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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Angela Giuffrida in Rome

Was Florentine friars’ fatigue-fighting elixir a precursor to Coca-Cola?

CocaCola United States Florence
Two aged paper labels with Italian text and an illustration of a winged lion holding a tablet
The elixir was promoted as a tonic to be used to recuperate the body and mind from fatigue. Composite: Supplied by Father Manuel Russo

An Italian friar has unearthed a document from the pharmacy archives of an ancient convent in Florence describing a medicinal potion made from Bolivian coca leaves and kola nuts, prompting suggestions it could have been a precursor to the famous US soft drink, Coca-Cola.

Father Manuel Russo, rector of the San Marco convent, said he stumbled across the yellowed document, a sort-of promotional flyer, while sorting out the archives.

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