Coca Tea Peru – Mate de Coca

THE VIRTUES OF COCA

In the light of the research carried out and confirmed by daily experience, one may assert that the coca plant is essentially a medicinal plant par excellence, whose preventive and therapeutic properties have demonstrated their effectiveness throughout time.

According to research, the chemical composition of coca leaves is more complete and rich in calories, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, fibre, ash, minerals (calcium, phosphorous, iron, potassium, magnesium, sodium, ascorbic acid, etc.) and vitamins A, C and E than other food plants and infusions in common use such as coffee, tea, camomile, etc. Thanks to this research, it is nowadays recognized that the coca leaf contains more proteins (19.9 per cent) than meat (19.4 per cent) and far more calcium (2,191 per cent) than condensed milk, and that it is richer in vitamin B-1 (276 per cent) than fresh carrots (see, Carter and Mamani, Coca in Bolivia, 1980).

It is not by chance that the plant has acquired a broad and diverse range of applications in the traditional medicine of the indigenous people. Its irreplaceable qualities have been demonstrated over time and throughout a vast territory. The coca leaf has established itself as the traditional remedy for treating physiological and psychological illness, and by virtue of its composition it is a powerful energy restorer for curing stomach and digestive ailments, alleviating affections of the larynx and vocal chords, preventing vertigo, regulating arterial pressure and the metabolism of carbohydrates, and even of improving sexual prowess.

Finally, a direct link has been established between man’s hunger, his physical and moral fatigue and the traditional use of coca, which ranges from chewing, through infusions to poultices. Under extreme poverty, characterized by malnutrition and by disease due essentially to lack of calories and vitamins, the chemical composition of coca not only allows indigenous people to withstand cold and hunger, but also provides them with a valuable source of vitamins and energy.

In this respect, foreign tourists are even more aware than the Indians themselves of the value of coca as the basis of an excellent herbal tea for controlling altitude sickness (soroche) and adapting to the climate of the fascinating Andean altiplano. It is significant that during a visit to Bolivia, Pope John Paul II consented to drink coca tea and implicitly acknowledged the virtues of the sacred leaf of the Incas.