Theobromine

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If you think that eating a piece of chocolate makes you feel better, this isn't just your imagination. The cocoa bean, from which chocolate is made, is loaded with good things. It has a number of essential minerals and vitamins, phenylethylamine which is an antidepressant, and several flavanoids with antioxidant properties. Cocoa beans also have a substantial amount of theobromine.

Theobromine in its natural state is a white or colorless, bitter, crystalline powder. However we know it in a much more enticing form as an ingredient of chocolate. It's association with chocolate earned it the name, which comes from the Greek theobroma, or food of the Gods.

Theobromine has a chemical structure very similar to caffeine. Both are made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms with 4 atoms of nitrogen included in the structure. Some effects of theobromine are similar to caffeine, only about 10 times weaker. The similar effects are that it acts as a diuretic and a stimulant. It differs from caffeine because it does not affect the central nervous system. Theobromine can dilate the blood vessels, lower blood pressure, relax the bronchial muscles and relax the vagus nerve which runs from the lungs to the brain. It is sometimes used as a cough medicine. A study published by the FASEB (Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology) Journal in November of 2004 showed that theobromine is effective in reducing cough in guinea pigs and in humans. The amount of theobromine used in the study was the equivalent of about 2 ounces of dark chocolate. Hey, it's worth a try next time you have a cough!

Theobromine is found in cocoa beans, so it is present in all chocolate products. Hersheys has a list of the amount of theobromine in some of their products. Dark chocolate contains the most theobromine, as it hasn't been diluted by adding extra ingredients. Tea, kola nuts and the guarana berry also contain smaller amounts of theobromine.

Theobromine is the compound that makes chocolate toxic for dogs, cats, birds and other small animals. They cannot process this chemical as effectively as humans, and the effect on their heart and kidneys can be fatal.

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