Khat 217as a tea or in a paste format, but just like coca, users generally chew the leaves
while (in the delicate phrase of one scientist) “rejecting the residues.” Some
people simultaneously drink sweet beverages to mask khat’s bitter flavor. The
natural product’s potency is mild enough that dangerous overdose is unlikely.
During the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War in the 1990s, concern was ex-
pressed that American military personnel in that region might use khat in-
stead of beveragealcohol.
Although khat has no approved medical use in the United States, elsewhere
it is used against depression, stomach problems, headaches, coughs, as a mild
stimulant, appetite suppressant, bronchodilator, aphrodisiac, and as a gonor-
rhea remedy. An antiinflammatory compound has been found in the natural
product. Khat raises body temperature, breathing rate, blood pressure, heart
action, and muscle tension.
Drawbacks.Khat promotes constipation and may damage kidneys and
liver. When fed to rabbits, khat lowers their vitamin C levels. The substance
can raise diabetics’ blood sugar.
Despite theoretical possibilities for afflictions, investigation of khat use in
North Yemen discovered little or no evidence of physical harm. Some re-
searchers find better dental health among persons who regularly chew khat,
but other researchers find the opposite (such results suggest that khat may be
an “invalid variable” actually having no impact). Investigators in London at-
tributed very few illnesses to khat in a group of 162 users. Tuberculosis may
be the main physical peril from khat, not from the substance itself but from
disregard of Western hygiene in social use of the drug (spitting around, shar-
ing a water pipe). Khat psychosis is rare, probably because of the natural
product’s relatively low strength. In two Israeli villages the mental illness rate
for users was no worse than for nonusers; the same was found in Liverpool,
England.
Abuse factors.Known as the “flower of paradise,” khat has wide recrea-
tional use in countries of its traditional origin: A survey of over 10,000 Ethi-
opian villagers found that half were currently using the substance; a survey
of Ethiopian high school students found a still higher percentage of users. In
cultures where khat usage originated, it is a social drug used to lubricate
conversation. Users feel more alert and confident and even a little contentious,
making for lively gatherings. Persons who have a troubled relationship with
khat are generally persons who disregard social customs about it. For exam-
ple, users will feel a letdown as the drug wears off. People who use khat in
its traditional social context are likely to experience that letdown as simply
part of a genial gathering breaking up as members go about their individual
business and are unlikely to have interest in taking more khat right then.
Someone alone in an apartment who feels let down may see more khat as the
answer instead of more friends. Also, using a drug in a social context differing
from its traditional one can cause trouble. People who use khat at all-night
high-energy rave dance parties are unlikely to experience the same sensations
as are found in an intimate circle of mutually trusting acquaintances who
interact with each other in daily life.
Despite khat’s well-documented stimulant properties, the substance is con-
sidered a threat to economic productivity in countries where it has long tra-