Khat Amphetamine

Connor J. D, Ruston A, Eyasu M. Comparison of effects of khat extract and amphetamine on motor behaviors in mice. J Ethnopharmacol 2002 81 65-71. 

Cathinone An amphetamine derivative found in khat extracted from Catha edulis growing in the Horn of Africa, where it is widely used as a recreational stimulant. 

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

Chewing leaves of the khat shrub is practiced in parts of East Africa and the Arabian peninsula (Kalix 1988 Widler et al. 1994). Some estimate daily use at 5 million portions. Use in the West is less common, but has increased somewhat. More common in the United States has been use of the synthetic drug methcathinone (or "cat"), which is derived from khat alkaloids. Only the fresh khat leaves are pharmacologically active, so for some time use was limited to local areas that grew the plant. However, with air transportation, use has spread with emigrants in Europe and the United States. Because of its pharmacological similarities to amphetamine and its addictive properties, khat has been listed on Schedule I of the United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances. 

Khat produces effects similar to those of other monoamine stimulants, (i.e., increases in mental stimulation, physical endurance, elevated mood) (Widler etal. 1994 Kalix 1994 Brenneisen etal. 1990). Stimulus generalization occurs between cathinone, amphetamine, and cocaine, suggesting similar subjective effects (Huang and Wilson 1986). Similar to other monoamine stimulants, cathinone causes dose-dependent reductions in eating and body weight (Islam et al. 1990 Zelger and Carlini 1980). Oral cathinone increases sexual arousal in rats, but does not affect erectile or ejaculatory responses (Taha et al. 1995). 

As would be expected, khat overuse produces symptoms similar to those of other monoamine stimulants, such as cocaine or amphetamine, including signs of sympathetic overarousal. In the extreme this can involve a toxic psychosis. Disorders more frequently associated with chronic khat use in males are headaches, anorexia, insomnia, constipation, and respiratory illnesses (Kennedy et al. 1983). Females report higher incidences of acute gastritis, jaundice, bronchitis and hepatic diseases. Also, cathinone has toxic reproductive effects in humans and experimental animals (Islam et al. 1990). It decreases sperm count and motility, and increases the number of abnormal sperm cells. It also decreases plasma testosterone in rats. 

Brenneisen R, Fisch FiU, Koeibing U, Geisshtisier S, Kaiix P. (1990). Amphetamine-like effects in humans of the khat aikaioid cathinone. BrJ Clin Pharmacol. 30(6) 825-28. 

Kalix P. (1980). A constituent of khat leaves with amphetamine-like releasing properties. EurJ Pharmacol. 68(2) 213-15. 

Kalix P. (1981). Cathinone, an alkaloid from khat leaves with an amphetamine-like releasing effect. Psychopharmacology (Berlin). 74(3) 269-70. 

Kalix P. (1982). The amphetamine-like releasing effect of the alkaloid (-)cathinone on rat nucleus accumbens and rabbit caudate nucleus. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 6(1) 43-49. Kalix P. (1983). A comparison of the catecholamine releasing effect of the khat alkaloids (-)-cathinone and (+)-norpseudoephedrine. Drug Alcohol Depend. 11(3-4) 395-401. 

Kalix P. (1988). Khat a plant with amphetamine effects. J Subst Abuse Treat. 5(3) 163-69. 

Kalix P. (1994). Khat, an amphetamine-like stimulant. Psychoactive Drugs. 26(1) 69-74. 

Cannabis Opiates Cocaine Amphetamine -type stimulants Methaqualone Depressants Inhalants Khat ... 

Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology concludes that khat (Catha edulis), like amphetamines and ibuprofen, can relieve pain. 

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. 

In the United States, khat is not approved for medical use. However, a study in the January 2000 issue of Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology concluded that khat, like amphetamines and ibuprofen, can relieve pain. 

Because the psychiatric manifestations induced by khat are similar to the effects of other known stimulants, treatment of khat dependency is similar to that of dependency on amphetamines. 

The fresh leaves of the khat shrub (Catha edulis) are chewed by several millions of people in East Africa and the Arabian peninsula for their euphoric and stimulating properties (284). The rather newly discovered alkaloid cathinone [(S)-a-aminopropiophenone] is responsible for the stimulating properties of khat (284). It has been shown that cathinone induces release at physiological catecholamine storage sites in a manner similar to that of amphetamine. Further results suggest that cathinone and amphetamine produce their stimulant effects via the same dopaminergic mechanism (599). The more recently discovered khat constituents merucathinone, merucathine, and pseudomerucathine were found to have only weak dopamine-releasing effects and were therefore considered unlikely to play an important role in the stimulatory actions of khat leaves (414). 

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). 

Khat has amphetamine-like effects and can cause psychoses (132-138), including mania (139) and hypnagogic hallucinations (140). Two men developed relapsing short-lasting psychotic episodes after chewing khat leaves the psychotic symptoms disappeared without any treatment within 1 week (141). 

Kalix P. Amphetamine psychosis due to khat leaves. Lancet 1984 1(8367) 46. 

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