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   The following are reasons for the use of coca leaves (Coca tea or Mate de Coca) in traditional medicine in Latin America: ...►

National Tea

Tea Commercializing Company S. A.

Quito - Ecuador

Coca leaf – Technical Information

      Coca leaves, as it has been said previously, contains vitamins A, E, B1; B2; B3 and C (ascorbic acid), proteins and microelements (calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium and sodium), tanine and additionally fourteen alkaloids  that increase its medicinal action.
      The effective physiological action of coca leaves is mainly due to the alkaloids. These belong to the group of the tropanes, together with the atropine and scopolamine. Coca alkaloids are a mixture of ecgonines, proteins and igrinas. In secondary products as ecgonine, cocaine is found (methyl-benzoil-ecgonine), methyl-ecgonine, benzoil-ecgonine and xenamil-cocaine; some proteins are: tropeine and pseudo-tropeine, dihydroxylation, trope-cocaine, igrina, iroline and cusco-hydrina benzoil-tropane, as a part of the truxiline line, nicotine is also present.
      In 1982 coca leaves analyses were done in the Department of Physiological Chemistry in the National Institute of Nutrition and Ministry of Public Health, where the following results were obtained:

      This Information is basic, but we must take into account that depending on some factors the chemical composition of coca leaves can vary, this is influenced specifically by the shape of the bush, chemical ground composition, and way of cultivation, harvesting, time and drying as well as storage conditions. 
      In Doctor Carlos Callaos and his assistants “Nutrition and coques” foundation (Magazine Medical Friday, Vol. XVI, Not 1, 1965, Lima) the authors present/display 23 samples resulting from a chemical analyses in four different regions from the country that specially emphasized in the content of great amount of nutritious substances as nitrogen, calcium, carotine and vitamins B1, B2 and B3. The scientific group examined samples after they passed a 4-hour mastication process, which took revealed high levels of carotine and vitamins in the human organism. The sanguineous plasma analysis demonstrated absorption of the vitamin and of its later transformation. But when applying the method of “satiety and hunger” in white mice to evaluate the protein levels found in the composition of coca leaves,  and unfavorable diagrams were obtained, possibly because the leaves used in the examinations had alkaloid content, but this hypothesis is not confirmed.
      It is important to continue studying the nutritious value of coca leaves to be able to have complete data allowing us to have a better idea of its nutritious value, because studies about its nature have not fully been made here or abroad. Mainly spoken opinions, specific notes and gossip from the dark press are circulating which create an erroneous image on the properties of coca leaves.
      All the Information previously exposed brings us to the idea that coca leaves can widely be considerer as an important food and nutrition value. For example, in tea (infusion) coca leaves (coca mate).