coca leaves Archives - Alpaca Expeditions

Does chewing on coca leaves or drinking coca tea help with altitude sickness?

By Alpaca Expeditions | August 1, 2012 |

Altitude sickness comes in three basic forms: acute mountain sickness, high-altitude pulmonary edema and high-altitude cerebral edema. Acute mountain sickness is the most common, as it affects more than 50 percent of people who ascend higher than 8,000 feet (2,400 meters) in a relatively short time span. It’s caused by the lower levels of oxygen…