Does chocolate help calm a cough?

According to a recent study in London, eating chocolate may just be as or more effective in treating your cough than lozenges or other over-the-counter remedies. British researchers at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London conducted a small study, the results of which were presented at the British Thoracic Society's winter meeting in London. This study took ten volunteers and induced a cough with the help of capsaicin. Different members of the group were given either codeine or theobromine to treat the cough. Codeine is the common ingredient used in most cough medications whereas theobromine is an ingredient found in cocoa (chocolate). Results showed that theobromine was more effective than codeine when it came to suppressing a cough.

Chocolate has long since been used as a form of medication. The South Americans used chocolate to treat a number of ailments and dark chocolate, much like red wine, is believed to contain antioxidants that help maintain a healthy heart and reduce blood clots. It is only recently that a compound found in chocolate – theorbomine – is being regarded as an equally effective cough remedy. It is believed that theobromine suppresses the vagus nerve that is responsible for the action of coughing. Theobromine also causes fewer side effects as compared to conventional cough medications.

While the results of such a small study cannot be considered significant enough to suggest that people ditch their usual cough remedies and turn to chocolate instead, the researches are confident that this study will result in the development of more effective cough remedies in the future. They also hope that this new line of cough suppressants will have fewer side effects (such as drowsiness or constipation) than their current counterparts. More research is definitely needed regarding the usage of theobromine in cough treatments and studies are already under way. Doctors hope that this will change the efficacy of cough medications and that people who suffer from a chronic cough will now have a better treatment alternative to look forward to. That having been said, it wouldn't hurt to include cocoa or chocolate into your treatment regime if you do suffer from a cough. Eat a small square or two of good quality dark chocolate with a high cocoa content or drink a cup of hot cocoa before sleeping to ward of a persistent cough.

answered by G R

Nope. The best thing for a persistent cough is my Mom's and Grandmother's recipe- 4 oz. apple cider vinegar and 1 oz. of pure lemon juice, mix together in glass and then drink it as quickly as possible. Get ready for the burning sensation in back of your throat and about 15-30 seconds of coughing. Then it will stop burning and your sinuses will open up and you'll breath easy the rest of the night. Do it all again the next morning before you have any thing to eat.

answered by v