Cocoa vs Green Tea

[Guest guest]

All "cocoa" has the additional ingredient of sugar to make it palatable for most people's tastes. The chocolate that is baker's chocolate does not.

If I remember correctly, caffeine is found in a group of chemicals called xanthines. Cocoa (cacao?); guarana; coffee; tea; there's an herb from Africa that I can not remember the name of; and yerba matte all are used for their stimulative properties of this group of chemicals.

But the Yerba Matte is probably the best for you. Its structure is supposed to be the mirror image of caffeine, but in reverse. Its actually considered an adaptogenic herb. Although stimulative, it does not have the effects of the caffeine found in coffee, cocoa, etc. And, like ginseng, and some other adaptogens, its major stimulative effect appears, to me, to be more potent with its daily use. Its building up the natural energies of your body.

When I used to use it, I never had the elevated blood pressure that some of the other herbs gave. I used to work night shift in a factory (swing shift) and abused coffee then. Abused guarana and ephedra as well (although with the ephedra, generally I used it with white willow and caffeine and thus modified its blood pressure raising effects). For me, in relation to all of these, my blood pressure would hardly elevate itself. I can remember one time with an accident my blood pressure shot up to 140/85. The several times an accident put me into the doc's office they immediately take your bp. Even with all the above, my bp hardly elevates itself unless I get excited over something, or angry.

If wanting the antioxidants out of something you do, its better to get it from food that is good for you. A major source of antioxidants in the everyday food supply is fruit and particularly berries: blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, boysenberries, and bilberries.

The herbs, like yerba matte, or ginseng, or other adaptogenic herbs, can be used to generally elevate your level of health. They are tonic to your body in general, although each of them acting in particular people, can be harmful in certain conditions. Ginseng can make you what in Chinese Traditional Medicine "wet." I've always interpreted that in terms of "allergies" and "congestion" for me. Licorice, great for particular conditions, and used in formulas to increase the effects of all the various herbs, and to make sure they get to the channels of your body that they need to, has an effect, in certain people, that increases water weight, puffiness.

Anyways, having morning coffee, and am doing my bit of yip yap.

 

Ed

 

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JazziDJess

Tuesday, April 10, 2007 11:35 PM

Cocoa vs Green Tea

 

 

I saw news item today that cocoa beats tea as antioxidant, and it lowers BP. But...look at the real world. When I drink Hot Chocolate, I use real cocoa. And the caffeine in that prolly RAISES my BP, if anything. I wonder if this latest kooky "study" was using cocoa minus caffeine?