The Effects of Khat (Catha Edulis) on Human Health
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Date
2023
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جامعة الشيخ عبدالله البدري
Abstract
Abstract
Khat (Catha edulis) is a plant that is widely grown in the Horn of Africa. People
chew the Khat leaves for their stimulating properties. Its tender leaves and early
buds are chewed to induce euphoria and stimulation. Khat is an evergreen shrub
that can be grown as a bush or small tree. The leaves have a pleasant scent. The
taste is astringent with a hint of sweetness. The plant has no seeds and can grow in
a variety of climates and soils. The plant contains a vast variety of active
compounds, the most important of which are cathinone, Cathine, and norephedrine,
which can be classified as sympathomimetics of natural origin. These chemicals
are amphetamine analogs, and as such, they have amphetamine-like stimulating
effects on the neurological system. There is a significant association between Khat
chewing and health risks such as decreased sexual performance, HIV infection,
sexual violence, elevated diastolic blood pressure, urinary and digestive system
problems, periodontitis, liver damage, psychiatric problems, and ophthalmological
problems. The use of Khat is influenced by a number of complex factors. People
who are frustrated, poor, or dislocated are more likely to use Khat. Several million
people are reported to use Khat on a regular basis for its euphoric and other
subjectively explained positive effects. Aside from those nations where Khat is
widely used, the habit has a strong socio-cultural legacy. This is especially true in
Ethiopia, where chewing Khat is a deeply ingrained socio-cultural habit throughout
the country's eastern and south-eastern regions. Although Khat is consumed by
people from all walks of life, the overabundance of Khat consumption is associated
with youth. Such an alarmingly increasing psychoactive substance has a number of
adverse effects. Because the use of Khat is an established cultural custom for many
social circumstances in primary cultivation, East Africa, and the Arabian
Peninsula, even the government has failed to protect the public from its use. As a
result, aggressive measures must be done to raise awareness among the most
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common users, such as the poor, taxi and car drivers, school and college students,
and the general public. The chewing of Khat leaves has a long religious and
sociocultural history. Khat is a commercial crop, and its cultivation provides
economic value to the cultures and nations involved. However, there have been
allegations of negative economic consequences for those who engage in the Khat
chewing practice. The growing global use of Khat, along with the unfavorable
public attention it has received, has resulted in the current state of confusion
surrounding the originally indigenous habit of Khat chewing. Scientists, primarily
from Western Europe, have tended to focus on Khat-related issues, with little
regard for the positive function of Khat chewing in society and the globe at large.
Furthermore, no investigation has directly linked Khat to organized crime,
violence, or antisocial behavior, particularly in nations where Khat is legal.