Catha edulis plant

Although the Catha edulis plant contains a number of chemicals, vitamins, and minerals, its main active ingredient is cathinone, an alkaloid with a chemical structure similar to ephedrine and d-amphetamine. Like amphetamine, it increases the levels of dopamine in the brain and acts as a mild stimulant. For this reason, khat is sometimes referred to as a natural amphetamine. 

Khat (Qat) The Horn of Africa plant Catha edulis containing the amphetamine-like drugs, cathine and cathinone (norpseudoephedrine). 

Khat is found in an African plant, Catha edulis, which contains cathinone and cathine (also known as d-norisoephedrine). The habit of chewing khat to produce a mild arousal probably... 

Neuromessenger Releasers. Normal CNS functioning could be disrupted by evoking premature or continued release of neuromessengers from presynaptic stores. Although D(+)-amphetamine, a well-known psychostimulant and appetite depressant, does not occur in plants, a closely-related substance, DL-cathinone, does occur. It is found in the leaves of the khat shrub, Catha edulis, which grows in East Africa and in the Arab peninsula. Cathinone evokes the release of norepinephrine from central and peripheral presynaptic stores and has cardiovascular and appetite depressing effects similar to D-amphetamine (23). 

A number of plants are known to contain drugs which are subject to control. Of the less common seizures that a forensic scientist might encounter are included products of Catha edulis Forsk. (Celastraceae), which have the street names Khat , Cat , Qat , Jeff and Mulka , and of the peyote cactus, Lophophora williamsii (Lem. Ex Salm-Dyck) Coult. (Cactaceae). While not frequently met with, it is important to understand which drugs are present in such materials and how they can be analysed. 

The street drug Khat is derived from the plant Catha edulis. The use of this drug (also known as Cat , Qat , Jeff or MuUca ) in Western Europe is generally confined to the Somalian and Ethiopian communities [1]. It is also becoming increasingly available and popular in the United States. With continued concern... 

The products obtained from the plant Catha edulis, e.g. the street drug Khat, are analysed by using basic forensic science principles. A physical description is first prepared, but, interestingly, the traditional presumptive tests that normally follow this initial stage do not work on the drugs present in such plant material. The... 

Schomo, X., Brenneisen, R. and Steinegger, E., Analysis of phenylpropylamines from Catha edulis using HPLC quantification of the khat-amines for plant material of various origin for plant tissues in various stages of vegetation , Planta Medica, 42, 133-134 (1981). 

Roper JP. The presumed neurotoxic effects of Catha edulis—an exotic plant now available in the United Kingdom. Br J Ophthalmol 1986 70(10) 779-81. 

Capparis spinosa (caper plant) Catha edulis (khat, qat)... 

Psychoactive plants have been used by humans for recreational, spiritual, and therapeutic purposes for millennia (6). It is evident from the African plants that have received the most attention, such as T. iboga and Catha edulis that research has been focused on those plants most commonly used for spiritual or recreational purposes. This is understandable as these plants are often more obvious because of their cultural importance and consequently more noticeable, in particular hallucinogens. The more subtle, often more therapeutically important plants, such as mild stimulants, sedatives, those used to treat convulsions and epilepsy have been sadly overlooked. The CNS-related mode of action of many plants may not immediately be obvious, for example nausea and vomiting are associated with the gastrointestinal system but is often treated via the CNS with scopolamine. The hunger-suppressant (anorectic) activities of South African succulent plants of the species Hoodia (7) are another example. 

All ephedra plants contain phenylalanine-derived alkaloids. These include (-)-ephedrine, (+)-pseudoephedrine, (-)-norephedrine, (+)-norpseudo-ephedrine (also called cathine because it is a major alkaloid of Catha edulis or khat, a plant used as a stimulant in North Africa), (-)-A-methylephedrine and (+)-A-methylpseudoephedrine, (+)-pseudoephedrine, and (+/-)-norephedrine (phenylpropanolamine). Significant enantioselective differences with regard to both pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic effects of these agents are possible. All of these alkaloids have important effects on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, but not to the same degree. 

Cathine (d-norpseudoephedrine), cathinine, and ephedrine have been isolated from the leaves of Catha edulis.14 Examination of Erica lusitanica yielded p-methoxy-/ -phenethylamine, which had previously been shown to be absent in 16 other Erica species and 28 other Ericaceous plants.15 Phenylacetamide has been isolated from Vepris ampody.lSa... 

Ephedrine, an alkaloid with an amphetamine-like structure, is currently used in pharmaceuticals, with potentials to affect nerves, muscle, blood pressure, and heart rate. In 2004, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned ephedrine alkaloids marketed for reasons other than asthma, colds, allergies, other disease, or traditional Asian use. Ephedrine and its derivatives (stereoisomers and diaste-reomers) are naturally found in varied proportions in different plant species such as Catha edulis [12], Roemeria refracta [48], Taxus baccata [20], Sida cordifolia [7], Pinellia ternata [24], Aconitum napellus [8], and Ephedra species [22, 29, 32, 37]. 

Krizevski R, Dudai N, Bar E, Dessow I, Ravid U, Lewinsohn E (2008) Quantitative stereo-isomeric determination of phenylpropylamino alkaloids in khat (Catha edulis Forsk.) using chiral GC-MS. Isr J Plant Sci 56 207-213... 

Controlled substances are found in three major forms. The first type is plant or vegetative material. Marijuana, peyote, khat Catha edulis), and mushrooms that contain psilocybin fall into this category. Substances in this form usually require some botanical examination as weU as chemical analyses. To prepare samples for analysis by GC, a specialized extraction procedme is normally required to separate the naturally occurring compounds from the drug to be chromatographed. 

A drink made of the dried leaves of Catha edulis is called Khat-tea by Arabian and Ethiopian people and is used as a stimulating drink. Norpseudoephedrine has been found in this plant. From the same plant, cathidine D has been isolated. 

Fresh leaves of the khat bush Catha edulis Forssk.), found for example in several Afiican countries and the Arabian Peninsula, are chewed for their psychostimulant properties and evidence suggests that khat use may predate coffee drinking. The consumption of fresh leaves is based on the fact that potency diminishes drastically within two days. Correspondingly, khat use has remained endemic, but modem transportation allows for daily shipments to a variety of European countries and the United States. A large number of P-phenylethylamine derivatives have been detected but the main constituents are (S)-cathinone, (lS,2S)-cathine and (lR,2S)-norephedrine. Psychoactivity is, however, predominantly determined by cathinone and cathine (Fig. 18.6). The plant material is legally available in some countries, whereas both cathinone and cathine are controlled. (R)-cathinone has yet to be detected in leaves. 

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