Chocolate Does Not Contain Caffeine

by Manoharini dasi, Abridged from Mark Canizaro's www.xocoatl.org website

Posted September 2, 2007

There is a persistent urban legend that chocolate contains caffeine. It would seem that this rumor is based primarily on a confusion between two similar alkaloids: caffeine and theobromine. Theobromine is the active ingredient in chocolate, and it occurs only in cacao. The two stimulants are related and have a similar structures, but are very different chemicals with different properties, effects and origins. Of course, some chocolate products have added caffeine, but it does not occur naturally in chocolate.

This rumor seems to have a life of its own; it won't go away, and yet, most references to it are references to the urban legend itself. Amusingly, almost all of the chocolate and caffeine references on the Internet are circular. (Follow the references through a few links sometime; you often wind up back at the page where you began.) It is actually quite common to see references that confuse caffeine and theobromine. Many people and some semi-scientific sources confuse the two. Stollwerck, for example, says in one place that chocolate contains 1.2 percent theobromine and 0.2 percent caffeine, but in another place just says 1.4 percent caffeine without mentioning theobromine, which is obviously wrong.

There is no scientific substantiation that chocolate contains caffeine, and a great deal of evidence that it does not. The Biochemist (April/May 1993, p. 15) did chemical composition tests where they specifically distinguished between caffeine and theobromine. They found regularly up to 1.3 percent by weight theobromine in chocolate. . . . They could not detect any caffeine at all. I have yet to see a dependable chemical reference that includes caffeine in chocolate. The Merck Index, 12th Edition, says that a very small amount of caffeine is found in the hulls of of the cacao seeds, but the hulls are discarded before processing.

People seem to assume that caffeine is the only stimulant. Theobromine clearly has stimulant properties, so people reflexively attribute those effects to caffeine -- even though many of the effects are fundamentally different from caffeine.

