When you are normally living on sea level and starting your trip jetlagged and on an altitude, you might have to battle with altitude sickness. Thanks to our host family, we could fight it off in the early stages with their house remedy coca tea. Trust the locals, they know their stuff and have seen many people with various stages of altitude sickness before, for you it might be the first time having it… trust them!
This stuff is really helpful, it lasted the entire day of sightseeing and even the next day! And for those who are afraid to become instant cocaine addicts when using it, let me tell you that in order to get a few grams of this stuff out of it, you need more leaves than your living room can hold. No worries on that! Just compare it to eating a poppyseed bread, you won’t become an opium addict when doing it. It’s basically the same with coca tea.
We got told to mix the leaves with lemon juice and honey which makes it tasty. I tried it pure and it tastes okay. You just need a few leaves. What you see on top of the cup is enough for one portion.
But DON’T BRING THEM BACK TO EUROPE with you, as they are seen as drugs and thus not allowed to be imported. I don’t know the situation for other countries, but you better make sure before hoarding the stuff in your bags.
Cafés and coffee around the world 