A plant banned as an illegal drug in some countries could help boost men’s fertility, say UK researchers. The leaves of khat, a plant cultivated in East Africa and the Arabian peninsula, contain a chemical that peps up sperm and increase their chances of fertilizing an egg. The researchers suggest the chemical could one day be produced as an over-the-counter treatment for couples experiencing problems conceiving.Khat (Catha edulis) has been known for centuries for the euphoria its leaves induce when chewed. The stimulant, cathinone, is not very stable and breaks down to produce cathine and norephedrine. These belong to a group of chemicals called PPAs, which are similar to amphetamines and adrenaline.Lynn Fraser and her team at the Centre for Reproduction, Endocrinology and Diabetes at King’s College in London, UK, decided to test the effects of PPAs on sperm. They were studying the final stage of sperm development called capacitation, where sperm “switch on” and develop the ability to fertilise an egg.
