Ageely Hussein M A
Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Saudi Arabia.
J Family Community Med. 2008 Jan;15(1):3-11.
The consumption of the stimulant leaf Khat (Catha edulis Forsk) is widespread in several countries of East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The leaf comes from a small evergreen shrub that can grow to the size of a tree. Young buds and tender leaves are chewed to attain a state of euphoria and stimulation. Khat leaves contain cathinones, an active brain stimulant that is similar in structure and pharmacological activity to amphetamines. Like amphetamines, Khat ingestion in low doses results in decreased appetite, euphoria, increased intellectual efficiency, and hyperalertness.High doses and chronic use of Khat can cause more serious adverse neurological, psychiatric, cardiovascular, dental, gastrointestinal and genitourinary effects. Besides damaging health, Khat has adverse socio-economic consequences effects on many other aspects of life including the loss of thousands of acres of arable land and billions of hours of work.The purpose of this review is to describe briefly the adverse consequences of habitual chewing of Khat on health, and help educate the general public. The study is based on literature review that includes internet search and journals.
兴奋剂恰特草（Catha edulis Forsk）在东非和阿拉伯半岛的几个国家广泛食用。这种叶子来自一种小型常绿灌木，能长到树的大小。人们咀嚼嫩枝和嫩叶以达到欣快和兴奋的状态。恰特草叶含有卡西酮，这是一种活性脑兴奋剂，其结构和药理活性与安非他明相似。与安非他明一样，低剂量摄入恰特草会导致食欲下降、欣快感、智力效率提高和过度警觉。高剂量和长期使用恰特草会导致更严重的神经、精神、心血管、牙齿、胃肠道和泌尿生殖系统不良影响。除了损害健康外，恰特草还会对生活的许多其他方面产生不良社会经济后果，包括数千英亩耕地的丧失和数十亿小时的工作时间损失。本综述的目的是简要描述习惯性咀嚼恰特草对健康的不良后果，并帮助教育公众。该研究基于包括互联网搜索和期刊在内的文献综述。
