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Coca leaves (Erythroxylon coca) have played a very
important role in development of the Inkan Civilization, being closely
tied to its Government Administration, Economy and Religion. Its
cultivation and mainly its use was extended from Argentina as far as
Nicaragua and the Caribbean Islands. In 1499 Thomas Ortiz, a Dominican
missionary observed coca leaf farmlands along the Venezuelan coast. In
the Inkan Society their use was very controlled because they were
considered to be very special leaves. It is obvious that as it happens
today they had a protagonist duty among the ritual paraphernalia because
they were considered to be magic leaves. After the conquest, two
opposing factions appeared in the invaders opinion about coca leaves:
the church tried to forbid them completely because they were intimately
tied to the deep Andean Religion and were considered as diabolical
leaves that had to be eradicated to pull out any idolatry different from
Christianity. The other faction argued that coca leaves were very
important for the interests of the Colony because only chewing them the
"Indians" could withstand the inhumane exploitation conditions to which
they were submitted with such heavy work. More over, production and
trade of the leaves represented huge amounts of money that invaders
would lose; then, without coca leaves "Indians" would not go fulfilling
the "mita" (forced work) of the mines, they would not work and there
would not be precious metals. In short, it would be the end of the
Spanish invaders' richness. Apparently, oppression was performed only in
Lima but all over the Viceroyalty production and trade of the leaves
were emphasized because, for example, most of the Qosqo's Cathedral
revenues came from the tithe of their trade. Since then there are
hundreds of opponents and supporters of coca leaves.
Today, as in Inkan times, coca leaves are still an indispensable element
in the Andean Religion; they are used in order to make the "k'intu"
being part of different offerings for ancestral deities. They also serve
for predicting the future by persons who act as "mediums" between the
leaves and the interested person; the leaves are thrown over a shawl and
the "medium" is in charge of interpreting them. On the other hand, the
leaves occupy a spot of preference in popular medicine of the Andes;
they are used as infusions, poultices or dusts. It is normal for Andean
people to drink infusions of natural coca leaves for medicinal purposes
as it is considered that they are very effective when people have
dizziness or head aches, throat affections and stomach problems. It is
drunk by persons suffering from "soroche" or altitude sickness. It is
also used as poultices in order to relieve rheumatism and bone
dislocations. Even more, in many Andean highland Communities their adult
populations are used to chewing coca leaves. The leaves are just chewed
and not swallowed; for that they use some very small pieces of "llipta"
in which a ball is made from ashes of some plants such as the quinua.
The lime contained in those ashes helps release the leaves' alkaloids
and elements such as carotene, thiamine, riboflavine, iron and calcium.
More over, it is demonstrated that the llipta's lime helps for a strong
degrading of the cocaine molecule. Chewing coca leaves serves as an
stimulant able to mitigate conditions such as tiredness, hunger, thirst,
etc. It is obvious that the person chewing coca leaves will not get
"high" or a "dope" state because it is a question of natural leaves that
would need a chemical process with elements such as tartic acid, pure
clorhidric acid, ether, and anhydrous soda sulfate, in different
determined temperatures, in order to finally produce cocaine. Coca
leaves contain 14 alkaloids, from which the most popular and broadly
used is just one: the cocaine; the other ones are wasted or simply
ignored. There are innumerable beneficial products made from coca
leaves: from candies, cigarettes, tooth pastes, drinks such as "Coca
Cola" that since 1903 does not contain any coca, etc. Secondary effects
of chewing coca leaves have also caused disputes that almost always have
a political, cultural and even racial tone. In practice, it seems that
it is much less harmful than smoking tobacco or drinking alcohol. Jose
Angel Escalante when referring to the Quechuas says, " "That coca leaves
make them idiot"...it could be, but, among thousands of Indians about
two or three imbeciles are hardly found and all or almost all of them
chew coca. Even more, it is not demonstrated that use of coca leaves is
harmful. How many dozens of pounds of coca would be necessary so that
simply chewed not even swallowed would be dissolved in one cocaine gram?
Chewing coca leaves is enough to convert them into cocaine? On the other
hand, what a marvelous dentifrice they are, what an invigorating miracle
coca leaves are! There is no any knowledge of any Indian having suffered
from dyspepsia, having lost teeth or having gotten sick from them,
before one hundred years old.".
The ecological level for cultivation of the coca bushes is found in the
higher Andean Amazonian jungle, only in certain zones located at an
altitude between 800 to 1800 mts. (2600 to 5900 ft.); in poor lands not
using aqueducts. Officially its cultivation and trade are controlled by
the Peruvian government by means of the Coca National Enterprise (ENACO)
that must buy all the coca leaves produced in the country. That
production will be used for legal sale for the population and the
pharmaceutical industry. Actually, there are thousands of small unlawful
farmlands which production is used by the international drug producers
and dealers for making the drug. In general terms it is suggested that
drug is produced but its use is minimal in Peru. The controversial
question when searching for guilt is: Who is more culpable, the coca
leaves producer, the drug maker and dealer, or the drug consumer?. The
leaf producer is a poor farmer who has no other choice because the only
profit-making crop for his lands is coca leaves. The drug maker and
dealer are those who take advantage of most of the whole process. And
the consumer is an addict who has considerable economical resources in a
great rich city. Production of leaves for consumption by Andean people
is small, its use and treatment are framed inside a cultural and
anthropological field; while most of the production is aimed toward
pharmaceutical affairs and trafficking, they concern to an economic and
police field.
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