{"id":13244,"date":"2026-06-25T23:43:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T03:43:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/the-divine-leaf-with-8000-years-of-use-exploring-the-many-benefits-of-coca-with-dr-andrew-weil-and-wade-davis-871\/"},"modified":"2026-06-25T23:43:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T03:43:02","slug":"the-divine-leaf-with-8000-years-of-use-exploring-the-many-benefits-of-coca-with-dr-andrew-weil-and-wade-davis-871","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/the-divine-leaf-with-8000-years-of-use-exploring-the-many-benefits-of-coca-with-dr-andrew-weil-and-wade-davis-871\/","title":{"rendered":"The \u201cDivine Leaf\u201d with 8,000+ Years of Use \u2014 Exploring the Many Benefits of Coca with Dr. Andrew Weil and Wade Davis (#871)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/hop.clickbank.net\/?affiliate=infohatch&amp;vendor=J1R2C\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10614 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/profit-gen400px.png\" alt=\"Profit Gen\" width=\"400\" height=\"217\" srcset=\"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/profit-gen400px.png 400w, https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/profit-gen400px-300x163.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Many Benefits of Coca \u2014 The \u201cDivine Leaf\u201d with 8,000+ Years of Use\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gL48mHH6ul8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCoca is to cocaine what potatoes are to vodka\u201d \u2014 Dr. Andrew Weil and Wade Davis on the health benefits, sacred history, and unjust prohibition of the most misunderstood plant on Earth.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Dr. Andrew Weil<\/strong>\u00a0is a pioneer in integrative medicine and founder of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, where he holds the Lovell-Jones Endowed Chair and serves as Clinical Professor of Medicine and Professor of Public Health.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Wade Davis<\/strong>\u00a0is an ethnographer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker.\u00a0From 2014 to 2024 he served as Professor of Anthropology and BC Leadership Chair in Cultures and Ecosystems at Risk at the University of British Columbia, and from 2000 to 2013 as Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Connect with the\u00a0<strong>Beneficial Plant Research Association (BPRA)<\/strong>:\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Please enjoy!<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>This episode is brought to you by:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/incogni.com\/tim\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Incogni,\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><strong>which automatically removes your personal data from the web, helping shield you from fraud, scams, and identity theft<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mauinuivenison.com\/tim\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Maui Nui Venison\u200b<\/strong><\/a><strong>\u00a0delicious, nutrient-dense, and responsible red meat<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/go.tim.blog\/5-bullet-friday-1\/?utm_source=timblog&amp;utm_medium=timblog&amp;utm_campaign=podcast-sponsorship\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>5-Bullet Friday<\/strong><\/a><strong>, my very own free email newsletter<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"podcast-player\">\n<div class=\"podcast-player-inner-wrap\">\n<p>The \u201cDivine Leaf\u201d with 8,000+ Years of Use \u2014 Exploring the Many Benefits of Coca with Dr. Andrew Weil and Wade Davis <\/p>\n<p><noscript><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.art19.com\/shows\/58dacbdc-646e-4585-9914-19c3de11d1ba\/episodes\/667d066a-45eb-4526-9338-1e5a9f6aa180\/embed?type=micro\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 30px; border: 0 none;\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/noscript><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Additional podcast platforms<\/h3>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Listen to this episode on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/871-the-divine-leaf-with-8-000-years-of-use\/id863897795?i=1000774201131\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Apple Podcasts<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/episode\/2ty5Du069OXqO0yNIe2tMy?si=_oJDV3hyTQqfxq3is5mUGA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Spotify<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/overcast.fm\/+AAKebvvIi0c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Overcast<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/podcastaddict.com\/podcast\/2031148#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Podcast Addict<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pca.st\/timferriss\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pocket Casts<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/castbox.fm\/channel\/id1059468?country=us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Castbox<\/a>,\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/music.