Caffeine – Melissa Martland

Caffeine – What a wonderful drug

Picture taken by Melissa Martland

Caffeine is probably the world’s most common drug; it is found in coffee, tea, energy drinks, pop, and even chocolate! And it is found in just about as many places; it is naturally taken from coffee beans, tea leaves, mate leaves, guarana paste, cola (or kola) nuts and cocoa beans. (2)

Most people use caffeine as a stimulant, meaning they want a wake-up call, usually in the mornings, or in the late afternoon when they start to doze off in the middle of class or a big work deadline. Caffeine is also used in pain killers, it can also help asthmatics breath by opening up their airways. (4) Unfortunately too much of it and people start building up a resistance, then they can stop using it and get some really bad side effects. Some people will experience really bad headaches and migraines lasting up to 6 days, they become cranky, tired, a little lazier and some people even develop weird twitches. (4)

Since a lot of people don’t want to deal with all of the negative side effects they have begun to look for healthier energy alternatives. Bestuniversities.com published an article featuring 10 alternatives to caffeine, these were Gingko Biloba, ginseng, vitamin B12, Teeccino and Cafix, apples, exercise (jogging, swimming), balanced breakfast (thanks mom), relaxation, meditation and sleep (slightly ironic). (1)

Caffeine is also really interesting; while growing, some insects will try to eat caffeine plants, but a built in self-defence mechanism can paralyze and kill the insects trying to feast on it. (3) Another neat thing about caffeine is that lighter coffee roasts actually contain more caffeine than darker roasts; while the beans are roasting to get that nice warm smoky taste, most of the caffeine gets roasted right out! (3)

References

1. Best Universities. (2011). 10 Caffeine substitutes every student should know about. Retrieved from www.bestuniversities.com/blog/2011/10-caffeine-substitutes-every-student-should-know-about/

2. O'Neil, M., Heckelman, P., Koch, C. & Roman, K. (Eds.). (2006). The Merck Index (14th ed.). New Jersey, USA: Merck & Co., Inc.

3. Science of Cooking. (n.d.). Caffeine. Retrieved from www.scienceofcooking.com/caffeine.htm

4. Sweetman, S. (Ed.). (2005). The Complete Drug Reference (34th ed.). London, UK: Pharmaceutical Press