{
  "slug": "coca-tea-bolivia-guide",
  "url": "https://lovebolivia.com/coca-tea-bolivia-guide/",
  "urlEs": "https://lovebolivia.com/es/coca-tea-bolivia-guide/",
  "title": "Coca Tea in Bolivia: A Traveler's Guide to Mate de Coca",
  "titleEs": "Mate de coca en Bolivia: guía para viajeros",
  "excerpt": "Your hotel in La Paz will hand you a cup before you have unpacked. What coca tea actually is, whether it helps with altitude, why it can fail a drug test, how to chew coca leaves properly and why you should never pack it for the flight home.",
  "excerptEs": "Tu hotel en La Paz te ofrecerá una taza antes de que deshagas la maleta. Qué es realmente el mate de coca, si ayuda con la altura, por qué puede dar positivo en un test de drogas, cómo se mastica la hoja de coca y por qué nunca debes meterla en la maleta de vuelta.",
  "date": "2026-09-22",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-09-22",
  "readTime": "10 min",
  "eco": "altiplano",
  "tags": [
    "Coca Tea",
    "Altitude",
    "La Paz",
    "Food and Drink",
    "Travel Tips"
  ],
  "author": "Daihana Travel",
  "imgUrl": "https://images.pexels.com/photos/39106146/pexels-photo-39106146.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&w=1200",
  "llmSummary": "Coca tea (mate de coca) is an infusion of coca leaves that is legal and sold everywhere in Bolivia, where Article 384 of the 2009 Constitution protects the coca leaf in its natural state as cultural heritage. A cup made from 1 gram of leaves, the usual contents of a tea bag, contains about 4.2 mg of coca alkaloids, enough to produce a positive drug test for cocaine. Bolivia's Law 906 of 2017 caps legal coca cultivation at 22,000 hectares, mostly in the Yungas of La Paz and the Chapare. Coca tea is a traditional remedy for altitude sickness but is not clinically proven to prevent it, and importing coca leaves or tea is illegal in the United States and most other countries.",
  "llmSummaryEs": "El mate de coca es una infusión de hojas de coca legal y a la venta en toda Bolivia, donde el artículo 384 de la Constitución de 2009 protege la hoja de coca en su estado natural como patrimonio cultural. Una taza preparada con 1 gramo de hojas, lo que suele contener una bolsita, tiene unos 4,2 mg de alcaloides de coca, suficiente para dar positivo en un test de cocaína. La Ley 906 de 2017 limita el cultivo legal de coca a 22.000 hectáreas, sobre todo en los Yungas de La Paz y el Chapare. Es un remedio tradicional contra el mal de altura, pero no está demostrado clínicamente que lo prevenga, y su importación es ilegal en Estados Unidos y en la mayoría de los países.",
  "keyFacts": [
    "A cup of coca tea made from 1 gram of coca leaves contains about 4.2 mg of coca alkaloids and can produce a positive drug test for cocaine.",
    "Article 384 of Bolivia's 2009 Constitution protects the coca leaf in its natural state as cultural heritage and a renewable natural resource.",
    "Bolivia's General Coca Law (Law 906 of 2017) authorises up to 22,000 hectares of legal coca: 14,300 hectares in the Yungas of La Paz and 7,700 hectares in the Chapare.",
    "Bolivia left the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs on 1 January 2012 and rejoined on 10 February 2013 with a reservation allowing traditional coca-leaf chewing on its territory.",
    "Dried coca leaves contain roughly 0.25% to 0.77% cocaine alkaloid by weight.",
    "La Paz sits at about 3,640 m and El Alto airport at about 4,060 m, the altitudes where most travellers drink their first cup."
