Cocoa & Codeine: Suppressing Coughs

March 9, 2010 by Professor Dove

I am just getting over an upper respiratory viral infection.  Next time, I know what I am going to take.  According to Wikipedia,

theobromine cough suppressantRecent studies have found that theobromine, a compound found in cocoa solids, is more effective as a cough suppressant than prescription codeine. This compound suppresses the “itch” signal from the nerve in the back of the throat that causes the cough reflex. It is possible to get an effective dose (1 g, though 0.5 g may be sufficient)[20] from 50g of dark chocolate, which contains 2 to 10 times more cacao than milk chocolate. Cocoa powder contains roughly 0.1 g per tablespoon (5g).[21] Theobromine was also free from side effects in the blind tests.[22]

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