Sacred Plants: Coca Leaf

In this episode of our sacred plants season, we explore mescaline, the natural compound found in cacti like the peyote of Mexico and the southern U.S. and the San Pedro (huachuma) of the Andes. We break down what these plants look like, where they grow, and how mescaline works in the brain, from synesthesia and kaleidoscopic visions to why it isn’t considered addictive. Plus, a very strange 1983 experiment involving cats! We also explore how these cacti were used for around 5,700 years, including the Wixárika (Huichol) origin story of three goddesses who journey to the sacred desert of Wirikuta, and the central role women play in peyote traditions.  Sources Vamvakopoulou, I. A., Narine, K. A. D., Campbell, I., Dyck, J. R. B., & Nutt, D. J. (2023). Mescaline: The forgotten psychedelic. Neuropharmacology, 222 (PDF in folder) Jay, Mike, and EBSCOhost. Mescaline : A Global History of the First Psychedelic. Yale University Press, 2020 Bender, Eric. “Finding Medical Value in Mescaline.” Nature (London) [London], vol. 609, no. 7929, September 2022, pp. S90–91  Zamberlan, Francesco. “On the Quest for Mescaline.” Nature Chemical Biology [New York], vol. 20, no. 7, July 2024, pp. 796–796,  Dobkin, Marlene. “Folk Curing With a Psychedelic Cactus in the North Coast of Peru.” International Journal of Social Psychiatry [Thousand Oaks, CA], vol. 15, no. 1, January 1969, pp. 23–32  El-Seedi, Hesham R., et al. “Prehistoric Peyote Use: Alkaloid Analysis and Radiocarbon Dating of Archaeological Specimens of Lophophora from Texas.” Journal of Ethnopharmacology [Shannon], vol. 101, no. 1, October 2005, pp. 238–42  Psychedelic Support. (2023, March 21; updated 2025, January 13). Mescaline substance guide. https://psychedelic.support/resources/mescaline-substance-guide/ Schaefer, S. B. (2019). Beautiful flowers: Women and peyote in indigenous traditions. MAPS Bulletin. https://maps.org/news/bulletin/beautiful-flowers-women-and-peyote-in-indigenous-traditions-spring-2019/ Daly, M. (2019, May 15). The fascinating history of mescaline, the OG psychedelic. VICE. https://www.vice.com/en/article/history-of-mescaline-mike-jay/

We kick off the season with the incredible coca leaf, a sacred plant the Andean people have used for at least 8,000 years! We cover where it grows, how it works chemically, and how it’s been used in healing and divination rituals. Plus, the haunting origin story of Kuka, a princess whose body became the coca plant, and why the coca leaf is not the same as cocaine. We end with the politics behind its ban and the push to reclassify it as a sacred plant. So excited to be back!  Sources:  A Growing Culture. (2024, November 28). The coca leaf. Offshoot. https://agrowingculture.substack.com/p/the-coca-leaf Earthstoriez. (n.d.). Bolivia | Peru: The legend of Mama Coca. https://earthstoriez.com/bolivia-peru-legend-folklore-mama-coca Fajardo M., Q. N. (2022). The tradition of coca leaf use for ancestral Indigenous people in Latin-America: Deconstructing the coca imaginary. Global History Dialogues. https://globalhistorydialogues.org/stories/the-tradition-of-coca-leaf-use-for-ancestral-indigenous-people-in-latin-america Goldstein, R. (2022). Life in traffic: Riddling field notes on the political economy of “sex” and nature. Cultural Anthropology, 37(2), 251–285. https://doi.org/10.14506/ca37.2.08 Inkaterra. (2019, January 25). The ancient ritual of coca leaf reading in the Andes. Inkaterra Blog. https://www.inkaterra.com/blog/coca-leaf-reading/ Mejía Zapata, G. A. (2025). Mama Coca chronicles: Navigating ancestral heritage and future narratives. Journal of Futures Studies, 30(1), 27–48. https://doi.org/10.6531/JFS.202509_30(1).0003 Przytomska, A. (2024). Embedded and borrowed subjectivity in the shamanic practices among Quechua from the Central Andes, Peru. Etnografia. Praktyki, Teorie, Doświadczenia, 10, 147–166. https://doi.org/10.26881/etno.2024.10.08 Quechuas Expeditions. (2023, February 27). The sacred coca leaf of the Incas. https://www.quechuasexpeditions.com/the-sacred-coca-leaf-of-the-incas/ Soliz, C., & Barragán, R. (Eds.). (2024). The struggle for natural resources: Findings from Bolivian history. University of New Mexico Press. Spencer, T., Westby, S., Massey, M., & Haddox, T. (n.d.). History and uses of the coca leaf. Yachana. https://www.yachana.org/teaching/students/webpages/andean2k/cocaine/history.html

Brenda and Orquidea are back with a brand new season! In this episode we explain why we’re calling them sacred plants instead of “drugs,” what sets them apart from medicinal plants (hint: maybe its supernatural), and why ritual and cultural context matter so much.     

In our final episode of the season we interview Palmira Muniz, an award-winning filmmaker, writer, media consultant, creative producer, and comedian who brings a unique lens to her work as a fat, queer, Afro-Boricua storyteller from Anaheim, CA, with roots in the Bronx.

This season we have focused on Latinas in horror the ways they're stereotyped but also how they embody monstrousness. In this episode we talk about those behind the cameras! 

Who doesn't love the norm breaking weirdos known as the Addams Family? In this episode we talk about them but specifically their dark and broody daughter, Wednesday! 

Who doesn't love a sexy vampire? In this episode we talk about one of the most common tropes of Latinas in the media - the vampire!   

In this episode we focus on the final girl! One of the most common horror tropes. 

We are back! After a very long break we have decided to come back with a 6 episode season. This season focuses on the relationship of Latines and horror. 

Hello! We are announcing that we are taking a bit of an extended break. Both of us have been quite busy lately (ugh responsibilities) and are tired. We have been working on this awesome project for a few years now but felt we were losing some steam. This break is meant to rejuvenate us! We love talking about monsters and would like to continue in the future. Thank you to everyone who has listened to us! We seriously appreciate every single listener and supporter of this podcast! We still cannot believe people were interested in what we had to say. Special shout out to all of our Patreon supporters, who have really been amazing to us. We will keep you posted on our social media channels and Brenda will continue to post on those once in a while. Hasta luego Monstras!