Research Overview
Research connected to the coca plant (Erythroxylum coca) is most developed in two intersecting areas: (1) biomedical and clinical studies focused on cocaine (the plant’s principal illicit derivative) and its health consequences, and (2) socio-environmental and political-ecology research examining coca cultivation and eradication policies. The clinical literature summarized in the oral-health integrative review concentrates on identifying and characterizing oral and maxillofacial disorders among people who use cocaine, along with diagnostic approaches (e.g., clinical history, intraoral examination, and imaging such as head/neck CT) and management options (e.g., surgical reconstruction or prosthetic obturators for palatal perforation). In parallel, ecological and public-health scholarship has examined how eradication strategies—particularly aerial glyphosate fumigation—produce health-relevant effects through environmental pathways, emphasizing that “harm” may be distributed across humans and ecosystems and shaped by political-economic conditions.
The strongest evidence, as reflected in the clinical synthesis, supports an association between cocaine abuse and a spectrum of oral conditions, with repeatedly reported outcomes including palatal perforation, destructive midline lesions, periodontal disease susceptibility, temporomandibular disorders and bruxism, xerostomia, dental caries, and soft-tissue injury. This body of work also supports the practical utility of standard clinical assessment plus targeted imaging for detecting severe complications, and it documents established treatment pathways for major defects (notably obturation or reconstruction for palatal perforation). The political-ecology literature provides robust qualitative and conceptual evidence that eradication practices can be “materialised” through chemical exposures and environmental transformations that plausibly affect health, while also reframing harm reduction to include ecological health; however, the studies reviewed here emphasize interpretive and systems-oriented analysis more than quantified causal estimates.
Key gaps remain. Clinically, more longitudinal and comparative studies are needed to strengthen causal inference, quantify incidence and dose–response relationships (including route of cocaine administration and co-exposures such as tobacco/alcohol), and evaluate effectiveness of prevention and treatment strategies for oral complications in real-world settings. On the cultivation/eradication side, more interdisciplinary research is needed to measure and attribute health outcomes linked to glyphosate-based eradication (and alternative interventions), including environmental fate, exposure assessment, and downstream effects on community health and ecosystems. Across both domains, research would benefit from integrated frameworks that connect plant-level policy and environmental change with individual health outcomes, while distinguishing effects of coca cultivation itself from those of cocaine markets, policing/eradication, and broader social determinants.
1. What conditions has Coca Plant been studied for?
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Oral and maxillofacial disorders associated with cocaine abuse (coca-derived cocaine): An integrative review (22 included human studies) focused on oral disorders seen in people who abuse cocaine extracted from Erythroxylum coca.
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Health and ecological impacts related to coca cultivation eradication (glyphosate exposure): An ecological/political-economy analysis examined how glyphosate used in aerial fumigation campaigns to eradicate illicit coca cultivation in Colombia is “materialised” in relation to health, including more-than-human (environmental) health effects.
2. Does it work in treating those conditions? Summarize the evidence.
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No evidence of therapeutic efficacy for coca plant in these studies. Neither abstract evaluates coca leaf (or coca plant preparations) as a treatment for any medical condition.
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The oral-health abstract addresses harms from cocaine abuse, not benefits. It identifies oral disorders linked to cocaine abuse and discusses diagnosis (anamnesis, intraoral exam, head/neck CT) and treatment of complications (e.g., palatal reconstruction or prosthetic obturators for palatal perforation), but does not test coca/cocaine as therapy.
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The glyphosate abstract is conceptual/analytical, not a clinical effectiveness study. It argues for an ecological “more-than-human” harm-reduction framing around coca eradication and glyphosate, rather than reporting treatment outcomes.
3. What health benefits does it have?
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No direct health benefits are demonstrated in the studies reviewed here. The first abstract frames coca primarily as the source plant for cocaine and documents adverse oral outcomes in people who abuse cocaine.
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Potential “benefit” discussed is policy/approach-oriented rather than a physiological benefit of the plant. The second abstract proposes an ecological approach to harm reduction that considers human and environmental health together; it does not claim coca plant use improves health.
4. Does it have any downsides or side effects?
The studies primarily describe harms associated with cocaine (derived from coca leaves) and harms associated with coca eradication practices (glyphosate exposure and ecological effects).
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Oral and craniofacial harms associated with cocaine abuse (integrative review of 22 studies):
Palatal perforation
Predisposition to periodontal diseases
Temporomandibular disorders
Bruxism
Damage to oral tissues
Dental caries
Destructive lesions of the facial midline
Xerostomia (dry mouth)
Ageusia (loss of taste)
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Downsides related to eradication efforts rather than the plant itself: The second abstract highlights that glyphosate used in aerial fumigation campaigns has “more-than-human effects” in relation to health, emphasizing impacts that involve humans and environments. However, it does not quantify specific clinical side effects or risks in the study.
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Important limitation: These harms are tied to cocaine abuse and to glyphosate-based eradication, not necessarily to traditional or dietary coca leaf use; the studies do not provide evidence about safety/side effects of coca leaf preparations used in other contexts.
5. Is it beneficial or harmful for any genetic variations (pharmacogenomics)?
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No pharmacogenomic evidence is provided in the studies. Neither abstract discusses genetic variants that modify response, toxicity, dependence risk, or oral outcomes related to coca/cocaine exposure, nor variants affecting glyphosate-related health effects.
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Evidence gap: Based on these studies alone, no conclusions can be drawn about whether any genetic variations make coca-derived exposures more beneficial or more harmful.
References
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Oral changes in cocaine abusers: an integrative review.
César Antonio Araújo Melo, Hanna Rabech Garcia Guimarães, Raphael Crhistian Fernandes Medeiros, Georgia Costa de Araújo Souza, Patrícia Bittencourt Dutra Dos Santos, Ana Clara Soares Paiva Tôrres (2022) - Brazilian journal of otorhinolaryngology -
Ecologies of drug war and more-than-human health: The case of a chemical at war with a plant.
Tim Rhodes, Magdalena Harris, Francisco Gutiérrez Sanín, Kari Lancaster (2021) - The International journal on drug policy
This article summarizes published research for educational purposes. It is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before starting, stopping, or changing any supplement or medication.
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