Getting high as shit has had an important cultural role in most of the world at one point in time or another. Westerners got away from it post-Christendom but even then it’s been a thing basically everywhere at one point or another, unless nothing psychedelic grows there, and even then there are ways to achieve ecstatic states to roughly similar effect through extreme asceticism - if there’s not something to eat or smoke to get there then your shaman might have to starve and dehydrate himself then be suspended in the air through rods run through his chest, but you can get there either way.
Common misconception. Raw coca leaves don’t get you high. Coca leaves are chewed to help alleviate altitude sickness and improve physical performance at high altitudes.
From what I understand, people chew on them all day. It’s kinda like drinking coffee all day. And coffee does get you a little high as well for sure. (Haven’t had caffeine in years, tried it again recently. Definitely some mild euphoria and was horrible for my resting heart rate and anxiety. I usually hang around 40-50bpm but black tea put me up to like 60-100.)
Getting high as shit shouldn’t be an important cultural role…
As much as I want it to be.
Getting high as shit may be the origin of culture to have cultural roles in the first place
Getting high as shit has had an important cultural role in most of the world at one point in time or another. Westerners got away from it post-Christendom but even then it’s been a thing basically everywhere at one point or another, unless nothing psychedelic grows there, and even then there are ways to achieve ecstatic states to roughly similar effect through extreme asceticism - if there’s not something to eat or smoke to get there then your shaman might have to starve and dehydrate himself then be suspended in the air through rods run through his chest, but you can get there either way.
Common misconception. Raw coca leaves don’t get you high. Coca leaves are chewed to help alleviate altitude sickness and improve physical performance at high altitudes.
From what I understand, people chew on them all day. It’s kinda like drinking coffee all day. And coffee does get you a little high as well for sure. (Haven’t had caffeine in years, tried it again recently. Definitely some mild euphoria and was horrible for my resting heart rate and anxiety. I usually hang around 40-50bpm but black tea put me up to like 60-100.)
It helps with the high altitude/low oxygen of the mountains.
Better it being holy and treated with respect than however it’s being used in our culture today.