Khat leaf may help boost sperm Khat, a plant whose leaves are
chewed as a mild drug in East Africa and the Gulf, contains
chemicals that may boost male fertility, an international
conference has heard. The research, conducted at King's College
London, was presented at this week's European Society of Human
Reproduction and Embryology conference in Berlin. Khat or Catha
edulis has been known for centuries for inducing a sense of
euphoria. Other names for it include: qat, chat, miraa, tschat
and African salad. As well as its stimulant properties, some
people say it improves a man's sex drive and ability to sustain
an erection. But it may also harm the male reproductive system,
possibly causing abnormalities in sperm. The stimulant in the
leaves is called cathinone. Enzymes break this down into cathine
and norephedrine, part of a group of chemicals called
phenylpropanolamines (PPAs), of which adrenaline and amphetamine
are members. In the first study of PPAs on mouse and human
sperm, the researchers said they fou