (ranging in dose from 0.625 mg. gid in one case to 1.25 mg. gid in the second case, and tapered off over a period of 5-12 days.) Continued craving for stimulants by one patient resulted in the use of desipramine (200 mg. a day) for up to 6 months post-detox with dose levels gradually tapered downward.
Previous attempts to treat Khat-induced psychosis have employed thioridazine (300 mg. a day) for 1 week without recurrence symptoms.
SPREAD AREA
K
hat is originated in Ethiopia and spread until its use covered Kenya , Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania , Arabia, the Congo, Zimbabwe, Zambia , and South Africa. The Khat trees are grown interspersed between coffee trees.
Khat was used in Yemen even before coffee and it was immensely popular. The Khat is brought in bundles of branches from the mountains to be sold in its markets.
It has been brought into the U.S.A and other countries by emigrants from the source countries .
STREET OBSERVATIONS(4)
F
rom the perspective of street users, Khat is
not
considered to be a "street drug" with a desirability comparable to heroin, cocaine, crack, marijuana, or pills.
Media attention given to Khat is probably bringing about an interest in its use, and street addicts have been observed by the OASAS Street Studies Unit seeking to purchase Khat.
However, street addicts and other non-African/Arab seekers of Khat are being turned away by sellers.
Discreet inquiries by field staff of African/Arab sellers of Khat indicate they are not selling it as a "drug" and therefore do not seek outsiders who would bring additional attention to them. Researchers have not observed street sales of Khat.
However, a member of the Street Studies Unit was told by an Arab Teenager, standing in close proximity to an Arab restaurant, that he was waiting to buy a bundle of Khat for $28 when the shipment arrived "after five." Street researchers have been informed that Khat is being sold for $300-$400 a kilo, with a bundle of leaves selling for $28-$50.
From the standpoint of their cultural norms, the African/Arab sellers and users observed by the OASAS Street Studies Unit do not consider Khat to be illegal and often openly advertise its availability on signs in restaurants and grocery stores much as they would any other food product.
TRADITIONAL USERS OF KHAT
K
hat has been used since antiquity as a recreational and religious drug by natives of Eastern Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and throughout the Middle East.
In the US, Khat use is most popular among immigrants from Yemen and the East African nations of Somalia and Ethiopia.
Traditionally, in those societies that have not evolved cultural or support systems to integrate Khat use into the social fabric, the decreased productivity and diversion of income attributed to its use in a socio-historical context, use is an accepted practice, occurring in environments that give positive reinforcement and meaning to the experience.
CURRENT LEGAL STATUS
IN YEMEN :
T
he law don't criminal Khat intake but all public forces are directed against it especially at the few last years. Its intake inside governmental institutes and buildings is prevented by law (recently) and all its markets are directed and placed outside the large cities borders as Sana'a, Aden, Ta'aizz..etc. Now, all governmental and public forces are against Khat usage especially during work time and places.. Most Yemeni youths are away from Khat completely !. But its use is still
legal
until now.
IN THE UNITED STATES :
U
ntil very recently, Khat was classified as a schedule IV substance by the DEA.
Cathinone, an ingredient present only in fresh-picked leaves, (within 48 hours of harvest) has now been classified as a schedule I narcotic, the most restrictive category used by the DEA.
Cathine, an ingredient that remains in Khat after 48 hours, is still classified as a schedule IV substance (one that has low potential for abuse and has a current accepted usage in treatment).
Law enforcement efforts directed against Khat in the US have been minimal thus far.
There is some doubt as to whether Khat will become a popular street drug in this country like crack and other drugs.
However, illegal labs have been discovered using a synthetic form or Khat's most active ingredient (cathinone) which is called "Methcathinone", known on the street as "Qat".
IN THE UNITED KINGDOM :
I
t's currently legal to import Khat into U.K. and several other countries .
*(1) Cathine is d-norisoephedrine and considered as a one of the alkaloids found in Ephedra vulgaris.
*(2) Ascorbic acid is an excellent antidote to amphetamine-type compounds .
*(3) Reported by Galkin and Mironychev (1964).
*(4) Published in 2/1993 by OASAS Street Studies Unit .
* NOTES :
NB1 : Khat chewing is a habit and doesn't cause physical dependence or withdrawal symptoms .
NB2 : Social and economic effects are not minded in this study .
See Photos for Khat form ( shrub and leaves ) and handling in Yemen
* By :
Dr.Mohamed Al-Kamel
(Ain-Shams Faculty Of Medicine)
E-mail : malkamel@hotmail.com
BACK
Al-Kamel home
You'r the visitor no.
to this page since 1-10-1998
This page hosted by
Get your own
Free Home Page