(HealthCastle.com) Tea drinking in Peru, and in surrounding countries such as Ecuador, continues to have many uses and benefits for local tea drinkers, just as it did centuries ago in the elevations of the Andes mountain range.

Coca tea is a herbal tea made using the leaves of the coca plant, which is infamous for containing small amounts of cocaine. It is prepared simply by submerging the coca leaf, or a tea bag, into hot water. The greenish-yellow-colored tea has been compared with the slightly bitter-tasting green tea, but with a hint of natural sweetness.

Consuming coca tea at mealtimes in the region of the Andes mountain range, a range with average elevations of 4,000 meters above sea level, continues among locals and tourists in hopes of alleviating symptoms of altitude sickness.

Nutritional Info of herbal coca tea: 1 cup of tea = 0 kcal