Chat (Catha edulis) is an important perennial crop and its leaves are chewed for a stimulating effect. It is widely cultivated in the Ethiopian highlands of Oromia region and is figured as Ethiopia's second largest foreign exchange earner. Its cultivation accounts for about 70% of farmer's income in the study area. The common effect of its consumption leads to insomnia, a condition that the use...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of Khat (Catha edulis) acute administration on blood pressure (BP) and electrocardiogram (ECG) in vivo. METHODS This study was performed between January and February 2009 at the Physiology Laboratory, Medical College of King Khalid University, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Two groups of Wistar rats (n=10), weighing 190-200 g were divided into control group...

OBJECTIVES Associations between khat (Catha edulis) chewing and different adverse oral-dental health conditions have been reported, yet evidence is still lacking. This study was designed to investigate the association between long-term regular khat chewing and self-reported oral symptoms. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 1,255 university students in southern Ethiop...

BACKGROUND Khat (Catha edulis Forsk) is an evergreen shrub of the Celastraceae family. It is widely cultivated in Yemen and East Africa, where its fresh leaves are habitually chewed for their momentary pleasures and stimulation as amphetamine-like effects. The main psychostimulant constituents of khat are the phenylpropylamino alkaloids: cathinone, cathine and norephedrine. RESULTS In this st...

Catha edulis (khat) is a plant grown commonly in the horn of Africa. The leaves of khat are chewed by the people for its stimulant action. Its young buds and tender leaves are chewed to attain a state of euphoria and stimulation. Khat is an evergreen shrub, which is cultivated as a bush or small tree. The leaves have an aromatic odor. The taste is astringent and slightly sweet. The plant is see...

AIM In this article, we comment on the current international discourse on khat, we highlight pitfalls and and suggest balanced national international regulatory actions. METHOD A brief an focussed review of the available literature on khat and health and examples from our own research are provided. RESULTS The use patterns of catha edulis (khat) have changed throughout the last decades. Dur...

LESOURD Celine, 2019. Puissance khat. Vie politique d’une plante stimulante. Paris: PUF, 384 p. Bibl., glossaire. Le khat, de son nom scientifique Catha edulis, est un arbre dont les feuilles riches en alcaloides produisent chez ceux qui mastiquent des effets stimulants et euphorisants, analogues a l’ephedrine l’amphetamine. Bien que l’OMS ne reconnaisse pas fortes dependances liees sa consomma...

Hepato- and nephrotoxicity of Khat consumption (Catha edulis Forskal) have been evoked. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate such possible hepatorenal toxicity in female and male Sprague-Dawley rats (SD rats) focusing primarily on liver and kidney. In addition, female and male rats were investigated separately. Accordingly, forty-eight SD-rats (100-120 g) were distributed randomly in...

BACKGROUND Khat is a green leaf with amphetamine-like effects. It is primarily used among people in Africa, the Middle East and in the diaspora communities from these countries. Prior to the prohibition of khat in the UK on 24 June 2014, there was almost no information available on key aspects of the local khat market. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2012 using snowball sampl...