A historical document discovered in the archives of a centuries-old convent in Florence has revealed a recipe for a medicinal tonic made from Bolivian coca leaves and kola nuts, The Guardian reported.
Father Manuel Russo, rector of the San Marco convent, found the undated document while organizing the convent’s pharmacy archives. According to Russo, it describes a restorative wine-based elixir meant to combat fatigue linked to illness and aging.
The recipe bears a striking resemblance to the original Coca-Cola formula, since it also uses Bolivian coca leaves and kola nuts. But there’s one key difference: the 19th-century friars mixed their elixir with wine, not water.
By contrast, American pharmacist John Pemberton’s 1886 formula — which also combined coca leaf extract and kola nuts — used carbonated water instead of wine.
As Russo noted, coca-leaf medicinal products were common in Italy and France at the time, and the San Marco recipe was simply one of several such formulas.