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLuu6fDad2eJyWPm9dQfuorm2uuYHBZDCB\">YouTube Music<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/music.amazon.com\/podcasts\/9814f3cc-1dc5-4003-b816-44a8eb6bf666\/the-tim-ferriss-show\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Amazon Music<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.audible.com\/podcast\/The-Tim-Ferriss-Show\/B08K58QX5W\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Audible<\/a>, or on your favorite podcast platform.<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Transcripts<\/h3>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Show Notes<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Connect with <strong>Dr. Andrew Weil<\/strong>:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.drweil.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Website<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DrWeil\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">X<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/drweil\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DrWeil\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/daviswade.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Website<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/authorwadedavis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">X<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/wadedavisofficial\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WadeDavisExplorer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Connect with the <strong>Beneficial Plant Research Association (BPRA)<\/strong>:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bpra.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Website<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bpra.org\/cocaleaf\/research\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Coca Leaf Research<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bpra.org\/cocaleafdocumentary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Coca Leaf Documentary<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bpra.org\/coca-retreat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Coca Leaf Retreat<\/a><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Previous Guest Appearances<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/tim.blog\/2018\/12\/06\/dr-andrew-weil\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dr. Andrew Weil \u2014 Optimal Health, Plant Medicine, and More<\/a> | The Tim Ferriss Show #350<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/tim.blog\/2022\/08\/16\/dr-andrew-weil-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dr. Andrew Weil \u2014 The 4-7-8 Breath Method, Cannabis, The Uses of Coca Leaf, Rehabilitating Demonized Plants, Kava for Anxiety, Lessons from Wade Davis, The Psychedelic Renaissance, How to Emerge from Depression, Tales from 50+ Visits to Japan, Matcha Benefits, and More<\/a> | The Tim Ferriss Show #615<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/tim.blog\/2023\/01\/27\/wade-davis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Famed Explorer Wade Davis \u2014 How to Become the Architect of Your Life, The Divine Leaf of Immortality, Rites of Passage, Voodoo Demystified, Optimism as the Purpose of Life, How to Be a Prolific Writer, Psychedelics, Monetizing the Creativity of Your Life, and More<\/a> | The Tim Ferriss Show #652<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Books &amp; Films<\/h3>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Articles, Research, &amp; Relevant Resources<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/1995\/05\/15\/the-new-politics-of-coca\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The New Politics of Coca<\/a> by Andrew Weil | <em>The New Yorker<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/culture\/culture-features\/coca-leaves-war-on-drugs-cocaine-1235310539\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Secret History of Coca<\/a> by Wade Davis | <em>Rolling Stone<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.undrugcontrol.info\/images\/stories\/documents\/JEP%20article.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Therapeutic Value of Coca in Contemporary Medicine<\/a> by Andrew T. Weil | <em>Journal of Ethnopharmacology<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1016\/j.wem.2015.07.006\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Coca: High Altitude Remedy of the Ancient Incas<\/a> | <em>Wilderness &amp; Environmental Medicine<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC3001837\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Does Chewing Coca Leaves Influence Physiology at High Altitude?<\/a> | <em>Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC4838786\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Coca: The History and Medical Significance of an Ancient Andean Tradition<\/a> | US National Library of Medicine<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthline.com\/health\/lung-cancer\/beta-carotene-and-smoking\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Beta-Carotene and Smoking: Can the Combination Cause Cancer?