Catha edulis, the fresh leaves of which (i.e., khat) are used for their central stimulant actions, has been known for many hundreds of years. S(-)Cathinone was identified as a centrally-active khat constituents > 30 years ago. Although khat use was a problem long localized to certain Middle Eastern and certain Eastern African nations, ‘synthetic cathinones’(synthetic analogs of cathinone) repre...

Fresh leaves from khat trees (Catha edulis Celestrasae) are chewed daily by over 20 million people in Yemen and East African countries. Chewing khat (qat) is a popular social habit which has spread to Yemeni, Somali or East African communities in the USA and UK. The pleasure derived from khat chewing is attributed to the euphoric actions of S-(−)cathinone, a sympathomimetic amine with propertie...

Background About 20 million people worldwide are believed to be using khat. Although some studies reported that khat chewing might result in cardiovascular disorders, conclusive evidence is limited. Method The objective of this review was to synthesize the best available evidence for the effect of khat on the cardiovascular system. Databases searched were PubMed, Cochrane database of systemat...

BACKGROUND Although various studies have been conducted to shed light on the pharmacological actions of khat, little or no data are available regarding khat's effect on the renal redox system. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the potential of nephrotoxicity associated with khat exposure in rats. METHODS Sprague Dawely rats were randomly assigned into eight experimental group...

Khat chewing is widely practiced in Eastern Africa and the Middle East. Khat is genotoxic to cells within the oral mucosa, and several studies have suggested an association between khat use and oral lesions like hyperkeratosis and oral cancer. This study investigated the mechanism of khat-induced cytotoxicity using primary normal human oral keratinocytes (NOK) and fibroblasts (NOF). Khat induce...