Coca Leaves In Context

"Coke adds Life," well, it certainly did but Coca Cola decocainized in 1903. However, they still import hundreds of tons of coca as a flavoring ingredient for their soda, as well as, a range of other products like Red Bull. Yet, the United Nations in the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs lists coca leaf as a "Schedule I" narcotic along with cocaine and heroin. Additionally,the convention calls for the uprooting of all wild coca bushes and the eradication of coca leaf chewing within 25 years . . . so much for that. I have a quid in now as I write. However, if you were not familiar with the politics of coca and the War on Drugs before coming to the Andes - be prepared for an earful. A common t-shirt slogan in Peru is "Coca no es una droga."


The coca plant was first domesticated in the Andes 2-3000 years ago. Coca is a bush that grows wild and cultivated up to ten feet high on the lower eastern slopes of the Andes. Coca plays a significant role in traditional and contemporary Andean culture medicinally, commercially, and religiously. Coca is a mild stimulant that suppresses hunger, pain, thirst and fatigue, plus quells upset stomach and headaches associated with altitude - making it great for all those 12000 - 16000 foot passes on a bike! Also, coca actually increases sexual stamina instead of just making you think you look sexy like cocaine. New leaves are harvested from the plants three times a year and sold legally in markets throughout the Andes. Traveling throughout the high sierra it is rare to not see someone chewing coca when they are working. The tell tale rim of green around the mouth, the bulging cheek, white teeth scoured from chewing the leaves, and the cal dipper moving from gourd to mouth as they stroll across a field. Often when I meet people in the high Andes one of the first social acts is to offer coca then conversation begins.
To chew coca leaves requires two things - coca leaves and an alkaline. The alkaline takes a variety of forms depending on the region of the Andes and serves to release the alkaloid cocaine that creates a numbness in your mouth. Above is pictured coca leaves and a cal gourd that holds quicklime to serve as the alkaline component.




First thing is to open up your coca bag and sort through your leaves to remove stems because nobody wants to chew on sticks. A pint size bag of dried coca leaves costs roughly one sole.













Then starting stuffing them in your mouth and chew a little to get them moist and compacted. You want about a ping pong ball sized wad, or quid, wedged in the side of your mouth. Whatever you are comfortable with. . . though I have been mortified to watch some campesino take advantage of my hospitality and stuff half my bag in his mouth until it looked like he was munchin' a freakin' softball! Most folks are a little more sparing because you can always add more later.



After, you have a nice mouthful of coca you pull the stick out the gourd, it should have a little cal stuck to it, then you swab the cal onto the coca in your mouth a few times. Be careful not to get any on your lips because it does burn. Chew a couple times and stick it off to the side. After 10 minute or so your mouth will get a little numb and you can just hold it and swallow the juices. Periodically, you can a few more leaves and a little more cal. The quid can last hours until it loses its taste depending on the quality of the coca leaves. OK. You are good to go and start climbing those passes.

However, most people in the United States associate coca only with it alkaloid derivative cocaine. But as one guide at Manchu Pichu said, "coca is to cocaine, as elephants are to ivory." The following video illustrates this point - it is a little grainy and in Spanish but with relevant subtitles. I chose it in part because it shows the social condition people who make the cocaine paste.

The ratio is 1000:1 - 1000 kilos of leaves to make a single kilo of cocaine paste - that would be a lot of chewing. After seeing this video and you hear about the destruction of cocaine labs deep in the jungle you have to wonder who is actually getting bombed? When herbicides are sprayed aerially who is getting sprayed? What/who else is being killed? And these people do not look wealthy to me. These issues resonate throughout the Andean chain.

President of Bolivia Evo Morales, a former coca farmer, addressed this topic at the 61st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in August of 2006:
"I would like to take advantage of this opportunity, Ms president, to say that there are also other historical injustices, such as the criminalization of the coca leaf. I want to say, this is a green coca leaf, it is not the white of cocaine, this coca leaf represents Andean culture, it is a coca leaf that represents the environment and the hope of our peoples. It is not possible that the coca leaf is legal for Coca Cola and that the coca leaf is illegal for other medicinal purposes in our country, and in the whole world."

Incidentally, about the only conspicuous drug use I have noticed in Peru over the years has been homeless kids sniffing bags of glue.