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Khat

Catha edulis

Celastraceae // fresh leaves/shoots

Also known as: qat, chat, miraa

Safety warning on record — see SafetyLegal status varies by jurisdiction — see Legal

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Uses & evidence

Uses and evidence recorded
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Preparation

No preparation information recorded

Safety

Safety cautions recorded
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Research

No linked research on file
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Overview

Plant parts

fresh leaves/shoots

Known constituents

cathinone, cathine

Research corpus coverage

Ethnobotanical / entheogenicPet safety

Chemistry notes

  • Principal reported constituents include cathinone, cathine; broad class: sympathomimetic stimulant.

Uses & Evidence

Traditional / historical use

Documented traditional use — not a claim of established efficacy.

No traditional-use records in this corpus.

Modern evidence

  • Freshness affects cathinone content; not all regional social use is ceremonial.

    MODERATE · Studies on the ethnopharmacology, antimicrobial activity, and toxicity of Catha edulis (Vahl.) Endl., in Sprague Dawley rats

    Identity/attribution caution.

Safety

Human

  • High risk

    Safety severity is HIGH: hypertension, insomnia, dependence, psychiatric effects and possible hepatic/cardiovascular harms

    Intrinsic toxicity · HIGH · Studies on the ethnopharmacology, antimicrobial activity, and toxicity of Catha edulis (Vahl.) Endl., in Sprague Dawley rats

Additional safety notes (general, unstructured)

Free-text safety notes carried from their source — not broken out by species, route, or hazard type, and not equivalent to the structured records above. Each note names the kind of source it came from.

  • Safety severity is HIGH: hypertension, insomnia, dependence, psychiatric effects and possible hepatic/cardiovascular harms

    HIGH · Studies on the ethnopharmacology, antimicrobial activity, and toxicity of Catha edulis (Vahl.) Endl., in Sprague Dawley rats

Preparation × species risk matrix

Unknown means insufficient evidence was located — not that a form is safe.

Cats

  • tinctureCaution
  • concentrated extractUnknown
  • essential oilUnknown
  • glyceriteUnknown
  • infused oilUnknown
  • salveUnknown
  • smoke/combustionUnknown
  • tea/infusionUnknown
  • whole herbUnknown

Dogs

  • tinctureCaution
  • concentrated extractUnknown
  • essential oilUnknown
  • glyceriteUnknown
  • infused oilUnknown
  • salveUnknown
  • smoke/combustionUnknown
  • tea/infusionUnknown
  • whole herbUnknown

Identity

  • Synonym

    GBIF lists Catha forsskalii A.Rich. as a taxonomic synonym of Catha edulis.

    HIGH · GBIF Species Synonyms API

Common name

qat, chat, miraa

Traditions

Horn of Africa and Arabian Peninsula social/religious settings

East Africa and Yemen // centuries of historical documentation and living use // living tradition

  • Ethnobotanical

    Khat is documented in Horn of Africa and Arabian Peninsula social/religious settings in East Africa and Yemen for social gatherings, work, poetry, religious discussion and healing claims.

    HIGH · Studies on the ethnopharmacology, antimicrobial activity, and toxicity of Catha edulis (Vahl.) Endl., in Sprague Dawley rats

  • Ritual

    Documented functions include social, stimulant, ritual; these functions are tradition-specific and should not be generalized across cultures.

    HIGH · Studies on the ethnopharmacology, antimicrobial activity, and toxicity of Catha edulis (Vahl.) Endl., in Sprague Dawley rats

Sources

Research records are source-linked but may not yet be editorially reviewed.