Cocas

/ˈkoʊkəz/ noun

Definition

Plural of coca; plants with stimulating leaves, especially the South American coca plant whose leaves contain cocaine.

Etymology

From Spanish coca, borrowed from Aymara kuka or Quechua languages of the Andes; the coca plant has been cultivated for thousands of years in South America.

Kelly Says

For over 1,500 years before cocaine was ever isolated, Andean peoples chewed coca leaves as a mild stimulant to combat altitude sickness and fatigue—the chemistry stayed the same, but the extraction method changed everything.

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