  ],
  "entities": [
    {
      "name": "Coca tea",
      "type": "Thing"
    },
    {
      "name": "Coca leaf",
      "type": "Thing"
    },
    {
      "name": "La Paz",
      "type": "Place"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yungas",
      "type": "Place"
    },
    {
      "name": "Chapare",
      "type": "Place"
    },
    {
      "name": "United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime",
      "type": "Organization"
    }
  ],
  "faqItems": [
    {
      "q": "Does coca tea actually help with altitude sickness?",
      "a": "It helps many travellers feel better, but it is not proven to prevent altitude sickness. Coca tea is a mild stimulant, keeps you drinking fluids and can ease a light headache or nausea. It does not replace a slow ascent, rest and hydration, and it is not a substitute for acetazolamide (Diamox) if your doctor has prescribed it.",
      "qEs": "¿El mate de coca realmente ayuda con el mal de altura?",
      "aEs": "A muchos viajeros les sienta bien, pero no está demostrado que prevenga el mal de altura. Es un estimulante suave, te hace beber líquido y puede aliviar un dolor de cabeza leve o náuseas. No sustituye un ascenso gradual, el descanso ni la hidratación, ni tampoco la acetazolamida (Diamox) si tu médico te la ha recetado."
    },
    {
      "q": "Will coca tea make me fail a drug test at work?",
      "a": "It can. Coca tea contains cocaine alkaloids, and drinking it can produce a positive result for cocaine metabolites in a urine test. If you are subject to workplace, sports or military drug testing, skip coca tea and coca candies entirely, or stop well before you fly home and check your employer's policy.",
      "qEs": "¿El mate de coca puede hacer que dé positivo en un test de drogas del trabajo?",
      "aEs": "Sí, puede. El mate de coca contiene alcaloides de la cocaína y beberlo puede dar positivo en metabolitos de cocaína en un análisis de orina. Si tu trabajo, tu deporte o el ejército te hacen controles, evita el mate y los caramelos de coca, o deja de tomarlos mucho antes de volver y consulta la política de tu empleador."
    },
    {
      "q": "Can I bring coca tea home as a souvenir?",
      "a": "No. Coca tea and coca leaves are illegal to import into the United States unless decocainized, and the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and most of the European Union also prohibit them. Sniffer dogs at airports are trained on it. Buy textiles, coffee or singani instead.",
      "qEs": "¿Puedo llevar mate de coca a casa como recuerdo?",
      "aEs": "No. El mate y la hoja de coca no pueden entrar en Estados Unidos salvo descocainizados, y Reino Unido, Canadá, Australia y la mayor parte de la Unión Europea también los prohíben. Los perros de los aeropuertos están entrenados para detectarlos. Mejor compra textiles, café o singani."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is it worth trying coca leaves if I'm only in Bolivia for 10 days?",
      "a": "Yes, especially if your route includes La Paz, Lake Titicaca or the Uyuni salt flat, which are all above 3,600 m. A cup of coca tea costs nothing at most hotels and a bag of leaves costs about USD 1 to 2, so it is one of the cheapest and most local experiences in the country.",
      "qEs": "¿Vale la pena probar la hoja de coca si solo estoy 10 días en Bolivia?",
      "aEs": "Sí, sobre todo si tu ruta incluye La Paz, el lago Titicaca o el salar de Uyuni, todos por encima de 3.600 m. Una taza de mate es gratis en la mayoría de los hoteles y una bolsa de hojas cuesta entre 1 y 2 dólares, así que es una de las experiencias más baratas y locales del país."
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Coca tea — Wikipedia",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca_tea"
    },
    {
      "title": "Coca — Wikipedia",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca"
    },
    {
      "title": "Coca production in Bolivia — Wikipedia",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca_production_in_Bolivia"
    },
    {
      "title": "Bolivia to re-accede to UN drug convention, while making exception on coca leaf chewing — UNODC",
      "url": "https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/2013/January/bolivia-to-re-accede-to-un-drug-convention-while-making-exception-on-coca-leaf-chewing.html"
    }
  ],
  "primaryKeyword": "coca tea",
  "primaryKeywordEs": "mate de coca",
  "metaTitle": "Coca Tea in Bolivia: Altitude, Legality and Drug Tests",
  "metaDesc": "Coca tea in Bolivia explained: does mate de coca help with altitude, is it legal, can it fail a drug test, how to chew coca leaves and why not to take it home.",
  "canonical": "https://lovebolivia.com/coca-tea-bolivia-guide/",
  "relatedPosts": [
    "altitude-guide",
    "la-paz-bolivia-altitude-guide",
    "bolivian-drinks-traditional-guide",
    "witches-market-la-paz",
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  ],
  "relatedRoutes": []
}