Overview Information

Khat is a plant. The leaf and stem are used as a recreational drug and as medicine khat plants .

As a recreational drug, the leaves and stem are chewed by people in East Africa and the Arabian countries to elevate mood (as a euphoriant) khat plants .

As a medicine, khat leaf is used for diabetes, muscle strength, depression, fatigue, obesity, stomach ulcers, headache, and male infertility. It is also used to lower the need for food and sleep, decrease sexual desires, improve the ability to study, and increase aggression. khat plants .

The World Health Organization (WHO) lists khat as a drug that creates “dependence” in people, meaning it produces a continuing desire to keep using it. It is banned in countries like the US and Canada. However, it is legal in some European countries. Khat is used by many immigrants to these countries from East Africa and Yemen.

A plant banned as an illegal drug in some countries could help boost men’s fertility, say UK researchers.

The leaves of khat, a plant cultivated in East Africa and the Arabian peninsula, contain a chemical that peps up sperm and increase their chances of fertilizing an egg khat plants  . The researchers suggest the chemical could one day be produced as an over-the-counter treatment for couples experiencing problems conceiving.

Khat (Catha edulis) has been known for centuries for the euphoria its leaves induce when chewed. The stimulant, cathinone, is not very stable and breaks down to produce cathine and norephedrine. These belong to a group of chemicals called PPAs, which are similar to amphetamines and adrenaline khat plants  .

Lynn Fraser and her team at the Centre for Reproduction, Endocrinology and Diabetes at King’s College in London, UK, decided to test the effects of PPAs on sperm. They were studying the final stage of sperm development called capacitation, where sperm “switch on” and develop the ability to fertilise an egg.

Dosing

The appropriate dose of khat 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 khat. 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. khat plants .

Khat appears to have been used first as a drink prepared from dry leaves, but its effect is weak compared with coffee [1]. It was found later that drying the leaves results in loss of some active constituents [2] and therefore the habit of chewing the green leaves was adopted. For many hundreds of years the custom of chewing khat leaves has been practised for the resulting central stimulant effects [3]. In Yemen, the habit is widespread with a deep-rooted sociocultural tradition. The pleasurable central stimulant properties of khat are commonly believed to improve work capacity, and are used on journeys and by students preparing for examinations and to counteract fatigue. In recent years, because of improved air transport, the consumption of fresh khat leaves has expanded considerably, even to communities in Europe. Early clinical observation suggested that khat had amphetamine-like properties [4]. Subsequent chemical analysis confirmed that the fresh leaves contain a number of compounds, including phenylalkylamine compounds (alkaloids) such as norpseudoephedrine (cathine) and alpha aminopropiophenone (cathinone), the latter being structurally related [5] and pharmacologically similar to amphetamine [6,7]. Khat leaves also contain considerable amounts of tannins (7%–14% in dried material), vitamins, minerals and flavonoids [4,8]. Cathinone is currently believed to be the main active ingredient in fresh khat leaves [7]. Supporters of khat chewing claim that it is useful in diabetic patients because it lowers blood glucose, it acts as a remedy for asthma, it eases symptoms of intestinal tract disorders [9] and maintains social contact as a socializing herb [ khat plants ]. Opponents claim that khat damages health and affects many aspects of life with its adverse social, economic and medical consequences. In Yemen, because of its widespread use, it has become a problem of grave national concern. The objective of this review of the literature was to examine studies on khat, particularly human studies, with special reference to its effects on the body systems and its relationship with common diseases

Insufficient Evidence for

• Muscle strength. Early research shows that taking khat does not improve the strength of a person’s grip.
• Decreasing sexual desire.
• Depression.
• Elevating mood.
• Fatigue.
• Headache.
• Increasing aggression.
• Male infertility.
• Obesity.
• Reducing the need for food and sleep.
• Stomach ulcers.
• Other conditions.

Side Effects & Safety

Khat is POSSIBLY UNSAFE for most people when taken by mouth. Although it isn’t associated with physical addiction, it can cause psychological dependence khat plants.

Khat can cause many side effects including mood changes, increased alertness, excessive talkativeness, hyperactivity, excitement, aggressiveness, anxiety, elevated blood pressure, manic behavior, paranoia, and psychoses. Trouble sleeping (insomnia), loss of energy (malaise), and lack of concentration usually follow.

Other effects include rapid heart rate, heart palpitations, increased blood pressure, faster breathing rates, increased body temperature, sweating, eye changes, mouth ulcers, inflammation of the esophagus and stomach, gum disease, jaw problems (TMJ), and constipation. khat plants  .

Regular use in young people is linked to high blood pressure.

Severe side effects include migraine, bleeding in the brain, heart attack, lung problems, liver damage, changes in sex drive, and inability to get an erection (impotence).

Chewing khat leaves has led to infections that can cause problems such as pain below the ribs, changes in white blood cells, and an enlarged liver. khat plants