Khat is a plant whose fresh leaves are chewed primarily for their stimulant and mood-lifting effects, similar to a mild amphetamine. It has been used for centuries across East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula as a social drug, a traditional remedy, and a way to boost energy and alertness. Today, it remains deeply woven into daily life in Yemen, Ethiopia, Somalia, and parts of Saudi Arabia, where chewing sessions can last six to eight hours and involve groups of eight to twenty people.
Social and Cultural Uses
Khat’s most widespread use is as a communal social activity. In Ethiopian, Yemeni, and Somali communities, chewing khat together serves roughly the same social function as sharing coffee or tea in other cultures, but stretched over a much longer timeframe. Groups gather in the afternoon, chew leaves, and talk for hours. Historical records show khat was part of religious rites, social gatherings, and traditional ceremonies in these regions going back centuries.
Many users also chew khat to enhance work performance. It’s commonly used to suppress fatigue and appetite, sharpen focus, and sustain energy during long hours of manual labor or study. Young men in particular report using it because they believe it improves mental capacity, physical strength, and sexual performance.
Traditional Medicinal Uses
In folk medicine, khat has been used to treat respiratory conditions, coughs, influenza, and stomach problems. Some users chew it specifically to counteract the effects of alcohol or to help with sleep. These are traditional applications rather than clinically validated treatments, but they help explain why khat use persists across such a wide population.
How Khat Is Consumed
The most common method is chewing the fresh leaves. Users strip leaves from the stems, place them in the mouth, and chew intermittently to release the active compounds. The chewed material forms a wad that’s held in the cheek and eventually spit out. A typical session involves anywhere from 100 to 500 grams of leaves over several hours. Less commonly, khat leaves are brewed into a tea. Smoking is rare.
Freshness matters. The primary stimulant compound in khat breaks down quickly after the leaves are picked, which is why khat is typically sold and consumed within a day or two of harvest.
How It Produces Its Effects
Khat leaves contain a natural stimulant called cathinone, which acts on the brain in ways comparable to amphetamine but with less intensity. As the leaves age, cathinone degrades into a weaker compound called cathine. Together, these chemicals trigger the release of brain chemicals that increase alertness, elevate mood, and create a sense of euphoria.
The peak of excitement typically hits about two hours into a chewing session. Users report feeling energetic, alert, and talkative. Heart rate increases by roughly 6% on average during use, and blood pressure rises as well. After the stimulant phase wears off, users often experience a comedown marked by low mood or irritability.
Health Risks of Regular Use
Short-term effects include elevated blood pressure, increased heart rate, anxiety, and hyperactivity. These resolve after the session ends for most people, but the cardiovascular strain adds up over time.
Chronic khat use carries more serious consequences. On the heart, long-term chewing is linked to high blood pressure, heart attacks, heart failure, irregular heart rhythms, and a condition called dilated cardiomyopathy, where the heart muscle weakens and enlarges. A study of 50 Yemeni patients with this condition found that habitual khat chewing contributed to its development, particularly in younger patients with a genetic predisposition. Research also shows that long-term chewers have elevated oxidative stress, a form of cellular damage that injures heart tissue over time.
Mental health effects are also well documented. Prolonged use can cause insomnia, anxiety, irritability, and agitation. Some users develop cognitive problems, including difficulty with attention, memory, and decision-making. In susceptible individuals, heavy khat use has been associated with psychosis.
The oral health toll is significant too. Holding a wad of leaves against the cheek and gums for hours at a time, session after session, damages soft tissue and teeth.
Dependence and Withdrawal
Khat can be habit-forming. When researchers applied standard psychiatric criteria for substance dependence to a group of regular chewers, 31% met the threshold for dependence. About 19% had tried to quit and failed, and 17% reported withdrawal symptoms. Habitual users tend to increase the amount they chew over time, and many report continuing to chew specifically to avoid low mood and unpleasant feelings.
Withdrawal symptoms include lethargy, excessive sleepiness, depression, increased appetite, nightmares, bad temper, slight trembling, and a sensation of heat in the lower legs. These symptoms are generally psychological rather than physically dangerous, but they can be enough to keep people locked into the habit.
Legal Status
The khat plant itself is not controlled under international drug treaties, but its active compounds are. Cathinone is classified as a Schedule I substance and cathine as Schedule III under the 1971 United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances. In practice, this means khat is illegal in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and much of Europe, while it remains legal and widely sold in Ethiopia, Yemen, Somalia, and other countries where it is traditionally used. The gap between its cultural acceptance in one part of the world and its criminal status in another reflects how differently societies weigh its social role against its health risks.