Khat, jaad, mirra (Catha edulis)
CELASTRACEAE, Staff Tree Family
From northeastern Africa, probably from the highlands of Ethiopia (1500 to 2000 m), has come a small tree called khat (Catha edulis). Since at least the 12th century, fresh leaves and shoot tips of this plant have been chewed (a masticant) or brewed as a tea to produce stimulating properties. Khat was been cultivated in East Africa since the early 1300s, but within the 20th century some of the affected countries have officially banned its use, although enforcement is mostly lacking A bundle of fresh khat shoots commonly is sold wrapped in a banana leaf (a marduuf), to keep khat from drying and thereby losing its potency.
The biological important alkaloids present in the leaves are cathine and, especially, cathinone, which produce excitement and a feeling of well-being, but later the most common effects are lack of concentration, depression, anxiety, and insomnia, sometimes coupled with psychological dependence. In Third World countries of eastern Africa, where khat use is often legal, poor families can suffer when the breadwinner becomes hooked on this psychoactive substance, and through that loses motivation to work and, at the same time, spends important family funds to support the habit.
Khat has been an important cash crop for rural families in northeastern Africa, where the small trees can be intercropped with sorghum, corn, or potatoes, and in places where khat cultivation is legal, these trees are grown around the perimeter of the village. The total leaves harvested from a tree in one year can be sold for up to $10, and sale of khat can therefore become as much as 30-50% of a family income.