The Misunderstood Coca Plant
November 29th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
The coca plant is one of the commonly prejudiced plants currently being grown and harvested. 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 places that the coca plant is most suited for survival. However, it is most commonly known for its presence in the Andes of South America, where the majority of cocaine is produced. The first discovered 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 established as a domestic species for over 2,000 years. There is evidence within burial grounds of coca to support this theory.
Caring for the coca plant requires diligence and effort. The life of the coca plant starts as a fruit, which is picked when the drupes are almost ripe. These drupes are set within a container and left to sit where the skin of the fruit becomes squishy. Once this has occurred, the seeds are removed and the seeds are set in the sun to dry out.
Only once this happens, the seeds can be sown. It takes 24 days for the coca plant to germinate. Once the plant has acquired 4 leaves, they are guarded by a lattice covering for a year.
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After the year has completed, the plants are transferred to preparation fields. This transportation can only occur 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 processed 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 replanted once every twenty years, as the quality of the plant diminishes over time.
As coca plants are so valuable, there are many safeguards taken to protect the crops from natural predators and disease. There are some varieties of pests that feed on the coca plants, as well as fungus that can cripple or kill the stalks, branches and leaves. Weeds can also be devastating to young coca plants, as the weeds remove the soil of the nutrients that the plants need for basic survival.
Coca-Cola is the most known producer and user of the coca plant.While this drink 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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