(Sp., from the Quechua kuka) -- dried leaves of a tropical bush that are chewed throughout the Andes for their stimulant effect.

a South American shrub whose leaves are chewed by natives of the Andes; a source of cocaine

dried leaves of the coca plant (and related plants that also contain cocaine); chewed by Andean people for their simulating effect

(Quechua) A plant whose leaves contain a natural stimulant. In the Andes, indigenous people chewed coca leaves, in part to hold hunger at bay. When highly refined and processed, coca leaves are source of cocaine, a drug developed after the colonial period.

The plant, Erythroxylon, from which cocaine is derived. Also refers to the leaves of this plant.

Coca is a plant in the family Erythroxylaceae, native to northwestern South America. The plant plays a significant role in traditional Andean culture, but is best-known in modern times for the stimulant drug cocaine that is extracted from its new fresh leaf tips in a similar fashion to tea bush harvesting.