Caralluma is a plant that possessing a great therapeutic potential in folk medicine in Yemen, namely, Caralluma penicillata (C. penicillata) as antiulcer. The study aims to evaluate the anti-inflammatory properties and gastritis protection activity of C. penicillata against indomethacin in adult guinea pigs. The study was divided into four parts: firstly, the optimum dose of extract as anti-inflammatory effect was determined. Secondly, the acute anti-inflammatory effect of extract were estimated. Thirdly, the repeated doses of extract against chronic inflammation was estimated. The anti-inflammatory activity of extract was compared with indomethacin as a prototype of drug against inflammation. Fourthly, the gastritis protection properties of extract with/without indomethacin were performed. The results showed that a 400 mg/kg of 10% ethanol extract produced the maximum of anti-inflammatory effect. Also, the single dose of extract was equipotent for indomethacin (10 mg/kg), but shorter in duration with regard to acute anti-inflammatory effect. In addition, the repeated doses of extract against chronic inflammation were less potent than indomethacin with regard to ulcerogenic effect. On the other hand, extract-indomethacin combination reduced the gastritis effect of indomethacin based on ulcer index and histological study.

Context: Consumption of khat leaves has been disseminated worldwide with the migration of its users from Arabia and Africa. Despite numerous reports regarding the associations of khat chewing with serious health impacts, a significant number of people worldwide uses khat daily, especially in its origin countries. The risk of co-administration of khat and drugs (prescription and over the-counter medications) is high among these individuals, leading to increase probability of adverse khat-drug interactions. The likelihood of khat-drug interactions could be higher than drug-drug interactions because drugs usually contain single chemical entities while almost all herbs (including khat) contain mixtures of pharmacologically active constituents. Aims: To review the literatures on how khat interacts with some drugs and whether it is favorable or not. Methods: The study was conducted as a systematic review. The electronic literature searches were made in Google search engine to access publications from databases like PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane using the keywords ‘khat’, ‘Catha edulis’ in combination with the terms ‘drug interaction’, ‘adverse-effects’, ‘side effects’, ‘adverse drug reaction’, ‘safety’, and ‘toxicity’ to identify relevant articles. Results: A total of 250 articles was identified, and these articles were checked in terms of title, abstract, and content according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Finally, 18 articles were included in the study. The khat use significantly interact with most drugs and may cause unpredictable pharmacological sequences. Conclusions: Healthcare providers suggest patients` khat abstinence during medication process. Future studies need to investigate the khat- clinical drugs interactions especially with chronic used drugs.

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