An Italian friar at a historic Florence convent has uncovered a 19th-century document detailing a medicinal potion made from Bolivian coca leaves and kola nuts, raising questions about whether it could have served as a precursor to the American soft drink Coca-Cola.

Father Manuel Russo, rector of the San Marco convent, found the aged flyer while organizing the pharmacy archives. The flyer describes a "restorative wine elixir" composed of 10 grams of Bolivian coca leaves and 30 grams of kola nuts blended with wine. This tonic was promoted by the friars as a remedy to combat physical and mental fatigue related to illness and aging.

Though the document is undated, it is believed to date from the mid-1800s, a period when the friars actively imported coca leaves from Bolivia. These leaves, containing the natural alkaloid cocaine, were widely used in medicinal preparations across Europe until their global ban in 1961. According to Russo, the tonic was a popular product, priced between 2 and 6 Italian lira, equivalent to less than a cent in modern currency.

The recipe's ingredients are strikingly similar to those used by John Pemberton, an American pharmacist who in 1886 developed a syrup combining coca leaf extract and kola nuts. Restricted by local laws from incorporating wine, Pemberton instead mixed the ingredients with carbonated water to create what would become Coca-Cola. Some local reports have speculated that the Florence tonic may have influenced Pemberton’s formula, suggesting that the origins of Coca-Cola could extend beyond Atlanta, Georgia.

Father Russo, however, urges caution in drawing a direct connection, noting that no evidence currently links the friars’ elixir to Pemberton’s product. “Mr Pemberton invented his own recipe, and without alcohol,” he said. He also emphasized that coca leaf-based medicines were common in Italy and France during that era, making the San Marco recipe one among many similar formulations.

Another potential European inspiration cited is Kola Coca, an alcoholic syrup produced by distillers in Valencia, Spain, in 1885.

The San Marco convent itself dates back to 1436, with its pharmacy established in 1460 to serve the local poor. Though the pharmacy relocated in 1995, its original premises remain intact, including a centuries-old crocodile specimen hanging from the ceiling—a relic of a bygone practice where chemists displayed exotic animals to signal access to rare ingredients.

Russo also uncovered labels for products such as pure oxygen, cognac, and rectified petroleum spirit in the archives. “The inventory in the pharmacy’s archives is incredible,” he said, highlighting the rich history of medicinal practice preserved at the convent.

While the rediscovery sheds light on early European medicinal uses of coca leaves and kola nuts, the connections to Coca-Cola’s creation remain speculative, with experts agreeing that Pemberton’s formula was an independent innovation shaped by local regulations and commercial conditions.