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Coca (Erythroxylum coca) (Quechua kuka) is a kind of flowering plant family of South American native Erythroxylacene the rugged foothills of the Andes Amazon.
Has an important role in Andean culture, as an analgesic in medical interventions.
It is used by Andean cultures and nations Chibcha, Aymara and Quechua, as an analgesic.

Coca leaves have a number of substances known as alkaloids in their internal composition. Cocaine is only one of them. Possessing stimulant, anesthetic, therapeutic, and mitigation of hunger, thirst and fatigue, manifested by chewing or cooking.

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La coca (Erythroxylum coca) (quechua:kuka) es una especie botánica de planta con flor sudamericana de la familia de las Eritroxiláceas originaria de las escarpadas estribaciones de los Andes amazónicos.
Tiene un papel importante en las culturas andinas, como analgésico en intervenciones médicas.

Es utilizada por culturas andinas como las naciones Chibcha, Aymará y Quechua, como analgésico.
Las hojas de coca poseen varias sustancias conocidas como alcaloides en su composición interna. La cocaína es sólo una de ellas. Posee propiedades estimulantes, anestésicas, terapéuticas y mitigadoras del apetito, la sed y el cansancio, que se manifiestan mediante la masticación o el cocimiento.

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By Ellen R. Gordon

Coca Leaves

Colorfully-dressed Incas greet us with cups of hot tea as we enter the airport terminal. “¡Bienvenidos a Cusco!” A delightful welcome to the two-mile high Andean city, but the tea also serves an important purpose—the prevention of altitude sickness.

The tea we are offered at the airport, and again in our hotel lobby, is mate de coca—brewed from leaves of the coca plant. Coca is best known to North Americans as the source of the drug cocaine, which is actually a highly processed derivative of the coca leaves. Because of its association with the drug, coca is banned in the U.S. Continue reading