Erythroxylum coca

Lam.

Coca, Cocaine

Erythroxylaceae Edible: Leaves - tea Potential hazards — see below 1,277 iNaturalist observations

medicinal

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Summary

Erythroxylum coca is a species of flowering plant in the family Erythroxylaceae. It is one of the two species of cultivated coca.

Description

An erect evergreen shrub. It grows 3.5 m tall. It spreads about 1.5 m wide. The trunk is slender and branching. The leaves are oval but taper to a short tip. They are bright green and 6 cm long. The flowers have five petals and are yellowish-white. They are 6 mm across and are carried in the axils of the leaves. The fruit is soft and fleshy and 8 mm long. They are red berries.

Edible Uses

The dried leaves yield cocaine, a stimulant substance. Leaves are used to make coca 'wine' and are also chewed as a masticatory. Extract from the nut is used to flavour drinks, confectionery, candy, and alcoholic drinks. The leaves can also be prepared as a tea.

Traditional Uses

The dried leaves yield a substance called cocaine which is a stimulant. The leaves are used to make coca "wine". The leaves are chewed as a masticatory. The extract from the nut is used to flavour drinks, candy and alcoholic drinks. Caution: Alcohol is a cause of cancer.

Medicinal Uses

The leaves contain cocaine and other alkaloids and are narcotic, cerebral-stimulant, and locally anaesthetic. The alkaloids are extracted for use in various pharmaceutical drugs, including local anaesthetics. When chewed with lime or plant ashes, the leaves produce a feeling of ease and increased energy, and are used by indigenous peoples as a stimulant to help endure hunger, thirst, and physical exertion. An infusion of the leaves is also used as a remedy for altitude sickness, known as 'soroche'.

Known Hazards

Parts of plant are poisonous if ingested

Distribution

A tropical plant. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.

Where It Grows

Africa, Andes, Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central America, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, Ecuador, Ghana, Grenada, India, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Nicaragua, Northeastern India, Peru, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Sierra Leone, South America, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tanzania, West Africa,

Cultivation

A plant of moderate to higher elevations in the tropics. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 17 - 23°c, but can tolerate 14 - 27°c. Mature plants can be killed by temperatures of -5°c or lower, but young growth will be severely damaged at -1°c. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,000 - 2,100mm, but tolerates 700 - 4,000mm. Widely cultivated in the Andean region of the tropics, where it locally also occurs wild, the plant is not easy to cultivate elsewhere, and it is little known in other parts of the world. In South-East Asia, it is only grown in botanical gardens, not as a crop. The form Erythroxylum coca ipadu is only found as a cultivated plant in Amazonian lowland rain forest areas. Grows best in a sunny position. Succeeds in most fertile, well-drained soils. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 4.3 - 8. Plants take 1 - 3 years from seed to the first harvest, and then have an economical life of around 20 years. Annual yields are up to 2 tonnes/ha of dried leaves. Flowering Time: Late Winter/Early Spring Mid Spring Late Spring/Early Summer Mid Summer. Bloom Color: White/Near White.

Propagation

Plants are grown from cuttings or seed.

Other Uses

None known

Other Information

It is cultivated.

Notes

There are about 250 Erythroxylum species. It contains tropane alkaloids.

Synonyms

Erythroxylum bolivianum Burck, Erythroxylum chilpei E.Machado, Erythroxylum coca var. coca

Also Known As

Bolivian coca

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Brouk, B., 1975, Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press, London. p
Burkill, H. M., 1985, The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 2. Kew.

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