The Origin and Medicinal Use of Erythroxylon Coca Essay

Erythroxylon coca, a plant originating in South America, has been around for thousands of years. Up to the mid 19th century coca growing and use had been restricted to the area of its natural habitat, the Andes mountain range of the northwestern region of South America (Origins of Coca). Chemically known as Benzoylmethylecgonine (chemical formula C17H21NO4), cocaine is an alkaloid ester (Cocaine Facts and History). Before it became an illegal street drug, it was used in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia as a medicine and stimulant. In South America inhabitants would chew the leaves as they were believed to elevate mood, help with digestion, and suppress appetites (The Origins of Coca). Coca has been known for its pain relief abilities and as a result was included in many early medicines. It was also used in the 1880s as a remedy for morphine-addicted Civil War soldiers.Now Im sure youve heard of all the negative aspects of the drug, however, like most people, including myself, you may not know just how exactly the drug exerts its effects. Everyones has a reward system and pathway to get there, that tells us what action to repeat to get to the reward once we have performed it once already. This is how an addiction is formed. The brains mesolimbic dopamine system, its reward pathway, is stimulated by all types of reinforcing stimuli, such as food, sex, and many drugs of abuse, including cocaine. This pathway originates in a region of the midbrain called the ventral tegmental area and extends to the nucleus accumbens, one of the brains key reward areas. Besides reward, this circuit also regulates emotions and motivation (How does cocaine produce its effects?).Believe it or not, cocaine was first used for its therapeutic benefits. Famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, who used cocaine himself, also claimed that the drug helped to cure depression and sexual impotence (Cocaine Was Once Popular Because Of Its 'Health Benefits ' You'll Be...

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