<\/a> | <em>Healthline<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biodiversitylibrary.org\/page\/7463635#page\/129\/mode\/1up\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nutritional Value of Coca<\/a> by James A. Duke, David Aulik, and Timothy Plowman | Biodiversity Heritage Library<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/filtermag.org\/coca-prohibition-colonialism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Rooted in Colonialism, Coca Prohibition Could Be Nearing Its End<\/a> | <em>Filter<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wola.org\/analysis\/coca-chronicles-bolivia-challenges-coca-leaf-ban\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Coca Chronicles: Bolivia Challenges UN Coca Leaf Ban<\/a> | Washington Office on Latin America<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/druglawreform.info\/images\/stories\/documents\/coca-inquiry-1950e.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Report of the Commission of Enquiry on the Coca Leaf<\/a> | UN Social and Economic Council (ECOSOC)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tni.org\/en\/publication\/fact-sheet-coca-leaf-and-the-un-drugs-conventions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fact Sheet: Coca Leaf and the UN Drugs Conventions<\/a> | Transnational Institute<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tni.org\/en\/publication\/coca-yes-cocaine-no\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Coca Yes, Cocaine No?<\/a> | Transnational Institute<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tni.org\/en\/publication\/coca-myths\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Coca Myths<\/a> | Transnational Institute<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/25237014\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Observations on the Effects of Cuca, or Coca, the Leaves of Erythroxylon Coca<\/a> by Robert Christison | <em>The British Medical Journal (1876)<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1186\/s40794-019-0095-7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Travel Medicine, Coca and Cocaine: Demystifying and Rehabilitating Erythroxylum<\/a> | <em>Tropical Diseases, Travel Medicine, and Vaccines<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/tim.blog\/2016\/09\/06\/my-favorite-smart-drugs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">My Favorite \u201cSmart Drugs\u201d<\/a> | Tim Ferriss<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unodc.org\/unodc\/press\/releases\/2024\/October\/colombia_-potential-cocaine-production-increased-by-53-per-cent-in-2023--according-to-new-unodc-survey.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Colombia: Potential Cocaine Production Increased by 53 Per Cent in 2023<\/a> | UN Office on Drugs and Crime<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/sysbio\/article\/70\/1\/1\/5912027\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Origins of Coca: Museum Genomics Reveals Multiple Independent Domestications from Progenitor Erythroxylum Gracilipes<\/a> | <em>Systematic Biology<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dea.gov\/drug-information\/drug-scheduling\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Drug Scheduling<\/a> | US Drug Enforcement Administration<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/314243905_Ferreira_Francisco_with_Bille_Jean_Isbell_eds_2016_A_Return_to_the_Village_Community_Ethnographies_and_the_Study_of_Andean_Culture_in_Retrospective_London_Institute_of_Latin_American_Studies_Universit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">A Return to the Village: Community Ethnographies and the Study of Andean Culture in Retrospective<\/a> edited by Francisco Ferreira with Billie Jean Isbell | University of London<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/lithub.com\/where-they-sing-to-the-river-sierra-nevada-the-heart-of-the-world\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Where They Sing to the River: Sierra Nevada, the Heart of the World<\/a> by Wade Davis | <em>Literary Hub<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tni.org\/en\/article\/coca-chronicles-monitoring-the-un-coca-review\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Coca Chronicles: Monitoring the UN Coca Review<\/a> | Transnational Institute<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foodnavigator.com\/Article\/2024\/07\/30\/Power-Leaves-Sugar-reduction-with-coca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cutting Sugar in Drinks with \u2018The Most Illicit Plant in the World\u2019<\/a> | FoodNavigator<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uab.edu\/news\/research-innovation\/psilocybin-proves-promising-treatment-for-cocaine-use-disorder-according-to-uab-study\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Psilocybin Proves Promising Treatment for Cocaine Use Disorder, According to UAB Study<\/a> | UAB