Reference

A plain-language reference on what coca tea is: the two cultivated species, four varieties, cocaine content by variety, traditional use, and where published evidence disagrees.

The WHO Expert Committee’s 2025 critical review of coca leaf tests the six benefits commonly claimed for coca tea, and shows how much of the evidence is traditional, preclinical, or missing entirely.

Altitude sickness, fatigue and pain: the uses Andean tradition assigns to the leaf, as described by a Peruvian doctor and a market trader.

A tasting note for anyone who has never had a cup — the flavour, the aroma, and the faint numbing effect on the mouth.