Bolivia and Peru have defended the continued, traditional use of coca leaves which have been chewed by indigenous populations for centuries, after they were criticized by a UN drugs agency report.

Unprocessed leaves from the plant can be enjoyed by chewing them or by brewing them into a tea. Locals still use coca today to combat altitude sickness, and to relieve pain and hunger. Some still ...

Toxicology revealed the presence of coca alkaloids in preserved brains. South Americans have been chewing on the leaves of ...

The leaf, the argument went, was "not a narcotic" in its natural state. In 2013, Bolivia reacceded to the convention – with an exemption for chewing coca leaves. But Morales's push for a WHO ...

The study, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, said that the narcotic was likely consumed by chewing coca leaves known as Erythroxylum coca. Previously, the plant was believed to ...

Coca leaves, minus the cocaine, could become the next hot wellness trend. That's the bet that Pat McCutcheon, a former CEO of a Canadian cannabis company, is making with his new venture ...

In 2016, chewing of the coca leaf was declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. In March 2017, the General Coca Leaf Law came into force, to regulate the ...

Third, if systematic suppression of acid secretion through coca chewing is present in adolescence, an increased occurrence of gastric atrophy in the population of young adults should coexist with ...