Note 8 — Chapter V

Great confusion exists in the popular mind in respect to Cocoa, Cacao, and Coca, which are very generally confounded with each other, although differing as widely as almost any three products which it is possible to mention. Cocoa is the name given to a species of palm, producing the cocoa-nut, which is too well known to need description. Cacao, the fruit of the cacao-tree, (Theobroma cacao,) described in the text. This fruit is described in the scientific books “as a large coriaceous capsule, having nearly the form of a cucumber, from the seeds of which the buttery and slightly bitter substance called cacao, or chocolate, is prepared.” Coca is the name given to a shrub, (Erythroxylon coca,) which grows on the eastern declivities of the Andes of Peru and Bolivia; and is, to the natives of those countries, what opium and betel are to those of Southern Asia. Its leaves, which are chewed by the Indians, have such an effect in allaying hunger and thirst, that those who use them can subsist several days without any other nourishment. The shrub grows about six feet in height, with bright green leaves and white blossoms. When the leaves are ripe, that is to say, when they crack on being bent, they are gathered and dried. They are chewed or eaten with a little unslacked] lime, to give them a relish. When constantly used, they produce some of the deleterious effects of opium.