Khat and cathinone

source: wikipedia Catha edulis, commonly called Arabian tea,[1] khat,[1] qat, gat, is a flowering plant native to the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Among communities from these areas, khat chewing has a long history as a social custom dating back thousands of years.[2] Khat contains a monoamine alkaloid called cathinone, an amphetamine-like stimulant, which is said to cause excitement, loss of appetite and euphoria. In 1980, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified it as a drug of abuse that can produce mild to moderatepsychological dependence (less than tobacco or alcohol),[3] although the WHO does not consider khat to be seriously addictive.[2]  Khat's exact place of origin is uncertain.[2] One argument is that it was first grown inEthiopia,[6] with the explorer Sir Richard Burton suggesting that the plant was later introduced to Yemen from Ethiopia in the 15th century.[7] He specifically mentions the eastern city of Harar as the birthplace of the plant. [8] However, amongst communities in the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia) and the Arabian Peninsula, khat chewing has a long history as a social custom dating back thousands of years.[2] The Ancient Egyptians considered the khat plant a divine food, which was capable of releasing humanity's divinity. The Egyptians used the plant for more than its stimulating effects; they used it for transcending into "apotheosis", with the intent of making the user god-like.[9] The earliest known documented description of khat is found in the Kitab al-Saidala fi al-Tibb كتاب الصيدلة في الطب, an 11th century work onpharmacy and materia medica written by Abū Rayhān al-Bīrūnī, a Persian scientist and biologist. Unaware of its origins, al-Bīrūnī wrote that khat is:[10] "a commodity from Turkestan. It is sour to taste and slenderly made in the manner of batan-alu. But khat is reddish with a slight blackish tinge. It is believed that batan-alu is red, coolant, relieves biliousness, and is a refrigerant for thestomach and the liver."