Leaf Weed

The Misjudged Coca Plant

One of the commonly misjudged plants commercially produced and harvested is the coca plant. Most commonly associated with being the plant which cocaine is created from, it has the stereotype of being a dangerous plant. However, the coca plant has many valid and safe uses, which have been utilized by herbalists since the species’ discovery.

South America, Africa, Ceylon, Taiwan, Indonesia and Formosa are the regions that the coca plant is best suited for growing. However, it is most commonly stereotyped for its existence in the Andes of South America, where the greatest volume of cocaine is created. The first known written source of the species was in 1783, but it was not classified until 1786, where it was given the name Erythroxylum coca. However, it is believed that the coca plant has been tended as a domestic plant for over 2,000 years. There is proof within burial grounds of coca to support this belief.

Tending to the coca plant requires diligence and effort. The life of the coca plant begins as a fruit, which is picked when the drupes are almost ripe. These drupes are placed within a basket and allowed to sit where the flesh of the fruit becomes squishy. Once this has occurred, the seeds are taken and the seeds are placed in the sun to dry out.

Only once this happens, the seeds can be planted. Germination takes approximately 24 days. Once the plant has sprouted 4 leaves, they are guarded by a lattice covering for a year.

After the year has finished, the plants are transferred to preparation fields. This transportation can only be done within the rainy season. Three years after this transfer, some leaves may be processed. Once the coca plant is able to be processed, they are gathered three or four times a year. A fully established acre of coca plants can yield 1,500 to 2,000 pounds of leaf per year.

While coca plants are annual, a field will be resown once every twenty years, as the quality of the plant diminishes over time.

As coca plants are so valuable, there are many steps taken to protect the crops from natural predators and disease. There are several varieties of pests that prey on the coca plants, as well as fungus that can cripple or destroy the stalks, branches and leaves. Weeds can also be devastating to adolescent coca plants, as the weeds take from the soil of the nutrients that the plants need for basic life.

The most common use of coca plants is in the popular soft drink, Coca-Cola.While this drink no longer contains any drugs, it is still made directly from the coca leaf.

Contemporary medicinal uses of coca include use as a bactericide, as spinal anesthetics and as treatments for ailments such as eczema and shingles.

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