Tree Has a Shady Side : Somalian Stimulant Qat Grows Peacefully in Laguna
In Somalia, it fetches a high price on the black market. In Kenya, it thrives as a cornerstone of the export trade. In Yemen, presidents chew it and then feverishly talk politics.
It is a leafy green plant called qat, or khat, and is considered a natural form of stimulant, or “speed,” as well as a potential hurdle for the U.S. mission in Somalia, so prevalent is its use there. But in the quaint beachside community of Laguna Beach, 30-foot qat shrubs grow wild, enjoyed mainly by the doves and pigeons that hover continuously among the branches, said Laguna Beach landscape architect Fred Lang.
Lang knows because he planted them in various spots around town in the late 1930s.
“Qat was introduced into this country as an ornamental plant back in the 1920s,” said Lang, 78, a well-known local architect who did the landscape design for UC Irvine. “You can make a tea out of it or chew it, but it seems to have varying degrees of effects on people.”
Lang remembers bringing bags of the leaves and stems to parties in the 1960s, when Laguna Beach was earning a dubious reputation as a center for drug trade and a free-spirited lifestyle. But qat never won any popularity among the drug culture here, unlike East Africa where its popularity is legendary.
“I’d never even heard of it until all the recent newspaper reports,” said Laguna Beach Police Chief Neil J. Purcell Jr., who as a patrolman and drug investigator earned his own reputation as a no-nonsense cop in Laguna Beach in the 1960s. “I have certainly never heard of it growing in Laguna, but if Fred says it is, it probably is. He’s the expert.”
Qat is also new to Special Agent Ralph Lochridge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
“Until recently, I had never heard of it and I’ve been around here for 10 years. Neither has my partner who has been here for 25,” said Lochridge, who works out of the DEA’s Los Angeles office. “The first time it was brought to my attention was (recently) in the newspapers. It certainly is not a hot item in terms of law enforcement efforts.”
That doesn’t mean either Purcell or Lochridge condone its use, however. Qat is illegal and contains an active ingredient that is the controlled substance cantinone, Lochridge said.
Lochridge described it as a schedule-four drug, meaning it is ranked near the bottom of a five-category drug schedule with schedule-one being the most powerful and dangerous.
“We rank it as a mild stimulant on a par with prescription diet pills . . . things like that,” Lochridge said.
In East Africa, however, qat is sold on the streets, as important to the way of life in Somalia as food or guns, according to reports. It reportedly has been a factor behind much of the violence in Mogadishu, the Somalian capital, where gun-toting youths start chewing qat in the morning and begin looting and firing their guns in the early afternoon as the drug takes effect.
It is sold wrapped in banana leaves and can cost $5 to $10 for a day’s supply, a princely sum in such a deprived society.
The use of qat dates back to Arabia, where it was introduced by the Abyssinians between the 1st and 6th centuries, according to the East African Agricultural Journal of October, 1947. Under the best conditions, it can grow to 80 feet in height, with a trunk two feet wide.
Somalis, Kenyans and Yemenites claim qat stems the appetite and increases productivity, or at least induces the need to talk. Recent reports claim qat has begun appearing in New York City where it is often sold under the table in Harlem coffeehouses.
In Laguna Beach, three qat shrubs thrive along a hillside just off Park Avenue and anonymously blend into the landscape; they are slightly reminiscent of the omnipresent eucalyptus. A stand is near the city’s Irvine Bowl amphitheater at the mouth of Laguna Canyon.
Although qat tends to grow best at higher, more moist altitudes, such as the highlands of Kenya and Yemen, they do fine in the Laguna Beach climate, Lang said.
“They get good nutrients in the soil that drain down the hillsides,” Lang said. “They adapt well to a variety of climates and are drought-resistant. These trees grow well anywhere it doesn’t freeze, as far north as Santa Barbara.”
Although it never really became popular here as an ornamental tree, Lang said, if it is maintained properly and cut back and tended, it is a “beautiful plant.”
“The shiny leaves have a reddish glow to them,” Lang said. “But it is only here because I’m an adventurous horticulturist. It just never really took off here.”
Lang said most people in Laguna Beach who have tried it have not found it appealing.
“Maybe that’s because it has a very bitter taste,” said Lang, who confesses to having offered some to a recent mayor of Laguna Beach, only to have her spit it out with a grimace.
As for himself, Lang says the plant stimulates him, but not because of its profound effects.
“I’ve never gotten anything special out of it,” he said. “But I always get excited over plants. It’s a natural excitement”
Qat Facts Qat, also called cafta, quat or khat, is a stimulant whose fresh leaves are chewed or, after drying, prepared as a tea. In Ethiopia, the young leaves and twigs are often eaten as a paste mixed with honey. Botany: Qat (Catha edulis), is an evergreen shrub, usually 10 to 20 feet tall. It can grow up to 80 feet tall with a trunk more than two feet in circumference. The bark is thin, smooth and a pale gray-brown. Young leaves are crimson-brown and glossy, becoming greener with age. History: Was first found in southern Arabia, where it does not grow wild but is cultivated with coffee. Grows best at 4,000 to 8,000 feet, where rainfall is comparatively heavy. First used as a medicinal by the Abyssinians between the 1st and 6th centuries. Herbal Remedy: Has been used for coughs, asthma and other chest problems. Leaves and roots are said to cure influenza and stomachaches. Other Uses: In East Africa, the wood is used for making spoons, combs and building huts. The wood saws, planes and polishes well, and is also suitable for cabinetmaking. Effect: Is a mild stimulant inducing a feeling of well-being and mental alertness. In quantity can induce euphoria that simulates alcoholic intoxication--dilates pupils, relaxes bronchial muscles and excites the central nervous system. Overdose: Can cause hyperactivity, induce schizophrenic symptoms and psychosis. Source: The East African Agricultural Journal, October, 1947
