What is Coca?

Coca is a homeopathic single remedy made from the leaf of the coca plant, Erythroxylum coca. Homeopaths reach for it for altitude sickness (feeling ill high in the mountains), breathlessness on climbs, and deep tiredness. It is sold as small pills, pellets or liquid drops.

The remedy is made by soaking the leaf in alcohol, then watering that liquid down over and over. At 30C, the strength most often sold, none of the leaf is left. What you swallow is sugar or water that once touched the dilution.

Trials have not shown Coca doing more than a dummy pill. It has a long, named place in homeopathy, but long use is not proof that a thing works. We say that once here, and will not repeat it in every section below.

How does Coca work?

The short answer: there is no known way this remedy could act on the body once it is diluted past 12C, because no leaf is left in it.

Homeopathy runs on an idea called "like cures like". Coca leaf in large amounts can cause a racing heart, a rush of energy and then a crash. So homeopaths give it, heavily watered down, to people with the opposite problem, such as breathlessness and worn-out tiredness at height.

That idea has not been shown to work in fair tests. Any benefit people feel is best explained by the placebo effect (feeling better because you expect to) and by time passing.

What forms does Coca come in?

Coca is sold in the usual homeopathic forms:

Sugar pills or tiny pellets that you let melt under the tongue. Liquid drops in a water and alcohol base. Common strengths are 6C, 30C and 200C, and sometimes 6X or 30X.

A mother tincture (the first, undiluted leaf extract) also exists. It is not a homeopathic dilution, it can hold real leaf chemicals, and it is illegal to hold or sell in many countries.

Where it comes from:

Andean peoples have chewed coca leaf for thousands of years for hunger, cold, tiredness and thin mountain air. That use is old and deeply rooted, and it is a food-and-custom use, not a homeopathic one.

Coca entered homeopathy in the 1800s. Homeopaths took the leaf, tested it on healthy people, and wrote up what it caused. Those notes became the remedy picture still printed in homeopathic reference books today.

What does Coca help with?

• Altitude sickness (feeling ill high in the mountains): This is the classic homeopathic use for Coca, and it comes straight from the old remedy books. No human trial has tested it. Altitude sickness can turn dangerous fast, so do not rely on this remedy. Go down the mountain and get medical help if you have a bad headache, vomiting, confusion or a wet cough.
• Breathlessness on hills and stairs: Homeopathic texts describe Coca for people who lose their breath on any climb. There is no trial evidence for this use. New or worsening breathlessness needs a doctor, since it can point to heart or lung trouble.
• Tiredness and low stamina: Chewed coca leaf is used in the Andes to push back hunger and fatigue. The homeopathic dilution is a different thing and holds none of the leaf. No trial supports it for tiredness.
• Trouble sleeping at high altitude: Old homeopathic notes list sleeplessness in thin air. No human study has looked at this. Poor sleep at height is common and usually settles as your body adjusts.
• Homesickness and low mood: Homeopathic books give Coca for homesickness and a flat, sad mood. This is a picture drawn from healthy-person testing in the 1800s, not from trials. Lasting low mood deserves proper care from a doctor or therapist.

Which foods are rich in Coca?

1. Coca leaf tea, called mate de coca: served in parts of South America for thin mountain air
2. Chewed coca leaf with a pinch of lime or ash: the old Andean daily custom

Practical Tips:

These hold real leaf chemicals, unlike a 30C remedy, and both are illegal to bring into most countries.

What are the side effects of Coca?

• At 30C: no effects are expected, since there is no leaf left in it
• Sugar pills may not suit you if you cannot handle lactose (milk sugar)
• Drops hold alcohol, which is a problem for children and for people in recovery
• Low strengths or mother tincture may cause a fast heartbeat
• Low strengths or mother tincture may cause jitteriness and poor sleep
• Loss of appetite
• Headache
• A false positive on a drug test for cocaine

Good to know:

A true 30C remedy is very unlikely to harm you. The real risk is not the pill, it is what you may skip. People use these products for altitude sickness, and that illness can get worse quickly.

The other real risk is strength. Mother tincture and very low dilutions can still hold leaf chemicals, including cocaine. Those can speed the heart, upset heart rhythm, raise blood pressure and, in large amounts, trigger seizures (fits).

How much Coca should you take?

• Recommended daily: No dose has been proven to do anything. Labels on 30C products usually say three to five pills, or five drops, up to three times a day. Follow the label or the advice of a qualified homeopath, and do not use mother tincture or strengths below 4C.
• Best time of day: Any time. Homeopathic custom is to take it away from food, coffee and strong mint, though there is no evidence this matters.
• With or without food: Usually taken on an empty mouth, about fifteen minutes before or after food or drink.
• Time to effect: No effect beyond placebo should be expected. Homeopaths claim a change within minutes to a few hours.
• How long to take it: Homeopaths usually stop once symptoms ease. If nothing has changed in about three days, stop and rethink. Do not keep taking it in place of real treatment.