The SCIENCE RESCUING COCA

The volume XVIII No 4, October-December 1978 of América Indígena is a monographic compilation of articles by different authors on the subject of Andean Coca, I was lucky enough to get one sample; the following scientific references are taken from the chapter A new perspective on the chewing of coca, written by Roderick E. Burchard of the Department of Anthropology of the University of Manitoba (Winnipeg, Canada); it is confirmed that the functional model of isolated cocaine alkaloid was assumed as a functional model of Coca in its entirety and that such a model for a long time had no alternatives.

In fact that model became crystallized under the definition of hypothesis of food shortages by Gutiérrez-Noriega (1949), meaning that one of the main characteristics of coca and cocaine is the suppression of appetite and fatigue.

The above statement assumes that in the traditional use of Coca the alkaloid cocaine arrives intact into the stomach to act with its anesthetic effect; however, even the alkaloid would get there intact, it could not be effective, because the stomach acids would demolish it: the studies of Nieschulz (1971) prove that the molecule of cocaine shows its addictive stimulating and anesthetic action only in conditions of full integrity.

Although the hypothesis of food shortages remains solid, as the basis of prejudices about Coca and its alleged responsibility in individual and social deterioration of the Andean People, however, as early as 1965, professor Fernando Montesinos Ampuéro had directed a research group at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry of the San Marcos National University in Lima (Peru): I got the chance to meet him in Lima (Peru), listening to the great results and details of his studies from his own voice.

The extract with the conclusions was published in the Bulletin of Narcotic Drugs (vol. XVII, n° 2), showing that the alkaloid cocaine, already in the mouth, is hydrolyzed by the action of natural digestive juices on Coca leaves, through a process of splitting first into benzoyl-ecgonine and then into ecgonine, being the hydrolysis also enhanced by the characteristics of llipta, an accessory used in the ritual of Coca.

The presence in the blood of the enzyme cocainesterase – probably in larger amount in people accustomed to the use of Coca – causes the final hydrolysis of residual cocaine in the blood; for natural biological reasons the process of hydrolysis may also be more active and quicker in people accustomed to Coca than in the unaccustomed people.

The conclusions of the research group of professor Montesinos Ampuéro show that the amount of natural cocaine circulating in the body of the traditional users of Coca would be insignificant, while will be significant the amount of ecgonine, considered the final metabolite of cocaine hydrolysis.

If chemically decomposed, immediately in the mouth and then along the digestive tract, the alkaloid cocaine cannot arrive intact in the stomach to anesthetized it; therefore the hypothesis of food shortages is demolished from a scientific point of view.

According to the scientific results of professor Montesinos Ampuéro, confirmed by other researchers, including Roderick E. Burchard (1975), it seems reasonable and viable the potential new hypothesis of ecgonine model, based on the hydrolysis of cocaine into ecgonine, entering into the important issue of homeostasis of sugars.

In fact, as mentioned above, it is known that Andean People are affected by troubles in blood glucose homeostasis (Bolton, 1973) and that their diet is based on carbohydrates for more than 70%, (Mazess & Baker, 1964); at high altitudes the metabolic processes can be affected by hypoxia, hindering the proper functioning of certain enzymes involved in transformation of glycogen into glucose, precisely where the requirement of glucose is higher than at sea level (Picón, 1966).

Being proved that the use of natural Coca produces an increase of blood sugar level, this allows to get glucose from the carbohydrates ingested with food, improving the effectiveness of the failing enzymatic chains: this concentration stays high for a quite long period of time.

It is essential to point out that Andean people never use Coca to replace food, as too long claimed by the promoters of the cocaine model,  in order to justify the traditional use of Coca (Hughes, 1946 – Gutierréz-Noriega, 1949 – 1952, 1961 Ortíz, Gagliano, Zapata)

About human nutrition and the use of Coca it is proven that the eating habits remain the same for the users of Coca, as well as for the no user ones; even after using Coca during heavy activities, at meal time everyone feeds with what is available and no loss of appetite is reported (Murphy et al, 1969).

Rodrick E. Burchard himself confirmed these findings, having personally shared them during his researches in the lands of Coca.

The population of the Andes is considered in precarious nutritional conditions, but it seems that the daily recommended amount of calcium is assured also by the use of Coca and llipta, very rich in calcium. (Mazess & Baker, 1964).

Something more about the vitamin deficiency in the Andean diet: the Committee of Experts of the United Nations (1950) stated that Coca contains a relatively high level of vitamin B1, B2 and C and that an amount of 100 grams of dried Coca would provide a considerable amount of their daily requirement; the Commission  added that unfortunately the involvement of the alkaloid cocaine in the traditional use of Coca was a negative factor cancelling the value of any vitamins content in the Andean leaves.