Khat
Pronunciation:kaht
Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number:71031-15-7 (cathinone compo-
nent); 492-39-7 (cathine component)
Formal Names:Catha edulis
Informal Names:Abyssinian Tea, Arabian Tea, Goob, Jaad, Miraa, Qaad, Qat,
Shat, Somali Tea
Type:Stimulant (amphetamine class).Seepage 12
Federal Schedule Listing:Schedule I (cathinone DEA no. 1235); Schedule IV (ca-
thine DEA no. 1230)
USA Availability:Illegal to possess
Pregnancy Category:None
Uses.Although amphetamine is a laboratory creation and not a natural
product, the khat plant is likened to a “natural amphetamine” due to the
actions of the two scheduled substances found in it, cathinone and cathine.
Because one of them is listed in Schedule I the plant is illegal to possess even
though all other chemicals in it are legal. Cross-tolerance exists among am-
phetamine, cathinone, and cathine. One thorough chemical analysis of khat
found that the natural product also containsephedrine.
Khat has the same psychological effects as those associated with ampheta-
mine, both positive and negative. An additional effect can be vivid halluci-
nations as people hover between wakefulness and sleep. In contrast to job
performance benefits observed with true amphetamines, airplane crew mem-
bers who use khat are found to have poorer visual memory and decision-
reaction times when compared with nonusers. The substance is nonetheless
used as a stimulant assisting physical labor, much ascocaleaves are tradi-
tionally used in South America.
The shrub is mainly found in countries along the Red Sea and Indian Ocean
region of eastern and northeastern Africa. Leaves are traditionally harvested
in the morning and wrapped to slow their drying. Potency declines as they
dry out. The main active component cathinone transforms into the less-active
component cathine over time, reducing the strength of a particular batch of
khat. That factor formerly limited the product’s availability, but modern trans-
portation and freezer technology allows khat to be exported around the world.
The product has been a major cash crop in Ethiopia. Sometimes khat is used