Erowid References Database
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Hirst MM.
“Kat, the Law and the Somalian Who Got Away”.
PlantLife. 2003 April;? (28):11-12.
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Abstract
The excerpt "Khat goes to court again" by Dold & Cocks (2000) which appeared in PlantLife makes certain claims which are not altogether supported by the evidence presented in the article and therefore require further clarification. Krikorian (1984) is the author of the definitive history of the use of Catha edulis as a stimulant. He has made the highly relevant point that, in Arabic, the letter/sound 'k' is equivalent to the letter/sound 'q'. Therefore, the correct spelling of the Arabic term for Catha edulis is either 'qat' or kat' and not 'khat' as is so commonly found in scientific, botanical and anthropological publications on the subject. Suggestions that chewing fresh C.edulis shoots and buds have a negative effect on libido are quite spurious. Among my Bolo informants are a married couple who have chewed Catha edulis for more than thirty years and have nine children. Thus the foregoing assertion is certainly not supported by the empirical evidence from the Eastern Cape.
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