News<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/tim.blog\/2023\/05\/24\/dr-nora-volkow\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dr. Nora Volkow \u2014 Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)<\/a> | The Tim Ferriss Show #673<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/05\/05\/health\/rfk-jr-overprescribing-psychiatric-drugs-wellness\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">RFK Jr. Launches Plan to Curb \u201cOverprescribing\u201d of Psychiatric Drugs<\/a> | CNN<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbp.gov\/newsroom\/local-media-release\/philadelphia-cbp-discovers-green-cocaine-shipment-colombia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Philadelphia CBP Discovers \u201cGreen\u201d Cocaine in Shipment from Colombia<\/a> | US Customs and Border Protection<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/psnet.ahrq.gov\/issue\/incidence-adverse-drug-reactions-hospitalized-patients-meta-analysis-prospective-studies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Incidence of Adverse Drug Reactions in Hospitalized Patients: A Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies<\/a> | JAMA<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/playingaroundtheworld.blogspot.com\/2009\/08\/annual-running-of-boundaries.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Annual Running of the Boundaries<\/a> (from\u00a0<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1553652673\/?tag=offsitoftimfe-20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Light at the Edge of the World<\/a><\/em> by Wade Davis) | Playtime<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/northspore.com\/blogs\/the-black-trumpet\/mycophobia-mushrooms-reinterpreted\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mycophobia: The Fear of Mushrooms Reinterpreted<\/a> | North Spore<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/culture\/culture-commentary\/world-cup-argentina-yerba-mate-coca-1234649135\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Argentina Has a Powerful Secret Weapon in the World Cup Final<\/a> by Wade Davis | <em>Rolling Stone<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC2296224\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Observations on the Effects of Cuca, or Coca, the Leaves of Erythroxylon Coca<\/a> by Robert Christison | <em>The British Medical Journal<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eater.com\/23620802\/cocaine-in-coca-cola-coke-recipe-gastropod\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Weird (and Wired) Truth Behind What\u2019s Really in Coca-Cola<\/a> by Claudia Geib | <em>Eater<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">People<\/h3>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Organizations &amp; Institutions<\/h3>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Companies &amp; Products<\/h3>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Substances, Compounds, &amp; Concepts<\/h3>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Timestamps<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>[00:00:00] Start.<\/li>\n<li>[00:02:38] When coca tea cured my brutal altitude sickness in Chile.<\/li>\n<li>[00:04:01] Andy meets coca, 1965: the Andes\u2019 master medicine for gut, energy, mood, metabolism.<\/li>\n<li>[00:06:20] 14 alkaloids, one scapegoat.<\/li>\n<li>[00:07:11] The paradox: one remedy for both diarrhea and constipation.<\/li>\n<li>[00:11:37] 8,000 years, zero addiction \u2014 and the 1975 study no one wanted to run.<\/li>\n<li>[00:13:11] Eradication began 60 years before there was a cocaine problem.<\/li>\n<li>[00:16:27] Two nations inside Peru: alcohol versus coca.<\/li>\n<li>[00:17:05] The 1950 UN commission that dictated coca policy by pseudoscience, fear, and racism.<\/li>\n<li>[00:18:10] Filed beside fentanyl and heroin; 250,000 families and the price of peace.<\/li>\n<li>[00:20:03] What coca actually feels like: milder than half a coffee, no crash, no withdrawal.<\/li>\n<li>[00:24:19] Decoupling the leaf from the cartels; why crop substitution is a fantasy.<\/li>\n<li>[00:25:54] Domesticated three times; the accident of Schedule II.<\/li>\n<li>[00:27:49] The sacred leaf: k\u2019intu, cruceta, Pachamama, runakuna.<\/li>\n<li>[00:31:11] Hayo in the Sierra Nevada, and Latin America\u2019s most-denied gift.<\/li>\n<li>[00:32:53] The wedge in the door: demand, the FDA, and an entrepreneur\u2019s gold mine.<\/li>\n<li>[00:40:22] The story coca deserves \u2014 a film, green powders, and one good study.<\/li>\n<li>[00:43:12] Monkey mind, the tax of consciousness, and an 84th birthday on coca.<\/li>\n<li>[00:47:35] Who to fund: McCurdy and the hunt for legal leaves.<\/li>\n<li>[00:49:17] Could coca treat cocaine addiction? Cost, and NIDA\u2019s timing.<\/li>\n<li>[00:53:18] \u201cGreen cocaine\u201d at the airport: coca is to cocaine as potatoes are to vodka.<\/li>\n<li>[00:56:58] A 24-hour ritual run powered entirely by coca.<\/li>\n<li>[00:59:07] Why two men gave their careers to one leaf \u2014 and the pharmaceutical body count.<\/li>\n<li>[01:06:22] America\u2019s legal cocaine capital, and Coke\u2019s secret recipe.