They do still use coca leaf with the cocaine removed. Also fwiw in Cusco, hotels have bowls of coca leaves and you can grab and chew them. It helps with altitude sickness and gives you a little boost of energy. In its unrefined form coca leaf is more like coffee than cocaine.
Comment on That'd last a day, maybe two...
ummthatguy@lemmy.world 10 months agoSupposedly, they still do use some part of the plant, but extract the fun part. Makes you wonder if Coca-Cola has become its’ own cartell. Outside of pushing regular sugar, that is.
cybervseas@lemmy.world 10 months ago
FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 10 months ago
I was visiting some friends in the UK, and they had a little plastic packet of coca leaves with a label that said WELCOME TO ECUADOR on it. They didn’t even know what they were. I’m guessing it wasn’t legal for them to bring them back. They’re lucky they didn’t get caught.
nilaus@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Make a tea with the leaves, much tastier than just chewing them.
FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 10 months ago
I used to have a box of coca leaf tea imported from South America. It’s like %0.01 the strength of cocaine (which I have never tried). If you can get past the taste, which is reminiscent of damp straw, it works better than coffee. Keeps you wide awake for a few hours with no jittery feeling.