coca plant

Coca refers to any of the four cultivated plants in the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America. It is known worldwide for its psychoactive alkaloid, cocaine. The leaves contain cocaine, which acts as a mild stimulant when chewed or consumed as tea; this traditional use involves slower absorption than purified cocaine, and there is no evidence of addiction or withdrawal symptoms from such natural consumption.

The coca plant is a shrub-like bush with curved branches, oval leaves marked by distinct curved lines, and small yellowish-white flowers that develop into red berries. Genomic analysis indicates coca was domesticated two or three separate times from the wild species Erythroxylum gracilipes by different South American groups during the Holocene. Chewing coca leaves dates back at least 8,000 years in South America, as evidenced by coca leaves and calcite found in house floors in Peru's Nanchoc Valley, suggesting early communal use alongside the rise of farming. Coca use was widespread under Inca rule. The Incas deeply integrated it into their society for labor, religion, and trade, valuing it so highly that they colonized new lands for its cultivation. Spanish colonizers later attempted to suppress its use, but ultimately relied on it to sustain enslaved laborers. Traditionally, across Andean cultures, coca leaves have been used for medicinal, nutritional, religious, and social purposes—serving as a stimulant, remedy for ailments, spiritual tool, and source of sustenance, primarily through chewing and tea.