Coca Sek: The Real Cocaine Energy Drink?
Coca Sek is a Colombian energy drink made from coca leaves and is experiencing significant growth.
The first batch of 3,000 bottles of Coca-Sek — literally “Coca of the Sun” — was sold out in a rush. Another 40,000 bottles were sold in the next two months — mainly in the southern part of the country. (via Spiegel)
Coca Sek is made by the indigenous people of Colombia as part of an initiative that seeks to raise awareness of the value of the coca leaf and reveal how it is used traditionally among the native people of the region.
The indigenous Yanakona people of Colombia have been safely using coca leaves for centuries to treat and cure many ailments.
What’s In Coca Sek?
Coca Sek has more calcium than a liter of milk, more iron than a plate full of spinach, and more phosphorous than a serving of fish.
The only trouble is that it is made from the coca plant – the same plant that forms the basis of the drug Cocaine. But, when used in a traditional way like a tea or an ointment, coca based products are probably on the same level of danger as caffeine is.
No word on whether the drink contains any caffeine.
Legal Troubles
Also, the Coca Cola Company aren’t particularly amused with their naming rights being “violated”.
We’ve been charged with violating Coca Cola’s rights to the name of its product. We’re not allowed to use the word ‘Coca’ in the name of our soft drink — a word that is more than 5,000 years old and of indigenous origin, and which refers to a sacred plant. We’re going to defend ourselves,” Says Curtidor, the drinks developer.
Also because this drink is made from the coca plant there are all kinds of legal issues exporting it to other countries. Even in Colombia, the producers have had conflicts with the government over growing and transporting the raw materials needed to make Coka Sek.
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