Cocaine

Abstract

Cocaine is an extract of the coca leaf Erythroxylum coca which is grown on the eastern slopes of the Andes in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. A local anaesthetic and a powerful short-acting CNS stimulant, it has been used by malnourished Andean Indians for centuries to stave off exhaustion and alleviate altitude sickness. The leaf is mixed with a cereal, placed between gum and cheek and sucked producing only mild intoxication.