Coffee - Very Useful Herb for Blood Pressure and Many Other Health Problems

Coffea arabica Rubiaceae

A native if Ethiopia, the evergreen coffee tree has dark green glossy leaves and can grow to 10m tall. Its clusters of decorative white flowers are delicately peifumed with the scents of aiffee and jasmine. The fruits are called cherries because they turn red as they ripen. Each cherry contains two coffie beans.

Parts used

Seeds (coffee beans)

The cherries, picked when ripe contain green, odourless raw seeds used in homeopathic medicine.

The seeds are roasted and gain their distinctive coffee-bean aroma. . Caffeine is used in many medicines.

Constituents

Phenolic acids constitute up to 5 per cent of coffee beans; they possess stimulant and antiseptic properties. The caffeine content ranges from 0.6 to 3 per cent: caffeine stimulates activity in all the major organs of the body. Roasting reduces caffeine content and adds pigments and aroma. Coffee beans also contain small amounts of theobromine, tannin and trigonelline.

CAUTIONS

PREPARATION AND DOSAGE

For internal use

TO TREAT fatigue, nausea, obesity

CAFFEINE TABLETS (SOg) Take 1-2 tablets as directed. Do not exceed 2 tablets in one hour or 12 in 24 hours.

TO TREAT excess weight gain CREAM Apply a caffeinecontaining cream in the morning and early evening.

Medicinal uses

Caffeine, the main active constituent in coffee, causes people to feel more alert. One study published in 1987 in Psychopharmacology reported that a caffeine dose smaller than that found in a cup of coffee increased hearing and visual performance.

An Australian clinical study in 1996 demonstrated that coffee lessens the fall in blood pressure that normally occurs after eating. The researchers concluded that this stimulant action on the cardiovascular system was particularly beneficial for elderly individuals.Because caffeine increases the metabolic rate, it maximises the painkilling effect of analgesics like aspirin or paracetamol, and is often added to them in 'ultra' versions.

Caffeine can alleviate nausea and vomiting, and treat headaches and migraines. As a stimulant, it is vital in preventing coma following collapse through narcotic poisoning. Other constituents of coffee also playa role. Trigonelline, for example, may relieve migraine, while theophylline has stimulant, diuretic and cardio vascular properties, Research in 2002, at Imperial College, London, showed that theobromine relieves coughing. Externally, caffeine-containing creams can stimulate lipolysis - the destruction of body fats - and are a useful part of a slimming regime.

Cultivation

Coffee will not survive where the temperature falls below 10°C. It likes well-drained soil and partial shade.