Khat

Plant Medicine, Excitantia, Cathinone source

Khat

Catha edulis. Chat, qat, the Flower of Paradise

Khat is the fresh leaf of Catha edulis (Celastraceae), chewed daily by a large fraction of the population in Yemen, Somalia, Ethiopia, and the Horn of Africa. Cathinone is roughly equivalent to ~5 mg methamphetamine per chewing session, but more euphoric and short-acting. Yemen devotes ~40% of its arable land to khat cultivation.

Experience

👥 No personal reports yet

⚕ No clinical reports yet

Log in to add your own experience.

Problems

No problems yet. Be the first to suggest one.

+ Add a problem

Titration strategies

No titration strategies yet. Be the first to suggest one.

+ Add a titration strategy

Effects

No effects listed yet. Be the first to suggest one.

+ Add an effect

Relevant anecdote

No anecdotes yet. Share a relevant one.

+ Add an anecdote

Relevant Literature

No literature entries yet.

Log in to submit relevant literature.

See also

Methcathinone, Amphetamine, Cathinone

References

Summary

Classes

Plant Medicine, Excitantia, Cathinone source

Common uses

Alertness▲0▼, Social stimulant▲0▼

Pharmacy

Starting dose

A marduuf bundle (~50 g fresh leaves) chewed over a couple of hours

Preparations

Fresh leaves and tender twigs chewed; degrades on drying

Pharmacology

Routes

Oral (buccal absorption)

Onset

15–30 min

Duration

2–4 h

Legal status

Schedule I in US since 1993 (despite traditional use elsewhere); legal in Ethiopia, Kenya, Yemen, Somalia, Djibouti

Purported mechanism

Primary alkaloid is (S)-(-)-cathinone, a phenylpropanolamine close kin to amphetamine. Releases dopamine and norepinephrine. Also contains cathine (=norpseudoephedrine) and norephedrine.

“Pendell's corner

Khat, chat, qat. The Flower of Paradise.

— Dale Pendell, Pharmako/Dynamis