My kind of science: https://komonews.com/news/offbeat/study-chocolate-could-be-better-for-your-cough-than-syrup LYNCHBURG, Va. (WSET) -- An upper respiratory infection has been circulating recently, leaving everyone with a dry and itchy throat. For those of you battling the constant cough, British doctors recommend indulging in some milk chocolate rather than cough syrup. University of Hull professor Alyn Morice told The Daily Record that chocolate can actually "calm coughs." Professor Morice, the head of cardiovascular and respiratory studies and founding member of the International Society for the Study of Cough, wrote that researchers have gotten results of a recent study of over-the-counter cough medicine that contains cocoa. A study of 163 people showed that patients saw improvements in two days with the cocoa medicine. Researchers found that theobromine, an alkaloid in cocoa, is better at suppressing your urge to cough because it's sticky, which Morice said forms a coating on your throat's nerve endings. "This demulcent effect explains why honey and lemon and other sugary syrups can help, but I think there is something more going on with chocolate," Morice added.
Although I don't understand why British doctors would recommend milk chocolate if it is the cocoa that is reportedly doing the job. Dark chocolate has more coca and less sugar.
I've heard of people like you. To each his own, I suppose. I find milk chocolate too bland, apart from its being too sweet. Dark chocolate, especially the >75% variety, grabs you by the tongue and pulls. It is theater for the mouth. I haven't had any chocolate in quite some time, but when I do...
Correct...its the cocoa because it contains the theobromine to help stop the cough reflex. Cocoa contains like 3x more theobromine than milk chocolate. Yet, the plant that contains the largest amount is the Theobroma cacao...more calcium than cow's milk, highest plant of iron, 30 - 40x stronger as an anti-oxidants than blueberries and anti-depressant. I eat regularly high cocao dark chocolate bars (> 70% cocao) at least 2x per week since my teenage years. Took awhile (a few years) to get use to the bitter taste (not sweet) but is great when chopped up and put in other foods/receipes (e.g. cocao fudge bars, muffins). I learned to put it in muffins w/ cranberries from my grandmother and I do the same for my kids since they were 1 years old. I remember how healthy/thin she was...very different from other relatives that had problems with obesity & diabetes. Also, I eat it in the morning after a night of very little sleep...its a regular part of my family's diet and was one of the main food items my family requested to be given to me when I was in the hospital a few years ago. wrbtrader
It is the bitter taste that gives dark chocolate its oomph. Makes the mouth come alive! Also, if it is strong enough, you won't want too much of it, so it is somewhat self-limiting, so to speak. Whereas I imagine people who prefer sweeter, milk chocolate have a harder time finding a reasonable (healthy) upper limit. Just my opinion, of course.
Today, I prefer chocolate cocao over milk chocolate especially the cocao bars with almonds, cashews or peanuts even though its very expensive. I recommend if someone is going to try it in muffins...just chop up a high cocao/dark chocolate bar instead of putting in cocao powder. Many receipes out there use cocoa powder...great too when the other ingredients are cranberries or blueberries. wrbtrader
I don't eat either. The latter isn't really medicine, only palliative garbage to make big pharm richer. The former too high in calories & sugar.