Whether we realize it or not, chocolate has been used for medicinal purposes throughout the ages. It started with the Mayans and recent studies are now showing how beneficial both dark chocolate and cocoa powder are for your health. In the past century, chocolate’s use has declined as people turn to the pharmaceutical industry. The recent concern to look toward natural healing leads us back to remedies from the past. Chocolate’s health benefits has been no stranger to the limelight with a recent increase over the past five years. Chocolate has proven to be a star in everything from acting as a cough suppressant to cancer prevention from its antioxidant properties.
Can dark chocolate be the new addition to cough syrups we buy at our local pharmacy? Over $2 billion dollars per year are spent on non-prescription cough syrups every year in the United States. Much of these medications are supplied to children. When children or adults coughs are not calmed with such cough syrups, they often seek a prescription from their family physician for a narcotic cough syrup. Researchers in a study conducted in England have found that this far fetched idea may in fact be a reality before we know it. It has been found that real hot chocolate, melt dark chocolate with water added to it) had been used in the past for calming coughs. Researchers conducted a study involving codeine versus Theobromine which is found in chocolate. As expected, the codeine is extremely effective in calming the cough, but the Theobromine was 33 percent more effective than the codeine, is by far more tastier, less expensive, lasted for about four hours and had absolutely no side effects.
The good news is that only a small amount of dark chocolate is needed to calm the cough. Dark chocolate contains about 450 milligrams of Theobromine per ounce. The study was conducted with the amount similar to two ounces of dark chocolate. Children should require only about one ounce of dark chocolate since their body weight is significantly less than an adult. The subject of dark chocolate keeping you up at night should not be a concern. Although chocolate has a similar chemical make-up to caffeine, it has not been shown to interfere with sleep. Theobromine was also a popular ingredient in asthma medication a few years back. It relaxes the bronchial passages as well allowing for better breathing.
Having trouble with your memory? Always check with your doctor first, but maybe some cocoa or dark chocolate in your diet will do the trick. A natural compound found in cocoa powder enhances the memory of mice, even more so when combined with exercise. The Salk Institutes’s research team noted that this compound increase blood flow to the brain resulting in an increase in memory. The results of the study also found that mice that had been sedentary and were fed the compound also had an increase in memory capacity, blood vessel growth and gene activity, although the were more remarkable in the mice that exercised with the supplement. This finding is crucial because it identifies a single natural chemical with memory-enhancing effects, suggesting that it may be possible to optimize brain function by combining exercise and dark chocolate as dietary supplementation. Eat your daily dark chocolate and it may stave of dementia. It surely couldn’t hurt.
Believe it or not, dark chocolate and cocoa can help prevent cancer. Flavonols and procyanidins found in dark chocolate and cocoa might have anti-carcinogenic activities. Cornell University food scientists have confirmed that cocoa has such a high amount of antioxidants that it can prevent cancer. The scientists say cocoa has twice the amount of antioxidants found in red wine and three times the amount found in green tea or black tea. The presence of these antioxidants can help prevent other diseases than cancer including heart disease. Dark chocolate is really a powerhouse super food. Red wine only has 340 milligrams and 163 milligrams, respectively, and green tea contains 165 milligrams and 47 milligrams respectively. The study stated that the phenoic compounds found in plants are what acts as a natural combatant against insects and disease even after the plant is processed. It is no wonder that the combative powers can be passed on to us. He also suggests getting the benefits of all three antioxidant rich foods by “drinking hot cocoa in the morning, green tea in the afternoon and a glass of red wine in the evening. That’s a good combination.” Basically a cup of prevention at every meal!
Further benefits of the all powerful dark chocolate are many. Other studies have also been conducted on the flavonols in chocolate and found that they inhibit the growth of cancer cells in the colon. The men of Finland with the highest levels of flavonols in their diet were less likely to develop lung cancer than those with much lower levels of flavonols. That should not be much of a surprise since chocolate is the powerhouse of antioxidants and a little goes a long way. The suggested amounts to be consumed for health benefits are 2 ounces of dark chocolate with a cocoa percent of 70% or more. Chocolate and cocoa can prevent or help a myriad of diseases. As with everything, eat in moderation and use the best quality dark chocolate and cocoa available and enjoy!
