The Supposed Miraculous Properties of Coffee
Coffee Is Supposed to Have Miraculous Qualities
On the subject of the introduction of coffee into England, it must be overlooked that the beverage suffered most as a result of the misbehavior of those who surrounded it. It was attempted to be claimed by quacks in the medical profession on the one hand, and denied by the medical establishment on another.
A large number of more or less uneducated laypeople ascribed to the drink attributes that its true admirers among the medical profession had never imagined. In order to overstate the benefits of coffee, its admirers would do so; and in order to demonize its users, its opponents would do so as well. All of this generated favorable “content” for and against the coffee shop, which quickly rose to the top of the news cycle as the focal point of every new debate.
To get from the early English author who cursed it by saying it was “more healthful than toothsome” to Pasqua Rosée and his contemporaries, who promoted its most fanciful claims, it had to navigate its way through a real minefield of misunderstanding and prejudice. Throughout history, no innocuous beverage has experienced as much abuse from both friends and enemies.
Even as its supporters heralded its use as a panacea, others opposed to its use described it as a gradual poison. On either side of the Atlantic, there were people who claimed that it caused sadness, and others who claimed it was a treatment for the condition. A renowned Oxford physician named Dr. Thomas Willis (1621–1673) said that he would sometimes send his patients to the coffee house rather than the apothecary’s store.
Its “magic” efficacy as a cure for intoxication was lauded by its supporters and reluctantly acknowledged by its detractors, who remained skeptical. As a deodorizer, coffee was lauded by at least one author. According to another author, in his thesis on its usage in the epidemic, if the plant’s properties had been fully understood in 1665, “educated persons of that time would have advised it.” Gideon Harvey’s Advice Against the Plague, which was published in 1665, is an excellent example of this.
Coffee is recommended as a preventative measure against the spread of disease.
When it comes to coffee and insomnia, Dr. Harvey Wiley asserts that “we know beyond doubt that the caffeine (in coffee) makes a direct attack on the nerves and causes insomnia.” However, other authorities disagree, as demonstrated by Dr. Wiley’s assertion that “we know beyond doubt that the caffeine (in coffee) causes insomnia.”
The following is an observation by Woods Hutchinson: “A cup of hot, weak tea or coffee, served with plenty of cream and sugar, will often help you sleep, because the grateful warmth and stimulus to the lining of the stomach, drawing the blood into it and away from the head, will produce more soothing effects than the small amount of caffeine will produce stimulating and awakening effects,”
People have often commented to the writer that although black coffee may occasionally keep them alert, coffee with cream, sugar, or both can make them tired.
Having a cup of coffee may help you live longer.
Generally speaking, coffee drinkers are in excellent health, and some of the world’s longest-living individuals have consumed the beverage from their early childhoods with no obvious ill effects on their health or longevity. Almost everyone knows someone who has survived to a ripe old age despite the fact that they drank a lot of coffee throughout their life. Metchnikoff, in his book The Prolongation of Life: The Science and Practice of Life Extension, wrote:
It has been reported that some centenarians have developed a strong addiction to coffee. Voltaire’s response when his doctor detailed the serious consequences of coffee abuse, which may function as a true poison, will be remembered by the reader. “Well, ” Voltaire said, “I’ve been poisoning myself for about eighty years now. People who have lived to be 100 years old exist.
Have been alive for a longer period of time than Voltaire and consumed even more coffee.
A native of Savoy, Elizabeth Durieux, lived to be 114-years-old. It was coffee that was her primary source of nutrition, and she consumed as much as forty little cups of it a day on an average day. Despite her cheery demeanor and good table companionship, she consumed copious amounts of black coffee, which would have startled an Arabic. As in an English cottage, she kept her coffee pot on the stove all the time, much like the tea pot.
The Supposed Miraculous Properties of Coffee
It turns out that the whole issue boils down to a question of individual tolerance, resistance, and constitution. Numerous cases of young abstainers who have died and coffee users who have survived may be documented, with a majority of occurrences pointing in neither way, as can be seen in the graph below.
It has been laboriously examined for physiological changes associated with coffee consumption in the bodies of people who have died in accidents, but no difference could be found between the bodies of coffee drinkers and those of non-coffee drinkers (as determined by careful investigation of their life history). Long term, it is reasonable to conclude that coffee consumption has no influence on either the length or shortening of one’s life.
Having a cup of coffee might help you feel better.
Coffee, when consumed in moderation, increases appetite, improves digestion, and decreases the sensation of satiety that might occur after eating a large meal. It works by increasing intestinal peristalsis, acting as a moderate laxative, and mildly stimulating bile production. Overuse, on the other hand, has a significant impact on digestive function, promoting constipation as well as hemorrhoids.
There is a great deal of data to support the belief that “neither tea, coffee, nor chicory in dilute solutions has any harmful impact on the digestive ferments, but such an activity may be obvious in strong solutions.” As a result of extensive research into different varieties of coffee, Dr. Julius Lehmann came to the conclusion that regular coffee had no impact on the digestive system in the vast majority of healthy individuals and may be consumed without fear of consequences.
As with any other consumed liquids, the only immediate effect of coffee passing straight into one’s stomach is to dilute the prior contents.
