Caffeine
Caffeine is a natural stimulant that’s widely consumed worldwide. It helps you stay awake and can stave off tiredness. Nowadays, 80% of the world’s population consumes a caffeinated product each day,
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​Caffeine features in tea, coffee, and chocolate, and it is regularly added to gum, jelly beans, waffles, water, syrup, marshmallows, sunflower seeds, and other snacks.
general info
Caffeine is a natural stimulant most commonly found in tea, coffee, and cacao plants. It works by stimulating the brain and central nervous system, helping you stay alert and prevent the onset of tiredness. Historians track the first brewed tea as far back as 2737 B.C.
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Coffee was reportedly discovered many years later by an Ethiopian shepherd who noticed the extra energy it gave his goats.
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When most people think of caffeine they think of drinking tea or coffee, but actually coffee scrubs are a very popular topical method for antiaging and skin care. 'A coffee sugar scrub is great for combating premature aging skin, and a coffee body scrub is an excellent choice to remove dead skin cells and reduce cellulite appearance.'
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Did you know? Cold coffee is used by fishermen to wash the smell of fish off their hands. you can also use coffee grounds to repel bugs.because certain compounds found in coffee, such caffeine and diterpenes, can be highly toxic to insects.
Herbal tea
In modern times coffee tends to take the spotlight when it comes to people thinking about caffeine, but herbal teas, and infusions are among the most popular form of used to treat all kinds of conditions. For more information on Herbal Teas and Infusions then click the link below to see our guide:
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How much is too much?
Up to 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine a day appears to be safe for most healthy adults. That's roughly the amount of caffeine in four cups of brewed coffee, 10 cans of cola or two "energy shot" drinks. Keep in mind that the actual caffeine content in beverages varies widely, especially among energy drinks and fizzy drinks such as Cola don't just contain caffeine but also sugar and acid, so don't think your being healthy by consuming them.
warnings
You may want to cut back if you're drinking more than 4 cups of caffeinated coffee a day (or the equivalent) and you have side effects such as:; Headache, Insomnia, Nervousness, Irritability, Frequent urination or inability to control urination, Fast heartbeat, Muscle tremors.
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If you're susceptible to the effects of caffeine, even small amounts may prompt unwanted effects, such as restlessness and sleep problems.
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Some medications and herbal supplements may interact with caffeine. Examples include; Ephedrine, Theophylline, Echinacea.
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Children:
Although caffeine use may be safe for adults, it's not a good idea for children. Adolescents and young adults need to be cautioned about excessive caffeine intake and mixing caffeine with alcohol and other drugs.
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Pregnancy:
Women who are pregnant or who are trying to become pregnant and those who are breast-feeding should talk with their doctors about limiting caffeine use to less than 200 mg daily.
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Depression & Anxiety:
A high caffeine intake may worsen symptoms of anxiety and depression.However, whether the caffeine leads to depression or depression causes people to consume more caffeine remains unclear despite a number of studies being done.
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Blood Sugar:
There is some evidence that caffeine may impair insulin action, leading to a small but detectable rise in blood sugar levels, particularly after meals.
uses
Weight Loss:
Caffeine may boost weight loss or prevent weight gain, possibly by, suppressing the appetite and temporarily reducing the desire to eat; stimulating thermogenesis, so the body generates more heat and energy from digesting food.
Weight loss products that are marketed as thermogenics may contain caffeine and ephedra, or ephedrine. but research has not confirmed long-term results for using caffeine to help with weight loss.
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Type 2 Diabetes:
People who lowered their daily consumption by more than one cup of coffee showed a 17 percent higher risk for type 2 diabetes. One longitudinal study found that participants who increased their coffee intake by more than one cup a day over a 4-year period had a 1 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared with people who did not change their intake.
Further research needs to be conducted and it's probably not a good idea to use diabetes or weight loss as an excuse for drinking more coffee if you are already consuming an unhealthy amount.
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Brain Function:
Caffeine affects adenosine receptors in the brain. Coffee also contains polyphenol antioxidants, and these, too, act on various pathways. Studies have suggested that drinking coffee may help enhance some thinking skills and slow the mental decline that comes with age. However, more research is needed to confirm this.
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Asthma:
People with asthma have been using strong coffee and tea to relieve thier symptoms since the 1830s, but more recently doctors have compared the effects of caffeine and theophylline and found that caffeine works as well as or even better than the drug as reducing asthma symptoms, (Theophylline inhalers are used to prevent and treat wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness caused by asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and other lung diseases.)
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Cancer::
One team found that caffeine applied directly to the skin of mice helped prevent damaging ultraviolet (UV) light from causing skin cancer.
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In a study of 968,432 men and women, participants who drank than 4 cups of coffee a day had a 49-percent lower risk of death from oral cancer, compared with those who drank no coffee at all or only an occasional cup.
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Sports performance:
Caffeine can improve physical performance during endurance exercise, and is often the primary active ingredient in many sports drinks. we can't give you a list of specific sports drink brands to stay away from as we don't want to get sued, but you may be interested to know that many fizzy drinks often use clever marketing to make their specific brand and beverages stand out, much of the claims and branding is rubbish and in fact the way these drinks help athletes aren't by using some kind of super creatine in the formula, it's simply by adding caffeine and lots of sugar together. Don't fall for it!
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Acne:
Drinking coffee may not be great for acne sufferers, but a using a coffee scrub may actually help, due to the caffeine present in the coffee, topical application may help reduce inflammation. It constricts blood vessels which reduces blood flow, thus lessening the redness associated with acne. It is also mildly diuretic when applied on the skin which can lessen swelling related to blemishes.
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It is always worth mentioning that you should get the advice of your doctor before you consider taking supplements especially if your looking to improve health outcomes for any possible medical conditions you may have. The internet is rife with people trying to sell you miracle cures and quick fixes for serious conditions so please consult a Doctor before trusting a random person who is trying to sell you a supplement (even if their wearing a white coat.)
Preparations & dosage
The information on this website is intended for general information purposes and is for educational purposes only, and to inform the reader about traditional remedies and approaches in Herbal Medicine. Individuals should always see their health care provider before administering any suggestions made on this website as it is not a replacement for professional medical advice or treatment.
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Coffee has the highest amount of caffeine (about 100 milligrams per cup), while 12 ounces of soda, a cup of tea, or a cup of cocoa has about 50 milligrams. Chocolate has even less: 1 1/2 ounces of chocolate contains a little less than a cup of soda.
Therapeutic dosing range:
Healthy adults shouldn't consume more than 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine per day. That's equal to about four 8-ounce cups of brewed coffee or 10 cans of cola.
Teens should limit their caffeine intake to less than 100 mg per day (one 8-ounce cup of coffee or about two cans of cola).