www.chakra.org

Therapeutic Uses of Honey in Ayurveda

By Dr.Krishna R.S The FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission defines honey as the natural sweet substance produced by honeybees from the nectar of flowers or from secretions coming from living organisms feeding on plants, that bees gather, transform and combine with specific ingredients, store and leave to ripen in the combs of the hive. In Ayurveda honey is called as “Madhu”. Its qualities are explained as follows. Vaatalam guru sheetam cha raktapittakaphapaham |
Sandhatru cchedanam ruksham kashayam madhuram madhu || It has sweetness (madhura rasa) with added astringent as end taste (Kashaya anu rasa). It is heavy (guru guna), dry (ruksha) and cold (sheeta). Its effect on doshas is as follows It aggravates vata, scrapes kapha and normalizes pitta and rakta. It promotes healing process. The contents of Honey are
1. Sugars like fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose, lactose and other disaccharides and trisaccharides.
2. Proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and amino acids,
3. Volatile aromatic substances.
4. Ashes and water etc. Various ingredients of honey have helped it to become not only a sweet liquid but also a natural product with high nutritional and medicinal value. The medicinal quality, taste, texture, color, aroma of honey differs according to the geographical area and the species of plants from which it has been collected. Types of Honey: Eight types of honey are described in ayurveda depending on the type of bee which collects it. They are Pouttika ,Bhramara .Kshoudra, Makshika , Chatra , Arghya ,Oudalaka ,Dala . Pouttika - This honey is collected by very large bees from the nectar of poisonous flowers. It increases vata, causes gout and burning sensation in chest.It is also sedative and reduces fat. Bhramara - This honey is collected by large bees and Sticky in nature. Kshoudra - (Honey collected by medium sized honey bees ) light and cold in nature. Dissolves Kapha. Makshika - (Honey collected by small honey bees) very light and dry natured. Usefull in VataKapha diseases and kapha diseases Chatra - Heavy and cold in nature usefull in gout, Leucoderma (Shwitra), Arghya - Good for eyes but causes arthritis . Oudalaka - Useful in skin diseases, and helps in modulation of voice. Dala - Dry and reduces vomiting. Amongst all the above “Makshika” is considered as the best type with immense medicinal properties. Therapeutic uses of Honey: 1. As it contains sugars which are quickly absorbed by our digestive system and converted into energy, this can be used as instant energizer.
2. As it is hygroscopic it speeds up healing, growth of healing tissue and dries it up.
3. Honey acts as a sedative and is very usefull in bed wetting disorders.
4. Honey is very good antioxident which restores the damaged skin and gives soft, young looks.
5. Honey has antibacterial properties due to its acidic nature and enzymically produced hydrogen peroxide.
6. Constant use of honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacteria and viral diseases. In Ashtanga Hridaya the great classic of ayurveda, the therapeutic uses of honey are explained as follows. Chakshushayam Chedi tritshleshmavishahidmaasrapittanut |
Mehakushtakrimicchardishwaasakaasaatisaarajit ||
Vranashodhana sandhaanaropanam vaatalam madhu || Honey is very good for eyes and eye sight.
It quenches thirst.
Dissolves kapha.
Reduces effects of poison.
Stops hiccups.
It is very useful in urinary tract disorders, worm infestations, bronchial asthma, cough, diarrhea and nausea -vomiting.
Cleanse the wounds.
It heals wounds.
Helps in quick healing of deep wounds.
Initiates growth of healthy granulation tissue.
Honey which is newly collected from bee hive increases body weight and is a mild laxative.
Honey which is stored and is old helps in metabolism of fat and scrapes Kapha. Ayurveda explains another special quality of honey. Honey is called as Yogavahi . The substance which has a quality of penetrating the deepest tissue is called as Yogavahi. When honey is used with other herbal preparations it enhances the medicinal qualities of those preparations and also helps them to reach the deeper tissues. Precautions to be taken before using honey: Honey should not be mixed with hot foods.
Honey should not be heated.
Honey should not be consumed when you are working in hot environment where you are exposed to more heat .
Honey should never be mixed with rain water, hot and spicy foods, and Fermented beverages like whisky, rum, brandy etc, Ghee and mustard.
Honey includes nectar of various flowers of which some may be poisonous. Poison has hot or Ushna qualities. When honey is mixed with hot and spicy foods the poisonous properties get enhanced and cause imbalance of doshas. Few Home remedies with Honey
Mix 2 tea spoon of honey with carrot juice and consume regularly. This helps to improve eyesight and is very helpful for those who sit before computer for long hours.
In cold, cough and congested chest mix 2 tea spoons of honey with equal quantity of ginger juice and should be consumed frequently.
A mixture of black pepper powder, honey and ginger juice in equal quantities, when consumed thrice daily help to relieve the symptoms of asthma.
Regular use of one tea spoon of garlic juice mixed with two tea spoons of honey help to control blood pressure.
One glass of warm water taken with two tea spoons of honey and 1 tea spoon of lemon juice in early morning reduces fat and purifies blood. Consuming one spoon of honey daily help us to lead a healthy long life. Biography of Dr.Krishna.R.S Dr. Krishna.R.S has been an Ayurvedic Practitioner since 19 yrs , after getting a graduation degree in ayurveda (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) in 1986 from University of Mysore, India. He completed his post graduation diploma about allopathic medicine and surgery from University of Bangalore, Karnataka, India.His articles about ayurveda and life sciences have been published in many magzines. Dr.Krishna. R.S is a star athlete and has represented state and universities when he was in high school, pre university and college.

blogs.montin.ws

Exercise and yoga help breast cancer women in early stage

According to latest research studies, Yoga and Aerobic exercise help to improve quality of life in early-stage breast cancer patients. Results of the research study were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. This study is the largest to date to find the effects of exercise during chemotherapy and the first one to evaluate the effect of resistance exercise. The study was conducted over a period of 17 weeks. Yoga studies were mainly conducted on Hispanic and African American women. Resistance exercise essentially helps in stopping the most common side effect in chemotherapy – reduced white cell count.

Results of the Breast cancer research studies:

1. Resistance and aerobic exercises improved physical fitness, self-esteem and body composition
2. Resistance exercise improved chemotherapy completion rates.

3. Yoga was beneficial for women who were not receiving chemotherapy during the study.

4. Exercise did not cause Lymphedema or any other side effects.

5. Exercise may increase white blood cell counts and allow chemotherapy rates to continue.

6. Women responded well in the studies compared to men.

7. Benefits of yoga are more in women who adhered to the prescribed regimen and took more classes.

8. Yoga improved emotional well-being and mood and improved quality of life. Emotional well-being is crucial for women who are undergoing chemotherapy.

9. Lifestyle interventions definitely improve the quality of life in breast cancer patients (early stage).

10. Contrary to the popular opinion, exercise actually benefits the women who are under chemotherapy.

Resistance and Aerobic exercises and Yoga are must for every breast cancer patient who is under chemotherapy.

cancer.health-care-articles.com