Coca-Cola Originally Contained Cocaine and Was Sold as Medicine
When Coca-Cola was invented in 1886, it contained cocaine from coca leaves and was marketed as a medicinal tonic that could cure headaches and fatigue.
About this fact
Dr. John Stith Pemberton created Coca-Cola in 1886 as a patent medicine called 'Pemberton's French Wine Coca.' The original formula contained cocaine from coca leaves and caffeine from kola nuts, which gave the drink its name. It was sold as a cure for headaches, fatigue, and nervous disorders, priced at 5 cents per glass. The drink contained about 9 milligrams of cocaine per glass. Due to prohibition movements, Pemberton removed the wine and increased the cocaine content in his 'temperance drink.' Cocaine was removed from the formula around 1903 due to growing health concerns and racist fears about cocaine's effects. Today, Coca-Cola still uses coca leaf extract, but all cocaine is removed through a special process by a licensed company in New Jersey.