Substance use and substance use disorders in Africa: An epidemiological approach to the review of existing literature

Table 2 African plants and herbs with psychostimulant potential

Region	Herbal preparation	Plant	Bioactive compound	Central nervous system activity	Toxicity	Ref.
East Africa	Khat chewing, drink made from dried leaves or smoking dried leaves	Catha Edulis	Phenylalkylamines and the cathedulins (Cathinone)	Improves performance, stay alert and to increase work capacity, excitement, appetite loss and euphoria	Memory impairment, sleeping disorders, liver toxicity, cardiovascular disease, psychosis and poor academic performance	[115,117,124-126]
West Africa	Different parts of the plant are smoked or used to make concoctions	Datura specie including stramonium and Datura metal	Atropine, scopolamine, and hyoscamine	Anticholinergic and hallucinogenic activity	Hyperthermia, tachycardia, delirium, pronounced amnesia, severe mydriasis, bizarre behaviors and painful photophobia	[135,136,141,145-148]
West Africa	Root bark concoctions	Tabernanthe iboga	Ibogaine	Stimulatory, hallucinogenic, and sedative effects	Development of ataxia, tremor, cardiac toxicity, and death	[149-151]
South Africa	Ubulawu drink	Silene undulata and Synaptolepis	Triterpenoid saponins	Mood altering effects including stimulating vivid or lucid dreams	Confusion	[113]
South Africa	Chewed, smoked, snorted or swallowed	Sceletium tortuosum	Mesembrenone, mesembrenol, mesembrine and tortuosamine	Increased libido, decreased stress, euphoria and appetite suppression	Anxiety, headache, hypertension, irritability, insomnia and nausea	[154,155]