Hypermotility of the amphetamine type induced by a constituent of khat leaves.

Khat leaves, widely used as a stimulant in East Africa and the Arab Peninsula, contain the alkaloid, (-)-cathinone. The effects of this substance on the locomotor activity of rats were compared to those of (+)-amphetamine. Both substances were found to induce a similar degree of hypermotility. Furthermore, the effect of (-)-cathinone on the locomotor behaviour of hypophysectomized rats was analogous to that reported for (+)-amphetamine in such animals. The results support the claim that the symptoms caused by the chewing of khat are amphetamine-like.