What gives cocaine its anesthetic qualities
Does it occur naturally in the plant or is it from the added chemicals, (like i heard sometimes theres ether or something like that)
Answer:It's deffo in the plant - I chewed the raw leaves in Peru (perfectly legal) and it numbs your mouth.
Cocaine is the active ingredient - gasoline is used in a crude reaction to separate it from the leaves to produce cocaine hydrochloride - which is the white powder. Mixing it with ether turns it back to cocaine, which can then be smoked as crack. Not advisable - see Richard 'half a face' Pryor
cocaine prevent dopamine reuptake and this is why cocaine is used to feel high and as anesthetic .... and the reson for this action is bcoz chemical structure for cocaine .
The alkaloid form of cocaine was first purified in 1855 by a German chemist called Friedrich Gaedcke, and the technique was perfected four year later by Albert Niemann. Cocaine gained popularity as an anaesthetic in the 1880s, and Sigmund Freud wrote a treatise about the drug in 1884 where he stated that "the use of coca in moderation is more likely to promote health than impair it."
Chemistry
The most common form of cocaine is cocaine hydrochloride, which is a white crystalline powder. It is an alkaloid that strongly stimulates the central nervous system once it reaches the brain. It also causes local blood vessels to close temporarily, and causes numbness wherever it touches the body by affecting nerve signals. Cocaine affects the brain by stimulating the release of natural chemicals such as dopamine and noradrenaline, while also blocking their reuptake, giving feelings of energy and euphoria.