Can Chocolate Be a Cough Suppressant?
An ingredient in chocolate called theobromine seems to suppress persistent coughs and may help scientists develop new and better cough medicines. Researchers at Imperial College London found that theobromine is nearly a third more effective than the leading medicine codeine in stopping persistent coughs, BBC News Online reported. Theobromine also produces fewer side effects and doesn’t make people drowsy. The study included 10 volunteers who were given theobromine, codeine, or a placebo and exposed to capsaicin, a substance that causes coughing. People given theobromine required about a third higher concentration of capsaicin to make them cough, compared to those who took the placebo. The volunteers who took codeine required only a slightly higher concentration of capsaicin to make them cough, compared to those who took the placebo. Theobromine suppresses vagus nerve activity, which controls coughing, BBC News Online reported. —– Texas Woman’s Death May Have ‘Mad Cow’ Tie Test resul
