It enables a greater amount of fatigue to be borne with less nourishment, and lessens the difficulty of respiration in ascending mountain sides. Tea made from it has much the taste of green tea, and is much more effectual in keeping people awake.—Markham’s Peruvian Bark, p. 152.
In France, Bouchardat states it has rendered most valuable therapeutic service, almost equal to cinchona bark. It is a stimulant to the nervous and muscular systems, and ranks with tea and coffee; it prevents the rapid waste of tissue, and enables the consumer to go a long time without food.—B.M.J. i./76,486.
Use in walking feats.—B.M.J. i./76,335,361,387,518,519,750,752.
The leaves are neither nutritive nor tonic; it is in their anæsthetic properties, developed by chewing the leaves with lime or plant ash, the Indian finds the numbing effect on the mucous membrane of the stomach that he seeks.—P.J. 1885,266.
Fluid extract of Coca relieved hæmorrhage from bowel when given internally.—Pr. xxxv.401. And gives great relief in gastralgia.—M.P.C. ii./87,479.
Report on the Coca alkaloids.—B.M.J. i./89,1043,1108,1158.
CHAPTER XIV.
COCAINE AND ITS SALTS.
COCAINA, Cocaine.
Dose.—¹⁄₂₀ to 1 grain, in a pill or tablet.
This now important alkaloid, obtained from Coca, was first isolated by Niemann in 1860. From analysis he gave it the formula of C₃₂H₂₀NO₈ (old notation), but Lossen in 1862 assigned it the now accepted formula of C₁₇H₂₁NO₄₁ (new notation). It crystallizes in shining monoclinic prisms, and requires 700 or more parts of water to dissolve it; according to Dr. Paul, it takes upwards of 1,300 parts; it dissolves more readily in hot water, but rapidly undergoes decomposition, forming an acid solution which contains benzoyl-ecgonine, ecgonine, and benzoate of cocaine, which do not separate upon cooling. It is also soluble in alcohol (about 1 in 20), freely so in chloroform, ether (about 1 in 3), oil of cloves, and many other volatile oils, and 1 in 10 respectively of melted vaseline, castor oil, and other fixed oils. The latter solutions have proved serviceable in eye cases. The following are also ready solvents, each taking up about 1 of it in 3 parts: benzol, toluol, and amylic alcohol; of petroleum spirit about 25 parts are required, much less if hot; from this solution, also from hot alcohol, wood spirit, acetone and chloroform it readily crystallizes on cooling. It is almost tasteless, but produces a tingling numbness on the tongue, and local anæsthetic action on all mucous membrane. Good Coca leaves yield 0.5 per cent. or more of Cocaine, but the average is less—if fermented, often nil. Cocaine seems to be very sensitive to chemical and physical action, and readily yields derivatives. In working the dried leaves the following compounds are also met with, Hygrine (a volatile alkaloid), Benzoyl-Ecgonine and Ecgonine, Cocamine and Cocaidine, accompanied by Coca-tannin and Coca-wax. All the Coca alkaloids, according to Hesse,[30] are derived from ecgonine methyl ester, and the ecgonine itself from pyridine. Cocaine is the most important, whilst the others, so far as is known, do not appear to be distinctly noxious, but at the same time they are inferior to Cocaine in anæsthetic properties. Ecgonine (together with benzoic acid and methyl alcohol) may also be obtained as a derivative from Cocaine when the latter is heated with hydrochloric acid, thus:—