Coca is a plant with a complex array of mineral nutrients,
essential oils, and varied compounds with greater or lesser
pharmacological effects - one of which happens to be the alkaloid
cocaine, which in its concentrated, synthesized form is a stimulant
drug with possible addictive properties. Of all the plants
introduced to the world by American Indian societies, few have been
as controversial as the coca bush. Part of the Erythroxylum genus,
the coca plant, whose leaves were first consumed by Andean Indians,
is the source of the raw alkaloids that are refined to make
cocaine. In Coca: The Divine Plant of the Incas, W. Golden
Mortimer, M.D. presents an exhaustive, encyclopedic look at the
plant's history and pharmacology. He traces its origins among the
Native American peoples, who chewed the plant leaves for their
stimulating and analgesic properties. From there, he examines the
early European colonists' first encounters with the plant, how it
became an object of intense study among naturalists and scientists,
and how chemists first used it to create cocaine extract. Coca: The
Divine Plant of the Incas includes: * Traditional Indian uses for
coca * Early European explorers' impressions of the plant, first
damned as an immoral intoxicant, and then praised as a stimulant
for work and travel * The story of Angelo Mariani's coca-leaf wine,
which won accolades from European royalty and the Pope * Botanical
aspects of the coca plant varietals * Soil, humidity, elevation,
latitude, and other factors necessary for the plant's growth * How
to grow and harvest the plant, and cure and store coca leaf *
Chemistry of the leaf, its alkaloids, and its extracts * How to
extract cocaine from coca leaf * How to determine the purity and
strength of coca extract * Coca and muscular energy, exercise,
diet, and fatigue * Coca's effects on the body, the brain, and the
nervous system * The pathology of cocaine use and addiction Filled
with rare illustrations and diagrams, Coca: The Divine Plant of the
Incas is a thorough historical and scientific examination of this
little-understood plant and its products. It belongs in the library
of anyone interested in pharmacology, botany, natural studies, or
the history and culture of indigenous Americans. Coca explores the
fascinating history of Coca, know as the Divine Plant of the Incas.
The coca leaf has been chewed and brewed for tea traditionally for
centuries among its indigenous peoples in the Andean region - and
does not cause any harm and is beneficial to human health when the
leaf is chewed. When chewed, coca is a mild stimulant and
suppresses hunger, thirst, pain, and fatigue. It helps overcome
altitude sickness, which is helpful in the Andes Mountains. It
covers the Incan empire, its conquest by the Spaniards, the
existence of coca within Incan society, early use of the drug, and
the "present day" Indians of Peru. Coca chewing and drinking of
coca tea is carried out daily by millions of people in the Andes
without problems, and is considered sacred by indigenous cultures.
Coca tea is widely used, even outside the Andean Amazon region.
Coca leaf was originally used in the soft drink Coca Cola for its
stimulant effect, but was removed in 1903 it was removed and
replaced by a decocainized coca extract. Traditional medical uses
of coca are foremost as a stimulant to overcome fatigue, hunger,
and thirst. It also is used as an anesthetic to alleviate the pain
of headache and sores. Before stronger anesthetics were available,
coca leaves were used for broken bones, childbirth, and during
operations on the skull. Coca leaves have been used for centuries
as a stimulant. Coca is traditionally cultivated in the lower
altitudes of the eastern slopes of the Andes, or the highlands
depending on the species grown. Since ancient times, its leaves
have been an important trade commodity between the lowlands where
it is grown and the higher altitudes where it is widely consumed by
the Andean peoples of Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and
Bolivia.
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