The caffeine content is eventually absorbed by the system, and from that point on, there is noticeable stimulation.
When coffee liquid comes into touch with stomach acids, it has been said that the presence of milk or cream causes the liquid to coagulate. This is correct, but it does not imply that indigestibility is a result of the coagulation process itself. After reaching the stomach, milk and cream are coagulated by the gastric juice, but the casein product generated is not indigestible and is excreted unchanged.
Due to the low acidity of the brew, these liquids are partially acted upon by the gastric juices, resulting in a less pronounced gastric juice action. This is because the coagulation process began prior to ingestion, and the coagulable constituent casein is more dilute in the cup of coffee as consumed than it is in milk.
Therefore, the particles generated in the stomach as a result of its consumption will be smaller in size and more rapidly and readily digested than milk itself. When coffee is served with milk or cream, it has been reported to be less stimulating than when the coffee is served black.
Caffeine has been found to be mechanically incorporated into casein and fat particles, as well as some adsorption of the alkaloid by these proteins and fats, claims the author. There is a significant delay in the absorption of caffeine by the body. This causes the effect to be spread out over a longer length of time and thus reduces the maximum stimulation that may be experienced.
According to the British Homeopathic Review, “A Careful Account of the Coffee Headache” is:
Symptoms include a semilateral headache that extends from the upper portion of the parietal bone to the base of the brain when the amount of coffee consumed is excessive and the body is too excited and unaccustomed to coffee consumption.
The brain membranes on this side seem to be uncomfortably sensitive as well, with the hands and feet getting chilly and perspiration forming on the forehead and palms of the hands and feet, respectively. Anxiety, trembling, and restlessness become noticeable as the temperament becomes irritable and intolerant…
The use of coffee as a beverage has been associated with the relief of many headaches of this kind, whereas the use of coffee as a beverage has been associated with the failure of many more. Those who drink coffee have increased sensitivity to light and sound. The use of coffee is connected with the development of a typical toothache.
It is a myth that coffee is addictive.
When it comes to coffee, the word “habit-forming” is often used; nevertheless, the reality is that coffee is significantly less likely than alcoholic beverages to induce negative health consequences. Unlike many other beverages, coffee seldom becomes a man’s slave, and excessive use of this beverage never results in a condition of moral irresponsibility or the commission of crimes.
Dr. J. W. Mallet declared in evidence provided before a federal court that caffeine and coffee were not habit-forming in the traditional meaning of the words. A detrimental and injurious habit, according to his definition, is one that becomes so firmly fixed in the mind of the person who develops it that it can only be thrown off with great difficulty and considerable suffering, with the continual exercise of the habit increasing the demand for the drug that causes it to be formed.
In general, it is understood that the urge to consume caffeine-containing drinks fades away after a short amount of time following cessation of consumption, indicating that coffee is not habit-forming in this context.
This study shown that daily administration of coffee generates a certain level of tolerance, and that the dosages must be raised to D in order to cause hazardous effects. According to the doctor and astronomer William Harkness, “used in moderation, coffee is one of the most healthful drinks known.” It aids in digestion, exhilarates the soul, and prevents the desire to fall asleep.
Observations on the Effects of Coffee on Children
Doctor Jonathan Hutchinson makes the following significant declaration:
In response to my proposal that parents provide tea and coffee to their children. I’d want to point out that this is done on purpose. Even at such a young age, there is likely to be no opposition to their usage.
They perk up the dormant, calm the agitated, prevent headaches, and prepare the mind for the task at hand. They help to maintain teeth in good condition, keep them in their proper positions, strengthen the vocal chords, and prevent sore throats. The term “nerve stimulants” is used incorrectly to describe these essential components of a healthy diet, since they unquestionably ought to be classified as “nerve nutrients” instead.
C. K. Taylor conducted a research on the effects of coffee consumption on 464 school students and discovered a modest variation in mental capacity and behavior that was adverse to coffee use. Nearly one-third of these youngsters drank no coffee; 46 percent drank a cup a day; 12 percent drank two cups; 8 percent drank three cups; and the rest drank four or more cups per day.
Those who did not consume coffee had a modest edge in terms of height, weight, and hand strength, according to the results of these tests. If these data are deemed to be really representative, the significance of their findings is clear. However, it seems that it would be beneficial to repeat these trials on different groups while also taking great note of the aspects of environment and other nutrition before establishing any criteria.
Practical experience on the island of Groix, off the coast of Brittany, serves as a counterpoint to this experimental evidence. The island’s inhabitants, who consume nearly 30 pounds of coffee per capita annually, do so both as the roasted bean and as an infusion, according to the island’s residents. Despite the fact that many of the children are fed almost solely on coffee soup until they are ten years old, the intellect and physical condition of the population does not deteriorate to the extent that other youngsters of similar stock and educational chances do.
It is difficult to establish a minimum age for drinking coffee since the time it takes for the beans to reach maturity varies depending on the environment and ancestral background of the growers and consumers. While children before or during the adolescent period should be allowed to consume a small amount of tea or coffee as beverages, from a theoretical standpoint, their poise and nerve control have not yet reached a stage of development sufficient to warrant the stimulation associated with an appreciable amount of caffeine consumption.