Khat

Khat (Catha edulis) is a flowering shrub native to northeast Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Individuals chew khat leaves because of the stimulant effects, which are similar to but less intense than those caused by using cocaine or methamphetamine.

Street names/slang terms:
Qat, Kat, Chat, Kus-es-Salahin, Mirra, Tohai, Tschat, Catha, Quat, Abyssinian Tea, African Tea, and African Salad

Drug Type:
Khat is a stimulant.

What does it look like?
When fresh, khat leaves are glossy and crimson-brown in color, resembling withered basil. Khat leaves typically begin to deteriorate 48 hours after being cut from the shrub on which they grow. Deteriorating khat leaves are leathery and turn yellowgreen in color.

How is it used?
Chewing like tobacco, or used for tea.

Short-term Effects:
• constricted peripheral blood vessels
• dilated pupils
• increased temperature, heart rate, blood pressure
• insomnia, nausea, vomiting
• loss of appetite
• dizziness, slurred speech
• feelings of restlessness
• irritability, anxiety
• depression, fatigue

Long-term Effects:
• addiction
• aggressive paranoid behavior, severe anxiety
• depression
• ulceration of mucous membrane of nose (when vapors are snorted)
• permanent damage to liver and brain

Source: Partnership for a Drug-Free America, NIDA, NIAA