Background: The use/abuse of psychoactive drugs such as khat leaves (Catha edulis) are believed to alter one’s moods or emotional state either through the sustained release or inhibition of neurotransmitters, thereby enhancing or dampening the response of the individual. Most people whose thinking are warped by continued drug use may not be able to see the harm resulting from their actions. Thu...

Approaches to resilience in post-war contexts prioritise systems-based thinking above everyday realities. This paper explores reconstruction through marungi (khat) North-West Uganda. Presenting ethnographic evidence, we chart connections between and among growers, traders “eaters”. Firstly, argue for a consideration of the actual resources which individuals households build capacity withstand s...

INTRODUCTION We assessed the prevalence of substance use and its association with high blood pressure among adults in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. METHODS We employed a cross-sectional descriptive study design. The World Health Organization instrument for stepwise surveillance of risk factors for chronic diseases was applied on a probabilistic sample of 4001 men and women aged 25 to 64 years in Add...

The study investigated the effect of methanol extract and its fractionations obtained from Yemeni khat on the smooth muscle isometric tension in Lewis rat aortal ring preparations and compared the effects of the crimson and green leaves. Khat leaves were sorted into green (khat Light; KL) and crimson (khat Dark; KD) leaves, extracted with methanol, followed with solvent-solvent extraction (benz...

OBJECTIVES To assess antimicrobial activities of aqueous crude khat (Catha edulis) extracts against a panel of oral microorganisms and to test their ability to modify bacterial resistance to tetracycline and penicillin in vitro. DESIGN Lyophilized aqueous extracts were prepared from three khat cultivars. The agar dilution method of the NCCLS was used to test the extracts, at concentrations of...

Khat is a stimulating agent used by many people in the Horn of Africa and the Arabian peninsula. Khat chewing is a known cardiovascular risk factor and is thought to cause vasoconstriction, systemic hypertension, and thrombogenicity. A 33-year-old Somalian man initially presented with loss of neurological function of the left arm, hazy vision, and headache. He smokes tobacco and chews two bundl...

AIM OF THE STUDY To investigate the relationship between (i) khat use and (ii) traumatic events, with measures of common psychotic symptoms and symptoms of anxiety and depression. To undertake this work in a Somali population of emigrants who have sought asylum in a non-conflict zone country. MATERIALS AND METHODS A secondary analysis of data on a population sample of 180 Somali men and women...

INTRODUCTION The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and severity of temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs) among undergraduate medical students in the presence of khat chewing over a period of time. MATERIALS AND METHODS Totally, 186 medical college students (age < 20 years) were randomly selected for the present study. The study subjects were divided into two groups according t...

1. Background This article focuses on khat production and its trade, (particularly in northern Kenya), its background, magnitude and structure. The study is based on fieldwork in the area during 1973 and 1974 and some follow-up visits there and in neighbouring countries. The "present tense" in the paper normally refers to a situation some five years ago which might have changed. The perspective...

1. Background This article focuses on khat production and its trade, (particularly in northern Kenya), its background, magnitude and structure. The study is based on fieldwork in the area during 1973 and 1974 and some follow-up visits there and in neighbouring countries. The "present tense" in the paper normally refers to a situation some five years ago which might have changed. The perspective...