The TRADITIONAL USE of COCA

The traditional use of Coca represents a ritual cornerstone of the cultural identity of the Andean-Amazonian rainforest. 

First of all there is a short ceremony, which consists in choosing carefully the three sacred leaves, called Coca k’intu, from a shared amount of leaves on a small mat, called lliclla or awayu, hand-woven with wool and traditional colors, as part of ceremonies or social moments; the leaves are held in the  hands like a small fan; in the much’ay, a reverential act that involves kissing Coca k ‘intu, they are elevate as an offer to the three worlds, hananpacha, kaypacha and uckupacha, to get  into harmony with the cosmovision and all the magic, mythical and mysterious energies that govern Life. 

Then other leaves are chosen one by one and, just a little lubricate by saliva, they get aggregated into a bolus, called pijchu, steadily kept between the cheek and gum.

The same ritual is performed in individual use, taking the leaves from the chuspa, a small bag of the same fabric of lliclla, during heavy work of mining, in agriculture or in long marches in unfavorable situations. 

It isn’t correct to speak of chewing, because it doesn’t happen in the meaning attributed to the term in the most common languages; in fact the involuntary movement of the facial muscles exerts pressure on the bolus of leaves, retained by the rigid wall of gum, causing it to squeeze a kind of deliciously sour juice, ingesting at least 70% of caloric and nutritional components and alkaloids of Coca; the terms used in local Andean languages are coqueo, pijcheo, aculliku and the word sucking could be the closest to what happens in the traditional use of Coca

The ritual, both collective and individual, includes the use of an accessory, called llipta, ash-based substance mixed with some Andean grains, rich in calcium, kneaded with salt or sugar or tasteless, dried out in the form of pebbles, which chopped mixes with pijchu, easing up the optimal extraction of juice from the leaves, due to its alkaline action; bitter taste of llipta is sweetened with a wood which is munched and mixed with the pijchu, called chamiri, coming from the tradition of the Machiguenga, an ancient ethnic group of the forest.

The accustomed ones to pijcheo, without any  further detail, say that they feel good and bear hunger and tiredness.

According to the Andean tradition one can do from 3 to 4 pijchu, about 12.5 grams each, in a day; each bolus is held in the mouth and sucked, as long as providing juice; then one can swallow the leaves, absorbing the full 100% content of Coca, if a caloric and nutritional intake is needed, as emergency energy support, or spit them out finding them entire, because not pressed by chewing. 

The traditional and natural use of Coca acts as support and energy complement in uncomfortable climate or extreme fatigue, although it does never replace nor substitute food; the traditional users of Coca, as soon as possible, feed themselves on a normal base, eating especially carbohydrates that abound in Andean diet. 

In another chapter find detailed scientific, biochemical and physiological information about nutritional and energizing effects of Coca.