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Ypadú or ypadu (also known as mambe) is an unrefined, unconcentrated
powder
A powder is a dry, bulk solid composed of many very fine particles that may flow freely when shaken or tilted. Powders are a special sub-class of granular materials, although the terms ''powder'' and ''granular'' are sometimes used to distin ...
made from toasted
coca
Coca is any of the four cultivated plants in the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America. Coca is known worldwide for its psychoactive alkaloid, cocaine.
The plant is grown as a cash crop in the Argentine Northwest, Bolivia, Al ...
leaves and the ash of various other plants. It is traditionally prepared and consumed by indigenous tribes in the Northwest Amazon. Like coca teas consumed in
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
to adapt to sickness induced by high elevation, it has a long
ethnobotanical
Ethnobotany is the study of a region's plants and their practical uses through the traditional knowledge of a local culture and people. An ethnobotanist thus strives to document the local customs involving the practical uses of local flora for m ...
history and cultural associations.
Background
A report by
Pien Metaal
Pien may refer to: Geography
* Piên, a town in Brazil
* Two towns in Poland:
** Pień, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship
** Pień, Podkarpackie Voivodeship
* Pien, Burkina Faso
* Pianu (german: Pien, links=no; hu, Felsőpián, links=no), a com ...
and others written for the
Transnational Institute
The Transnational Institute (TNI), is an international non-profit research and advocacy think tank that was founded in 1974, Amsterdam, Netherlands. According to their website, the organization promotes a "... just, democratic and sustainable wor ...
("Coca yes, cocaine no?", p. 19) states that:
Contemporary development of an ancient tradition
Foreign visitors to some
Latin American
Latin Americans ( es, Latinoamericanos; pt, Latino-americanos; ) are the citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their diasporas are multi-eth ...
countries have demonstrated an interest in commercial and cultural uses of the stimulant properties of the coca plant, which are less harmful than cocaine which is highly and unnaturally refined. A few websites depict a mild modern preparation of the powdery ypadu mixture using plastic jars and coffee grinders or food processors rather than the traditional implements such as clay vessels and mortar-and-pestles fashioned from wood. Peruvian coca of the species ''
Erythroxylum coca
''Erythroxylum coca'' is one of two species of cultivated coca.
Description
The coca plant resembles a blackthorn bush, and grows to a height of . The branches are straight, and the leaves, which have a green tint, are thin, opaque, oval, and tap ...
'' has reportedly been used in this adaptation to produce effective mixtures with pleasant taste.
Support for the use of Ypadu
Proponents of coca recommend mass production of ypadu as a harmless replacement for heavily refined and concentrated cocaine. They argue that a mild alternative to cocaine would cut into the illicit drug trade and the costs it imposes on societies.
References
{{Reflist
External links
https://web.archive.org/web/20070207042344/http://www.tni.org/reports/drugs/debate13.pdf(PDF)
Preparations of coca