Yesterday morning, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted on social platforms, "Next I'm going to buy Coca-Cola and add cocaine back in." ”
(Source: Twitter)
Not to mention whether Musk is mouthy or really powerful, if he really adds cocaine to Coca-Cola sales, I am afraid that it will be faster than going to Mars, that is, going to prison.
The discovery of cocaine developed
Cocaine, also known as benzoyl methyl bud base, methylbenzoyl aiganine, cocaine, is an alkaloid extracted from the coca leaf, and is also the most common traditional drug worldwide.
(Cocaine molecular formula/source: ChemSpider)
Coca trees are native to Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and other places in South America, South American Indians have a long tradition of chewing coca leaves, because chewing coca leaves can be pleasant, but also reduce hunger, Indians in the traditional medical system to use coca leaves as a painkiller to treat nerve pain.
In 1855, the German chemist Feldermann first extracted the anesthetic ingredient from coca leaves and named it "Erythroxylon"; four years later, Felderlie's colleague A. Newman refined a higher purity substance, which was called "Cocaine" (Cocaine).
In the early 1880s, chemist Marienni invented a medicinal liquor containing cocaine, which is considered a precursor to Coca-Cola.
In 1884, the famous psychologist Sigmund Freud recommended the use of cocaine to treat alcohol and morphine addiction, and recommended cocaine as a sexual stimulation agent and antidepressant.
In addition, Freud also found that cocaine can make a part of the body unconscious in the short term, without a significant effect on the central nervous system, so he invited his friend, ophthalmologist Koller, to study the use of cocaine.
(Kohler/Source: China News Network)
After repeated experiments, Koehler and his assistants discovered that cocaine could be used for local anesthesia for ophthalmic surgery, and the results of the study were presented in September 1884 at an important ophthalmological conference in Heidelberg, Germany.
Thereafter, cocaine has the effect of anesthesia and vasoconstriction, and in addition to eye surgery, it is often used for nasal and throat surgery.
In addition to local anesthesia and vasoconstriction, cocaine also has central excitatory and sympathomimetic effects. Cocaine, a reuptake inhibitor of serotonin, desephrine, and dopamine, increases the concentration of these three neurotransmitters in the brain, which in turn produces pleasure.
The mechanism of cocaine addiction is related to the reward loop of the brain, and the continuous and repeated use of cocaine will lead to a decrease in the ability to feel happy and physical fatigue. Studies have shown that long-term use of cocaine can cause persistent changes in a variety of neurotransmitter systems within the midbrain limbic reward loop, which ultimately lead to cocaine addiction.
(Source: Research progress on the mechanism of cocaine addiction)
Since 1961, the single international convention on narcotic drugs has required States to include the use of cocaine for all non-medical purposes in criminal offences, but cocaine is still widely used worldwide, with between 14 million and 21 million people taking drugs each year, with the largest use in North America, followed by Europe and South America.
Cocaine and Coca-Cola
The reason why Musk said that he "added cocaine back to Coca-Cola" is because cocaine did have an ingredient in Coca-Cola at the beginning of its appearance in 1886.
(Source: Figureworm Creative)
In 1886, pharmacist John Pemberton concocted the first batch of pulp for the "Pemberton Fitness Drink" and mixed the original pulp into sodas and sold it at the Jacobs Pharmacy in Atlanta.
Pemberton, who called the drink "brain-tonic and intellectual" at the time and advertised it as a "patented drug," said it could treat headaches, stomach upset and fatigue.
John Pemberton's partner and accountant, Frank Robinson, named the drink "Coca Cola," where "Coca" means "coca" and "Cola" means "cola," revealing the two main ingredients of Coca-Cola: cocaine and caffeine.
(Old bottle of Coca-Cola / Source: Wikipedia)
In the United States in the second half of the 19th century, cocaine was widely used as a legal substance, when people did not fully understand cocaine, Freud called cocaine "a magical substance", and some medical journals also believed that "the moderate use of coca is not only good for health but also beneficial".
Beginning in the early 20th century, authorities tried to eradicate cocaine use, coca-cola removed cocaine from its formula in 1906, and in 1914, marked by the U.S. Congress's approval of the Harrison Narcotic Act, most countries legally banned the sale and use of cocaine.
But to this day, cocaine is still a common and dangerous drug. Cocaine directly caused about 4,300 deaths in 2013, and in the United States, cocaine remains one of the most common causes of acute drug-related emergency department visits.
The harm of cocaine to the human body
Cocaine is fully absorbed through the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, gastrointestinal tract, rectum, and vagina, or through alveoli after inhalation. When absorbed from the mucosal surface, the vasoconstrictive properties of cocaine slow down the rate of absorption and delay the peak effect. The bioavailability of cocaine aspirated through the mouth is about 90%, and the intranasal use is about 80%.
As a potent central nervous system stimulant, after the use of cocaine, it is usually manifested as euphoria, high mood, active thinking, active thinking, talkative or personal meditation, decreased appetite, lack of urgency in sleep, delay in physical and mental fatigue feelings, strong self-confidence and sense of control, and quickly complete some simple actions.
Excessive use of cocaine can cause tremor, dizziness, muscle spasms, agitation, persecution, headache, cold sweat, pallor, weak and rapid pulse, nausea, vomiting, coma and other adverse reactions.
(Source: Figureworm Creative)
Long-term cocaine use can cause nervousness, excitement, extreme agitation, increased sensitivity, mood swings, inability to sleep, sexual impotence, increased reflexes, loss of appetite, mental disorders, and exhaustion.
Taking cocaine in large doses inhibits the myocardium and causes heart failure, and severely inhibits the respiratory center of the brain, leading to confusion, shallow and irregular breathing, convulsions, convulsions, convulsions, and loss of consciousness, leading to death.
Long-term abuse of cocaine has a damaging effect on the nervous system, digestive system, immune system, cardiovascular system and genitourinary system, and is the most common drug that causes cardiovascular disease.
In addition, repeated nasal inhalation of cocaine can cause nasal mucosal damage, intravenous injection can cause infectious comorbidities and embolism such as hepatitis, bacterial endocarditis, and many people sharing a syringe can also lead to the occurrence of other infectious diseases and even AIDS.
(Source: Figureworm Creative)
Because the action time of cocaine is very short (about 30 minutes), acute cocaine poisoning generally does not require treatment, but requires immediate medical treatment, close clinical observation and supportive care by the hospital, and if necessary, vomiting and gastric lavage.
At present, cocaine addiction treatment mainly includes substitutes, antagonists and auxiliary psychotherapy, but it should be noted that the relapse rate of drug addicts after drug withdrawal is more than 90%.
Therefore, we must be cautious about the use of foods, drugs, etc. containing addictive ingredients, pay attention to safety when going out, do not accept food and drinks of unknown origin, try not to let their drinks leave their sight in public places, and once they find that they have the possibility of being drugged, immediately call the police + go to the hospital.
Edit: Dr. Spring Rain
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