Coca leaves Coca yes-cocaine no

Travelers to Peru will often encounter problems with altitude on arrival.

High altitude illness consists of several symptoms related to breathing thin air including headache, tiredness and shortness of breath. These symptoms are usually limited but rarely become severe.

Peruvians have dealt with this  disease  called ¨saroche¨ for thousands of years by chewing the coca leaves to provide relief. On arrival in Cuzco many restaurants and hotels will offer free coco products to those just arriving.

The coca plant leaves contain many vitamins and drugs but when processed liberates the drug cocaine!

When only chewed coca leaves do not release any cocaine and cannot make anyone high.

People chew leaves as an aid for digestion as well as many home remedies.

The coca leaf is also steeped as a tea (mate de coca).

On discussing this issue with other altitude doctors there has actually been no study published in Spanish or English to support taking coco leafs.

It is believed though that some of the chemicals (not cocaine) stimulate breathing but only a little and this effect might be similar to having caffeinated coffee or tea.

So basically coca leafs might help a little in the short run. But altitude illness can also be very serious and coca leafs will not help.

Other remedies I have seen in Peru include mint tea (steeped similarly to coco leaf tea) and Saroche brand altitude pills, which on close examination,

contained Tylenol, ASA and caffeine. All of these provide some little symptomatic relief but do not affect the process of acclimatization.

The medication Acetazolamide (diamox) is the one drug used worldwide including doctors in Peru as a preventative and treatment drug.

For more information on the international society on mountain medicine please visit www.ismm.com which provides up to date discussions on high altitude health.

Consuming coca products while legal in Peru will cause a person to test positive for cocaine. Soccer player, Luis Cristaldo tested positive after a World Cup qualifier game from just some mate de coca but was later exonerated. The coca leaf products areas also illegal to bring back to

Canada and that include coco tea. A picture of the leaves will make a better souvenir!