Coca plant, coca grow, uses and history...

COCA PLANT and COCA GROWING

References indicate that the coca plant has been used since pre-Incan times for a series of social, work-related, religious and medicinal rituals. However, few people know that over a century ago, a millionaire empire based on coca from the Andes existed in Europe. The industrial and trading heyday and its internationalization started in Europe after 1860. This was the time when alcaloicocaine was extracted from the leaves, to make large amounts of energizing medicines, creams, infusions, lotions, pasta’s, flours, food, pomades and anesthetics. All this prepared the world for the discovery of cocaine, which became also widely used, until toxic and addictive reactions occurred, due to inappropriate use or overuse. At that point, cocaine was retrieved from the pharmaceutical market.A plethora of products based on coca leaves was put on the market and many people jumped on the train, building a new industry and opening international markets. The most famous Enterprise was the famous Mariani Wine and the soft drink Coca Cola, the sole survivor of those Golden days. The history dates back for over a 100 years and resembles a fairytale at times. Meanwhile, nowadays, the industry has only partly been modernized; most of the work is still done by hand in Bolivia (Coincoca), Colombia (Coca Sek) and Peru. These industries produce mostly aromatic mixtures and teas, emolientes, several kinds of cookies and sweets toffees, chocolates, coca licor, creams, soaps, lotions, energizing drinks, coca powder, energizing capsules from micro pulverized coca powder, whole grain products enriched with coca powder, and a general range of products based on coca powder, especially during recent years. We should also mention craft work, in which beautiful coca leaves are used in jewelry, and the bibliographic industry, with publications about coca and its derivatives.

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