The coca plant is one of the most prejudiced plants currently being produced and used

Most commonly associated with being the plant which cocaine is derived from, it has the stereotype of being a dangerous plant. However, the coca plant has many medicinal and safe uses, which have been used by practitioners since the plant's discovery.

South America, Africa, Ceylon, Taiwan, Indonesia and Formosa are the regions that the coca plant is most suited for living.

However, it is most commonly stereotyped for its presence in the Andes of South America, where the greatest volume of cocaine is produced.
The first discovered documentation of the plant was in 1783, but it was not classified until 1786, where it was given the name Erythroxylum coca. However, it is believed that the coca plant has been established as a domestic plant for over 2,000 years. There is evidence within burial grounds of coca to support this theory.

Growing the coca plant needs diligence and effort.
The life of the coca plant begins as a fruit, which is gathered when the drupes are almost ripe. These drupes are set within a basket and allowed to sit where the flesh of the fruit becomes soft. Once this has occurred, the seeds are removed and the seeds are set outdoors to dry out.

Only once this occurs, the seeds can be sown. Germination takes approximately 24 days. Once the plant has sprouted 4 leaves, they are protected by a lattice covering for a year.

After the year has ended, the plants are transferred to preparation fields. This transportation can only be done during the rainy season. Three years after this transfer, some leaves may be gathered. Once the coca plant is able to be gathered, they are gathered three or four times a year. A fully established acre of coca plants can yield 1,500 to 2,000 pounds of leaf per year.

While coca plants are annual, a field will be resown once every twenty years, as the quality of the plant diminishes over time.

As coca plants are so pricey, there are many safeguards taken to guard the crops from natural predators and disease. There are many varieties of pests that prey on the coca plants, as well as fungus that can harm or destroy the stalks, branches and leaves. Weeds can also be devastating to young coca plants, as the weeds {remove|robtake from the soil of the nutrients that the plants need for basic life.

The most common use of coca plants is in the popular soft drink, Coca-Cola.

Contemporary medicinal uses of coca include use as a bactericide, as spinal anesthetics and as treatments for diseases such as eczema and shingles.

Evan