A new leaf.

In a back-alley Bogota street market, Dorli Castaneda buys several products made from the infamous coca leaf, the base ingredient of cocaine. But Castaneda makes no effort to hide her purchase--coca tea made by the Nasa Indians of western Colombia. The tea, as well as cookies, wine and cola, are coca-based goodies that the Nasa hope will raise new--and legal--income.

"Coca isn't bad in itself," says Castaneda. "What's bad is what they do with it." So far, the Nasa have found enthusiastic markets for their products, which are sold in fairs, supermarkets and health stores in Colombia's major cities. They have marketed the tea for years and are planning to roll out coca-leaf cola and wine. Total sales are still modest, about US$1,300 per month, although the Nasa expect business to pick up once the cola and wine become widely available.

The idea isn't new. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, before cocaine's prohibition in most nations, major pharmaceutical companies marketed cocaine-based medicinal products. A cocaine-based wine carried a photo of Pope Leo XIII--and supposedly enjoyed his endorsement, too.

Omar Bernal, a natural foods specialist who sells coca tea in a flea market, claims the products treat everything, including digestive problems, migraines, skin blemishes, high cholesterol, arthritis and fatigue. Furthermore, coca's bad rap has helped sales by piquing curiosity. "We're using the bad stigma for a good purpose," he says. Improving coca's image is a top priority for the Nasa. "People have always looked at coca as something bad, but it also has its good uses," says Jairo Pardo Fernandez, a Nasa who with his six brothers and sisters tends the family's 60 coca bushes.