ON  THE  LEAVES  OF  THE  COCA. 
145 
ON"  THE  LEAVES  OF  THE  COCA  OF  PERU  (ERYTIIHOXYLON 
COCA,  LAMARCK). 
By  Dr.  H.  A.  Weddell.* 
(Continued  from  page  38.) 
Let  us  now  examine  the  properties  of  the  Coca,  after  having 
glanced  at  the  manner  of  employing  it. 
The  Peruvian  ordinarily  keeps  his  coca  in  a  little  bag  called 
chuspa,  which  he  carries  suspended  at  his  side,  and  which  he 
places  in  front  whenever  he  intends  to  renew  his  chique,  which 
lie  does  at  regular  intervals,  even  when  travelling.  The  Indian 
who  prepares  himself  to  acullicar,  i.e.  to  chew,  in  the  first  place 
sets  himself  as  perfectly  at  ease  as  circumstances  permit.  If 
he  has  a  burden,  he  lays  it  down  ;  he  seats  himself,  then  putting 
his  chuspa  on  his  knees,  he  draws  from  it  one  by  one  the  leaves 
which  are  to  constitute  his  fresh  "quid."  The  attention  which 
he  gives  to  this  operation  is  worthy  of  remark.  The  complai- 
sance with  which  the  Indian  buries  his  hand  in  the  leaves  of  a 
well-filled  chuspa,  the  regret  he  seems  to  experience  when  the 
bag  is  nearly  empty,  deserve  observation ;  for  these  little  points 
prove,  as  I  shall  have  occasion  to  repeat  further  on,  that  to  the 
Indian  the  use  of  coca  is  a  real  source  of  enjoyment  and  not  the 
simple  consequence  of  want. 
As  the  Indian  deposits  the  leaves  in  his  mouth  he  wets  them 
by  turning  them  over  with  the  tongue,  forming  them  into  a  sort 
of  little  ball,  which  he  places  against  his  cheek  as  a  sailor  does 
his  tobacco.  This  done,  he  takes  from  his  chuspa  a  little  box 
which  generally  accompanies  the  coca,  and  removes  from  it  a 
very  small  quantity  of  an  alkaline  paste,  called  Uipta,  which  is 
the  ordinary  condiment  to  the  leaf.  The  llipta  which  the  Peru- 
vians, and  especially  the  Bolivians,  are  in  the  habit  of  using,  is 
made  of  the  ashes  of  the  Quinoa  (Ghenopodium  quinoa)  or  of 
those  of  the  common  Cereus.  The  ashes  of  several  other  plants, 
however,  are  used  for  the  same  purpose  ;  they  are  often  sold  in 
the  markets  in  the  form  of  little  flat  cakes.  In  some  parts  of 
America  lime  is  substituted  for  them. 
*  Extracted  from  Di\  Weddeil's  Voyage  dans  le  Nord  de  la  BoUvie.  Pa 
1853.  8to,  ch.  xxix. 
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