Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-11-28
PERUVIAN PRODUCTS.
Wild Plants Which Are Made to
Subserve Our Purposes.

Prescott, when he wrote on the con
quests Of Peru, not only partcularized
the mineral wealth of that country, but
paid some attention to the value which
the world might derive from the utliza.
tion of the wild products of the field
and forest. Although these latter de-
velop,fents were known in rude way
to the Peruvian Indians, it does not
appear that tha civilized nations took
advantage of the experience of the abo-
rigines until few years ago. All
their search was for tine precious metals
with which this country abounds, and
which, if the stories told be true, may
sill be tound there iu quantities. 1t
was for the people of the present age
to BRING to light the blessings to be de.
rived from the vegetable kingdom.
Among the products may be mentioned
the cacu, as the native catl it, or what
is more generally known as the coca,
which is the dried leaf of shrub that
grows wild on the mountains of Peru
and Bolivia. This shrub is also culti-
vated by those who know its uses and
who reside along the elevated districts OF
those cOuntries-from 2000 to 5000 feet
above the sea level. The Indians OF
Peru many years ago ascertained the
stimulating properties of this shrub, the
leaves of which they would dry and
chew in about the same way that many
in this country do tobacco. AS the leaf
has bitter taste, the Indians mix it
with quicklime to improve the flavor.
The aroma of the plant is also penetrat-
ing, and when the leaves are dying or
dried appears to have q powerful effect
OH the senses. Prescott, in his work,
speaks of the invigorating nature of the
plant, and says that the Peruvian In
dians, with small supply of it in their
pouches. and handful Of roasted maize,
will perform wearisome journeys, day at
ter day, without fatigue, or at least
without complaint. This fact is con-
firmed by DR.. Thompson, who. in his
Encyclopedias of Chemistry, says the
Peruvian Indians will travel from twen-
ty to thirty hours without sleep and cover
seventy leagues. or 2l0 miles in three
days with little food, stimulating them
selves by constantly chewing coca leaves.
Even the miners will require very little
food while at work if enabled to chew
the coca leaf, which is supplied to them
in abundance by their employers. The
natives can also make from it stimulat'
four or five, will be enough to make Ia
good supply of this tea or decoction for
half dozen persons.
But its greatest value has been devel-
oped within the past thirty years. In
1858 Wackenroder and johnson made
some attempts to extract it's medicinal
and chemical properties, but without
avail, and later Gadeke succeeded in pre-
pairing an extract containing sublimable
crystalline needles. But it was not un.
til 1880 that Niemann succeeded in iso-
lating an alkaloid, which received the
name of cocaine, which is local anes-
thetic, and was recently brought into
public notice by the treatment OF the
late General Grant during his long i'll
ness. Loosen also succeeded in obtain
ing another alkaloid which he named
hygrin. All these have been secured
from the leaf of wild shrub growing on
the mountains in the above mentioned
South American Republics. But while
these extracts have proved beneficial to
medical science, it took an American to
find ont that what would produce an
anesthetic for external use could also
furnish stimulant when taken into the
stomach, The coca leaves when macer.
ated aud treated with pure wine produce
one of the finest stimulants for persons
whose nervous system has become ex'
hRusted by excessive mental work OF
emotional excitement. MANY persons