Coca Plant Farmers, Peruvian Mountains, Peru

Though also known as mate, mate de coca has very little in common with the yerba mate drink in Uruguay and Argentina.
Alkaloid content and stimulant properties
The leaves of the coca plant contain alkaloids which--when extracted chemically--are the source for cocaine base. However, the amount of coca alkaloid in the raw leaves is small. A cup of coca tea prepared from one gram of coca leaves (the typical contents of a tea bag) contains approximately 4.2 mg of organic coca alkaloid. (In comparison, a line of cocaine contains between 20 and 30 milligrams.) Owing to the presence of these alkaloids, coca tea is a mild stimulant; its consumption may be compared to consumption of coffee or tea. The coca alkaloid content of coca tea is such that the consumption of one cup of coca tea can cause a positive result on a drug test for cocaine, however.