The leaves of Java coca contain as much as 2.5% alkaloids totally. About 10-20% of these alkaloids is the cocaine, and the other alkaloids are (among the others) the cinnamylcocaine and tropacocaine alkaloids. The leaves also contain sterol, resin, pigment and essential oils, one of which is the methyl salicylate. The leaves were used as a local anesthetic and as a tonic for digestive and nerve systems. It must be used only under the doctor's supervision, as it is potential to cause addiction. The cocaine-free leaves were also used in the production of some popular softdrinks (such as the Coca-Cola).

The best pruning is as low as 50 cm tall from the ground. The harvesting can be performed once for every three months to get the production increase of 1.36 tons of fresh leaves per ha per year, or as much as 53.5 % increase of production, compared to the result of monthly harvesting.