PS268 Lecture Notes - Sodium Bicarbonate, Levamisole, Agranulocytosis
COCAINE
-leaves of coca plant (erythoxylon coca) contain trace amounts of cocaine (less than 1% by weight)
and grows in Andean mountain countries (namely Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru)
-chewed to provide some stimulation to help labourers get through long work days
-in 1859 Albert Neimann purified cocaine from coca leaves as part of his PdD thesis
-once purified, it was added to just about anything it would dissolve in
-Angelo mariani in 1863 added cocaine to wine and was awarded the Gold Medal from the Pope
-Sigmund Freud in 1884 published paper extolling virtues of cocaine and its use as a cure for
morphine addiction
-later Freud realized morphine addiction was replaced by cocaine addiction which is actually
worse and in 1887 published a paper retracting his earlier praise
-Freud discovered it was useful as a topical anaesthetic but didn't think it was worthy of his full
attention
-today cocaine is still used as a topical anaesthetic and discovery is not attributed to Freud
-many believe Freud's bizarre theories are related to his copious use of cocaine which is a known
aphrodisiac
Mechanism of Action:
-first purification of coca leaves took place in a lab but it is a simple process and can be done
anywhere you have fresh coca leaves and a hardware store
-purification starts with raw leaves, production of coca paste, and then production of cocaine
hydrochloride (white powder associated with the name cocaine)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Leaves of coca plant (erythoxylon coca) contain trace amounts of cocaine (less than 1% by weight) Cocaine and grows in andean mountain countries (namely bolivia, colombia, and peru) Chewed to provide some stimulation to help labourers get through long work days. In 1859 albert neimann purified cocaine from coca leaves as part of his pdd thesis. Once purified, it was added to just about anything it would dissolve in. Angelo mariani in 1863 added cocaine to wine and was awarded the gold medal from the pope. Sigmund freud in 1884 published paper extolling virtues of cocaine and its use as a cure for morphine addiction. Later freud realized morphine addiction was replaced by cocaine addiction which is actually worse and in 1887 published a paper retracting his earlier praise. Freud discovered it was useful as a topical anaesthetic but didn"t think it was worthy of his full attention.
