One of the most misunderstood plants commercially produced and harvested is the coca plant. Most commonly associated with being the species 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 used by herbalists since the plant’s discovery.
The coca plant lives in South America, Africa, Ceylon, Taiwan, Indonesia and Formosa. However, it is most commonly known for its existence in the Andes of South America, where the greatest volume of cocaine is produced. The first known documentation of the plant 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 grown as a domestic species for over 2,000 years. There is evidence within burial sites of coca to support this belief.
Nurturing the coca plant needs diligence and effort. The life of the coca plant begins as a fruit, which is gathered when the drupes are almost ripe. These drupes are set within a basket and allowed to sit where the flesh of the fruit becomes soft. Once this has occurred, the seeds are removed and the seeds are set outdoors to dry out.
Only once this occurs, the seeds can be sown. Germination takes approximately 24 days. Once the plant has acquired 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 occur during the rainy season. Three years after this transfer, some leaves may be harvested. Once the coca plant is able to be harvested, 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 product per year.
While coca plants are annual, a field will be replanted once every twenty years, as the quality of the plant fades over time.
As coca plants are so pricey, there are many steps taken to guard the crops from natural predators and disease. There are several varieties of bugs that prey on the coca plants, as well as fungus that can harm or destroy the stalks, branches and leaves. Weeds can also be fatal to adolescent coca plants, as the weeds remove 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 beverage no longer contains any drugs, it is still created directly from the coca leaf.
Contemporary medicinal uses of coca include use as a bactericide, as spinal anesthetics and as treatments for diseases such as eczema and shingles.
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