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STIMULATING BEVERAGES
NATURE OF STIMULATING BEVERAGES
12. STIMULATING BEVERAGES are those which contain a drug that stimulates
the nervous and the circulatory system; that is, one that acts on the
nerves and the circulation in such a way as to make them active and
alert. Common examples of these beverages are coffee, tea, and cocoa or
chocolate. If the nerves are in need of rest, it is dangerous to
stimulate them with such beverages, for, as the nervous system
indirectly affects all the organs of the body, the effects of this
stimulation are far-reaching. The immediate effect of the stimulant in
these beverages is to keep the drinker awake, thus causing
sleeplessness, or temporary insomnia. If tea and coffee are used
habitually and excessively, headaches, dull brains, and many nervous
troubles are liable to result.
13. The stimulant that is found in the leaves of tea is known as
_theine_; that found in coffee beans, _caffeine_; and that found in
cacao beans, from which cocoa and chocolate are made, _theobromine_.
Each of these stimulants is extracted by the hot liquid that is always
used to make the beverage.
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