The Misunderstood Coca Plant

The coca plant is one of the commonly misjudged plants currently being produced and harvested. Most commonly associated with being the species which cocaine is created from, it has the stereotype of being a dangerous plant. However, the coca plant has many medicinal and safe uses, which have been utilized by practitioners since the species' discovery.

South America, Africa, Ceylon, Taiwan, Indonesia and Formosa are the places that the coca plant is most suited for growing. However, it is most commonly known for its existence in the Andes of South America, where the majority of cocaine is created. The first known written source of the plant was in 1783, but it was not officially registered until 1786, where it was given the name Erythroxylum coca. However, it is believed that the coca plant has been tended as a domestic plant for over 2,000 years. There is evidence within burial sites of coca to lend credence this theory.

Nurturing the coca plant requires diligence and effort. The life of the coca plant begins as a fruit, which is picked when the drupes are almost ripe. These drupes are placed within a basket and left to sit where the flesh of the fruit becomes squishy. Once this has occurred, the seeds are removed and the seeds are put in the sun to dry out.

Only once this occurs, the seeds can be planted. It takes 24 days for the coca plant to germinate. Once the plant has acquired 4 leaves, they are guarded by a lattice covering for a year.

After the year has completed, the plants are transferred to preparation fields. This transportation can only be done within the rainy season. Three years after this transfer, some leaves may be gathered. Once the coca plant is able to be gathered, they are harvested three or four times a year. A fully established acre of coca plants can yield 1,500 to 2,000 pounds of product per year.

While coca plants are annual, a field will be resown once every twenty years, as the quality of the plant fades over time.

As coca plants are so valuable, there are many safeguards taken to protect the crops from natural predators and disease. There are some varieties of insects that prey on the coca plants, as well as fungus that can harm or kill the stalks, branches and leaves. Weeds can also be fatal to adolescent coca plants, as the weeds rob the soil of the nutrients that the plants need for basic survival.

The most common use of coca plants is in the popular soft drink, Coca-Cola.While this beverage no longer contains any drugs, it is still made directly from the coca leaf.

Contemporary medicinal uses of coca include use as a bactericide, as spinal anesthetics and as treatments for diseases such as eczema and shingles.

 

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