Coca

**1. Coca Plant Description and Cultivation:**
– Coca plant resembles a blackthorn bush, growing 2 to 3m tall.
– Branches are curved, leaves are thin, opaque, oval, and taper at the ends.
– Flowers are small, in clusters with yellowish-white petals.
– Cultivated traditionally in lower altitudes of the Andes or highlands.
– Thrives in hot, damp, and humid locations.
– Seeds sown in sheltered plots in December to January.
– Leaves harvested from plants of varying ages in March, June, and October/November.

**2. Coca Species, Evolution, and Herbicide Resistance:**
– Two species of coca crops with two varieties each.
– All cultivated cocas domesticated from Erythroxylum gracilipes.
– Genetic evidence does not support linear evolution.
– Boliviana negra, resistant to glyphosate, used in aerial coca eradication campaigns.
– Possible explanations for resistance include selective breeding or genetic modification.

**3. Usage and Impact of Coca:**
– Known for its psychoactive alkaloid, cocaine.
– Coca has spiritual, economic, social, and political significance for indigenous cultures.
– Archaeobotanical evidence shows coca cultivation for over 8,000 years.
– Coca-Cola used coca leaf extract in products until 1903.
– Grown as a cash crop despite legal restrictions in some areas.

**4. Pharmacological Aspects of Coca:**
– Cocaine alkaloid concentration in coca leaves averages 0.8%.
– Coca leaf contains various alkaloids besides cocaine.
– Acts as a mild stimulant when chewed.
– Absorption of coca from leaf slower than nasal application.
– Coca leaf consumption does not induce dependence.

**5. Geographic Distribution and Historical Significance:**
– Concentrated cultivation in Andean region, with Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia accounting for over 98% of global coca cultivation.
– Coca plantations found in Mexico and Honduras.
– Coca leaves historically used by workers in Java and traded in ancient times.