Travel medicine, coca and cocaine: demystifying and rehabilitating Erythroxylum – a comprehensive review
Abstract Few travel health measures are as controversial as the use of coca leaves at high altitude; yet, there appears widespread ignorance among health professionals and the general public about coca, its origins as well as its interesting and often flamboyant history. Equally, the cultural and tr...
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doaj-4c58da8f038a4ec2a5ede0e58b72e7ad2020-11-25T02:17:59ZengBMCTropical Diseases, Travel Medicine and Vaccines2055-09362019-11-015111410.1186/s40794-019-0095-7Travel medicine, coca and cocaine: demystifying and rehabilitating Erythroxylum – a comprehensive reviewIrmgard Bauer0College of Healthcare Sciences, James Cook UniversityAbstract Few travel health measures are as controversial as the use of coca leaves at high altitude; yet, there appears widespread ignorance among health professionals and the general public about coca, its origins as well as its interesting and often flamboyant history. Equally, the cultural and traditional significance to Andean people is not recognised. The coca leaves contain many alkaloids, one of which, cocaine, has gained notoriety as a narcotic, leading to the mistaken idea that coca equals cocaine. This article contrasts coca with cocaine in an attempt to explain the differences but also the reasons for this widespread misconception. By its very nature, there may never be scientific ‘proof’ that coca leaves do or do not work for travellers at altitude, but at least a solid knowledge of coca, and how it differs from cocaine, provides a platform for informed opinions and appropriate critical views on the current confusing and contradictory legal situation.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40794-019-0095-7Coca leafAcute mountain sicknessNarcoticsCocaineAltitudeTravel health advice |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Irmgard Bauer |
spellingShingle |
Irmgard Bauer Travel medicine, coca and cocaine: demystifying and rehabilitating Erythroxylum – a comprehensive review Tropical Diseases, Travel Medicine and Vaccines Coca leaf Acute mountain sickness Narcotics Cocaine Altitude Travel health advice |
author_facet |
Irmgard Bauer |
author_sort |
Irmgard Bauer |
title |
Travel medicine, coca and cocaine: demystifying and rehabilitating Erythroxylum – a comprehensive review |
title_short |
Travel medicine, coca and cocaine: demystifying and rehabilitating Erythroxylum – a comprehensive review |
title_full |
Travel medicine, coca and cocaine: demystifying and rehabilitating Erythroxylum – a comprehensive review |
title_fullStr |
Travel medicine, coca and cocaine: demystifying and rehabilitating Erythroxylum – a comprehensive review |
title_full_unstemmed |
Travel medicine, coca and cocaine: demystifying and rehabilitating Erythroxylum – a comprehensive review |
title_sort |
travel medicine, coca and cocaine: demystifying and rehabilitating erythroxylum – a comprehensive review |
publisher |
BMC |
series |
Tropical Diseases, Travel Medicine and Vaccines |
issn |
2055-0936 |
publishDate |
2019-11-01 |
description |
Abstract Few travel health measures are as controversial as the use of coca leaves at high altitude; yet, there appears widespread ignorance among health professionals and the general public about coca, its origins as well as its interesting and often flamboyant history. Equally, the cultural and traditional significance to Andean people is not recognised. The coca leaves contain many alkaloids, one of which, cocaine, has gained notoriety as a narcotic, leading to the mistaken idea that coca equals cocaine. This article contrasts coca with cocaine in an attempt to explain the differences but also the reasons for this widespread misconception. By its very nature, there may never be scientific ‘proof’ that coca leaves do or do not work for travellers at altitude, but at least a solid knowledge of coca, and how it differs from cocaine, provides a platform for informed opinions and appropriate critical views on the current confusing and contradictory legal situation. |
topic |
Coca leaf Acute mountain sickness Narcotics Cocaine Altitude Travel health advice |
url |
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40794-019-0095-7 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT irmgardbauer travelmedicinecocaandcocainedemystifyingandrehabilitatingerythroxylumacomprehensivereview |
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