eugenez@azure.UUCP (Eugene Zinter) (04/12/84)
----- **************************************** * * * Caffeine and Theobromide * * * **************************************** ********************************************************************** Coffee contains caffeine, obviously. Caffeine (Websters): A bitter compound C H N O 8 10 4 2 found especially in coffee, tea, and kola nuts and used medicinally as a stimulant and diuretic. ********************************************************************** I have read that Tea contains caffeine and THEOBROMINE (not so obvious). Can anyone backup or refute this? If so, are there tables that list amounts of Theobromine measured for various substances as we have for caffeine? Theobromine (Websters): A bitter alkaloid C H N O 7 8 4 2 closely related to caffeine that occurs especially in cacao beans and has stimulant and diuretic properties. Alkaloid (Websters): Any of numerous usually colorless, complex, and bitter organic bases (as morphine or codeine) containing nitrogen and usually oxygen that occur especially in seed plants. ********************************************************************** My suggestion would be to SLOWLY cut your dosages of caffeine and similar substances. That is, you could drink the same amount of liquids, but by drinking different types of liquids, you can control your dosage. Or drink less. Or mix them. I don't know how gross this would be, but if you could afford it, you could make a 50/50 mix of Pepsi with Pepsi Free and you would have a Pepsi drink with half the Caffeine. I have tasted the Pepsi Free and like it quite fine---no complaints from my taste buds. Anyway, it's just an idea. I imagine that if you cut your caffeine intake 50% (half) every two weeks, soon you will be down to zero with NO withdrawal symptoms. And enjoying a caffeine free life. And watch out for hidden caffeine. Some seemingly innocent drinks may well have plenty of caffeine. I mean, didn't it surprise you to find out that Mountain Dew has 18.4% more caffeine than Coke and 40.6% more caffeine than Pepsi?!! (FDA figures.) I would suggest drinking fluids that have nutritional value. Forget the artificial stuff and you will be much better off. And remember, just because a drink is an "herbal" one, that doesn't automatically imply that it is good for you. Modern pharmacology stems directly from herbology. For instance, the root of the Valerian plant (Valeriana Officinalis) was the first use of the sedative we generally know as Valium. It's just that it was cheaper to examine the Valerian root and synthesize the active components and call it Valium. And yes, I could go to a good herb shop and buy the Valerian root and make my own "Valium" tea. But I would be playing with fire because I would have no idea what dosage I would be getting. Anyway, the point I'm getting at here is that many herbal drinks are "drugging" you and could be as bad or worse for you than coffee or Pepsi. The best drinks I have EVER had have always been raw fresh squeezed fruits (orange, grape, apple, etc.) They are truly incredible and really good for you. ECZ
carter@gatech.UUCP (Carter Bullard) (04/16/84)
I'm under the impression that Valium is of a completely synthetic nature
derived by Vale while he was at Ciba/Giegy investigating GABAergic type
compounds. I would be quite interested in finding out the origins of this
herbal source of "Valium".
--
Carter Bullard
School of ICS, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta GA 30332
CSNet: Carter @ GaTech ARPA: Carter.GaTech @ CSNet-Relay
uucp: ...!{akgua,allegra,rlgvax,sb1,unmvax,ut-ngp,ut-sally}!gatech!carterix21@sdccs6.UUCP (04/17/84)
ECZ mentions that there is theobromide in tea as well as caffeine in tea and requests information on the effects of theobromide. He also states that they are both alkaloids and gives their chemical formulas. I don't know if theobromide exists but it is not present in tea. He probably misspelled theobromine which has minimal effects on humans. Actually tea contains caffeine and theophylline with trace amounts of theobromine. Theobromine is found in significant amounts only in cocoa. All three of these substances are xanthines which gives them several common effects. The fact that they are also alkaloids means little -- both an iron and a computer are electronic devices, but they hardly do the same thing. The pharmacological effects of xanthines include nervous system stimulation, relaxation of smooth muscles, especially in the lung, and diuresis. Theophylline, found in tea, is a very potent bronchial muscle relaxant which is why it is used in folk medicine so much, and why it clears up asthma and other respiratory problems; theophylline has also been attributed with relieving migraine headaches and other pains. Caffeine is not as potent in relaxing smooth muscle. Both caffeine and theopylline are stimulants with theophylline being only slightly more potent. Theobromine is several orders of magnitude less potent than the other two xanthines. There has been some discussion about how much caffeine is in tea, coffee, and cola, and how much eventually is absorbed by the body. A 250 ml cup of coffee has a bioavailable amount of 85 mg of caffeine; tea: 50mg. caffeine, 1 mg of theophylline; cocoa: 250 mg. theobromine, 5 mg. caffeine; a 360 ml serving of cola (1 can) 50 mg. caffeine. The above are averages not absolute figures, and bioavailable refers to the amount of the substance added to the body after drinking the drink. Note that even though cocoa contains 250 mg. of theobromine, the 5 mg of caffeine in cocoa has more effect than the 250 mg of theobromine. Note also that coffee has the most stimulatory effect; even though it does not have available the most stimulant. References: Goodman and Gilman's The pharmocological Basis of Medical Therapeutics, 6th ed. Graham, D. M. Caffeine -- its identity, dietary sources, intake and biological effects. Nutritional Review, 1978, 36, 97-102. Weinberger, M. Theophylline for treatment of asthma. Journal of Pediatrics, 1978, 92, 1-17. David Whiteman, UCSD School of Medicine, La Jolla
carter@gatech.UUCP (Carter Bullard) (04/18/84)
It's good to see some accurate information in here for once.
--
Carter Bullard
School of ICS, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta GA 30332
CSNet: Carter @ GaTech ARPA: Carter.GaTech @ CSNet-Relay
uucp: ...!{akgua,allegra,rlgvax,sb1,unmvax,ut-ngp,ut-sally}!gatech!carter