What is this coca plant? Coca bush: where it grows, description

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

The history of the plant goes back to ancient times. For centuries, coca leaves have been chewed by the Incas and their successors. In addition, the leaves were brewed as tea (mate de coca).

This article talks about a representative of the botanical world, called the coca bush. This is the ancient culture of the Incas, who considered it a sacred plant.

Growing places

The birthplace of coca is the northwestern territory of South America, but today the plant is artificially cultivated in India, Africa and on about. Java.

With the rather low oxygen content of the mountains, eating coca leaves helps keep the body active. This plant also has both religious and symbolic meanings.

In the US, since the 1980s, due to the massive sale of the drug on the illegal market, unlimited cultivation of coca has been banned.

Where does coca grow? High in the Andes mountains, in Bolivia and Peru, grows a low shrub called a tree or coca bush. The leaves of the plant are used to produce a potentstimulant - cocaine.

Since ancient times, it has been used as a stimulant by the inhabitants of Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador. No wonder the coca bush is depicted on the emblems of Bolivia and Peru. Today it is cultivated in the tropics of Asia and South America.

Description

This is a plant from the Cocaine family. Its name comes from the Greek words "erythros" and "xylon", translated respectively as "red" and "wood", and from the Peruvian name of the plant "Sosa". It is almost never found in the wild.

The height of this evergreen shrub reaches 1-3 (sometimes 5) meters. The coca bush has an oval shape and small flowers, located on short stiff stems in small groups. Small inflorescences, located in the axils of the leaves, yellow-white. And his fruits are red, oblong - in the form of drupes. Annually, one bush of the plant produces approximately 5 kilograms of dry leaves.

Paired leaves have a broadly elliptical shape.

Coca leaves used in medicine contain up to 1.5% of alkaloids in total, the main of which are cocaine groups (truxilin, cocaine, cyniamilcocaine, tropacaine, etc.), as well as cuscohygrin and hygrin. The total mass of cocaine alkaloids in the plant contains approximately 80%. It should be noted that coca plantations are under the strict supervision of Interpol.

Coca leaves

After ripening, good fresh dried leaves straighten. They have a strong aroma similar to tea. On thethey taste pleasant and spicy. When chewing them, the mouth begins to gradually go numb. Older, brownish leaves acquire a specific smell and become not sharp enough to taste.

Leaves are high in both nutrients and mood- altering alkaloids.

Properties

The coca plant has the ability to induce a state of euphoria due to the unique properties that can suppress sensitivity to any unpleasant sensations. But do not forget that with prolonged use it may become addictive, quickly developing into cocaine addiction.

There is evidence that when chewed for a long time, a regular coca leaf can quench thirst, suppress hunger and even relieve fatigue. Local application of the drug based on the leaves of this shrub paralyzes the nerve endings, causing a strong dulling of the senses of pain and touch. Also, the plant, when it enters the bloodstream, strongly excites the nervous system.

Application

The main value of the coca plant is the effect of good local anesthesia. This is due to the fact that its molecules, easily interacting with the neurons of the main nervous system, are excited, which contributes to the numbness of a part of the body.

It is not for nothing that this plant is the first local anesthetic that has made it possible to do a lot in modern surgery. Today, a variety of derivative medicines based on the coca bush are used.

Eating just the leaves helps with headaches, fear of heights, apathy andmigraine. Coca drinks help prevent side effects even with asthma and malaria. The leaves are also useful for digestive problems, as well as for rheumatism and arthritis.

The coca plant not only improves he alth, it can also help prolong life when used properly.

Cocaine leaf extract is used to make the well-known Coca-Cola drink. In this case, cocaine is used to enhance the taste and as a tonic element. In addition, the leaves of the shrub are used in the preparation of alcohol, elixirs, soaps and creams.

Briefly about the features of cultivation

How is the coca plant grown? Only fresh seeds are used for planting in the soil, as their germination capacity is lost during long-term storage. The best substrate for today is vermiculite, which is an ideal tool for quick and friendly germination of sprouts. Seeds are planted to a depth of no more than 3 centimeters. High humidity is not suitable for this plant. Approximately 20 days later, sprouts appear that require good lighting. Medium humidity and drainage are welcome.

The coca plant also accepts additional fertilizer with special organic mixtures. The bush is quite resistant to insects and diseases, but it is very afraid of mealy worms. Its normal growth can also be adversely affected by sudden changes in air humidity and temperature, drought and heavy watering.

It should be noted thatit is not recommended to touch the young bush often, as it is very sensitive. The optimal plant age for seed production is 3-5 years.