Mythobotany of Coca
Revista de Arqueología Americana July 10, 2026 DOI: 10.35424/rearam.i44.6302 via Semantic Scholar
Summary
Coca (Erythroxylum coca and related species) served as a key shamanic inebriant, or entheogen, in South America, distinct from religious practice. The article surveys the mythology and ethnobotany surrounding coca and several wild Erythroxylum species used as substitutes, supported by 98 references.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Environmental science |
| Key finding | Coca is identified as an important entheogen in South American shamanism, which is contrasted with religion. |
Abstract
This article encompasses the mythology and shamanic ethnobotany (or entheobotany) of coca (Erythroxylum coca Lamarck, Erythroxylum novogranatense [Morris] Hieronymus [each having two varieties—var. coca Lamarck and var. ipadu Plowman; and var. novogranatense (Morris) Plowman and var. truxillense (Rusby) Plowman; respectively], and likewise several wild Eryth- roxylum-species which may be employed as coca-substitutes) in South America.This is supported by a bibliography of 98 references. Coca is identified as an important entheogen or ‘shamanic inebriant’; the while shamanism is contrasted with religion.