<\/li>\n<li>[01:09:08] No accident: the hideous prose behind laws we still obey.<\/li>\n<li>[01:15:42] Parting thoughts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Quotes from the Interview<\/h3>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u201cIf I told you there was a plant that you could take that gave you a slight lightness of being, a slight kind of skip in your step, a sense of well-being that eliminated all these sort of existential little neuroses that we all suffer as conscious beings, and it allowed you to focus at task whatever that creative task was, whether it was a spinning of wool or the writing of digital code, and you could sit at task all day long concentrating on task with immense focus, with no sense of being under the influence of any plant, nothing as harsh as a second cup of coffee, and you found yourself at the end of the day ready to go home, have dinner, and do it all over again the next day, the truth is that coca has this capacity to improve our lives.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2014\u00a0Wade Davis<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u201c[Coca is] as important to that population as peppermint and chamomile are in European medicine. It\u2019s their major medicinal plant.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2014\u00a0Andrew Weil<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u201cCoca has been used in South America by virtually every culture of the Andean and Northwest Amazon for 8,000 years. And during that time, there\u2019s been no evidence whatsoever of any toxicity, let alone addiction.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2014\u00a0Wade Davis<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u201cIn coca, there are 14 alkaloids. Cocaine is one of them. They all have similar chemical structures and none of them have ever been studied. Once we isolated cocaine from the leaf, everybody lost interest in everything else.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2014\u00a0Andrew Weil<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u201cCoca is to cocaine what potatoes are to vodka.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2014\u00a0Wade Davis<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u201cAs the anthropologist Catherine Allen said, to deny people coca in the Andes is not like denying the Germans beer or the British tea or the French coffee. It\u2019s actually an act of cultural genocide because you cannot be runakuna, you cannot be of the Andes, of Pachamama, if you do not use the leaves.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2014\u00a0Wade Davis<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u201cI think that coca is the most perfect example of how we\u2019ve gone wrong in our relations with the natural world, really failing to see that plant for what it is, confusing it with this one component of it, and then getting ourselves in enormous amounts of trouble.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2014\u00a0Andrew Weil<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u201cI feel that liberating coca is the final act of my professional life. I feel that very sincerely.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2014\u00a0Wade Davis<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/tim.blog\/2021\/04\/08\/plants-of-the-gods\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Want to hear<\/a> another episode that untangles the curse and blessing of coca?<\/strong> Listen to this one with ethnobotanist <a href=\"https:\/\/tim.blog\/2021\/04\/08\/plants-of-the-gods\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Dr. Mark Plotkin<\/strong><\/a>, in which we learned about the 8,000-year history of the coca leaf, the varieties of coca and their uses, coca-leaf bonding among the Kogis of Northern Colombia, surviving altitude sickness in the Andes, the adventures of Richard Evans Schultes, ayahuasca and shamanic knowledge, the biocultural conservation of the rainforest, <a href=\"https:\/\/tim.blog\/2021\/04\/08\/plants-of-the-gods\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">and much more<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><script async defer src=\"https:\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/hop.clickbank.net\/?affiliate=infohatch&amp;vendor=J1R2C\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10614 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/profit-gen400px.png\" alt=\"Profit Gen\" width=\"400\" height=\"217\" srcset=\"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/profit-gen400px.png 400w, https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/profit-gen400px-300x163.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cCoca is to cocaine what potatoes are to vodka\u201d \u2014 Dr. Andrew Weil and Wade Davis on the health benefits, sacred history, and unjust prohibition [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13245,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13244"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13244\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}