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

The Guardian reports that Father Manuel Russo, rector of Florence's San Marco convent, has discovered a nineteenth-century document in the pharmacy archives describing a medicinal potion made with Bolivian coca leaves and kola nuts. The yellowed promotional flyer was uncovered while Russo sorted through the convent's records, and the discovery has prompted speculation that this ancient remedy might have been a precursor to Coca-Cola.

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