[Fwd: Coffea arabica - Special Report - Medicine At Your Feet]

December 16, 2001

David Leonard wrote:

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Plant Name: Coffea arabica

Family: Rubiaceae

Similarly Used Species: C. liberica, C. excelsa, C. robusta, C.

canephora, C. maclaudii, C. stenophylla

Common Names: Coffee, Java, Joe [uSA] Kope [Hawai'i] Qahwah,

Caova, Cova [Middle East] Cabi [Panama] Cafe [spanish]

Category: Regulate Qi

Properties: Sweet, bitter, neutral

Channels Entered: Bladder, Discovery, Large Intestine

Western Functions: Addictive, Analeptic, Analgesic (as an

additive), Anaphrodisiacal. , Anorexic, Anti soporific,

Anti-emetic, Anti-soporific, Antidote to narcotics, Cardiotonic,

Cardiotonic (Increases blood flow through the coronary arteries),

Cholegogue, Counterirritant, Diuretic (loses its effect with

continued use), Hypnotic, Increases peristalsis, Intellectual

aid, Nervine, Stimulant

Energetic Functions (functions and properties are extrapolated) :

Regulates and sinks the qi, opens the chest, drains dampness,

opens the orifices, moves the bowels

Common Medicinal Uses: Constipation, depression, acute asthma,

fatigue, hangover.

Esoteric Medicinal Uses:

* Cosmetic: Coffee grounds are used in Japan as a body scrub and

skin cleanser. [Japan]

* Cardiovascular: Cardiac insufficiency [Eclectics]; Right heart

failure [General]; Heart disease [General]

* Dermatological: Cold coffee is used by fishermen to wash the

smell of fish off their hands.

* Digestive: Chronic diarrhea (?) (black coffee) [Eclectics,

India]; Constipation (when not due to excessive use of coffee)

[Eclectics]; Nausea [Turkey]; Slow digestion [Eclectics, Science]

* Eyes, ears, nose, throat: Headache [Curacao, Haiti, USA];

Migraine. [Eclectics, Global, Science]; Unpleasant sense of

fullness in the head [Eclectics]

* Food: Yep.

* Hepatic: Ascites [General]; Jaundice [General]; Pleural

effusion [General]

* Infection: Charred as a dressing for gangrenous ulcers

[Eclectics]; Fever [General]; Intermittent fever (unroasted beans

as a quinine substitute) [General]; Malaria [Eclectics]; Sores

[General]; Typhoid-type fevers [Eclectics, General]

* Musculoskeletal / Trauma: Gout [Eclectics, Turkey]; Rheumatism

(not commonly used) [Eclectics]; Scorpion sting, snakebite

[General]

* Neurological: Delirium tremens [Eclectics]; Vertigo [Curacao]

* Pediatric: Whooping-cough [Eclectics]

* Psychospiritual: "Anemic condition of the brain" [Eclectics];

Depression [Eclectics, Global]; Hysteria [Eclectics]

* Reproductive: Abnormal uterine bleeding [Eclectics]; Amenorrhea

(green kernels) [Eclectics]; Post partum hemorrhage [Eclectics]

* Respiratory: Asthma (acute and chronic) [Eclectics, Global,

Science, Trinidad]; Bronchitis, chest congestion [General];

Emphysema [General]; Hiccough [Eclectics], Influenza [General,

Science];

* Urinary: Kidney stones [Eclectics, France, Turkey]; Renal

"torpor" [Eclectics]

* Other: Coffee enemas used for "cleansing" [Central & South

America, USA]; To prevent "rapid wasting of the tissues of the

body" [General] Cancer [General]; Convalescence from acute

disorders [Eclectics]; Drowsiness after meals [Eclectics]; To

improve athletic performance [General]; Intoxication [Charles

Belyea, China, Eclectics, General]; Low energy [Global]; Narcotic

poisoning [Dominican Republic, Haiti, Science, Turkey], "opium

narcosis" [Eclectics, General]

Part Used: Berries, kernel, leaves

Habitat: Native to Ethiopia.

Clinical Combinations:

* "Combines well with digitalis" [Esoterica - DO NOT try this at

home, kids]

* Caffeine with aspirin in over-the-counter analgesics

Traditional Combinations: For arthritis black coffee is mixed

with lime juice [Trinidad]

Caution:

* Not with stomach heat, gastritis, insomnia, heart palpitations,

agitation.

* Small doses only for liver qi stagnation.

* Not in pregnancy or while nursing.

* Not in large doses with muscle spasm; shoulder, neck, or back

pain.

* Not without giving me some.

Possible Drug Interactions: Bronchodialtors, quinolones, and oral

contraceptives (overstimulation), MAOIs (coffee contains

tyramine), benzodiazapines (poor man's speed ball), beta-blockers

(coffee can raise blood pressure), histamine blockers (can

irritate the GI system - H2 receptors)

Preparation: Decocted. Black, small quantities.

Dosage: 1-2 cups

Research:

* Antioxidant

* Coffee will raise serum cholesterol unless filtered through a

paper filter.

* Increases gastric secretions, plasma homocysteine and

catecholamine levels. It reduces urea and phosphoric acid in the

urine

* Increases blood pressure in non-habitual users.

* Heavy coffee drinking is correlated to increased risk of

suicide and decreased risk of colorectal cancer and Parkinson's

disease.

* Coffee is used as a stimulant, used to ward off coma in

narcotic overdose and snake bite. In acute cases administered as

an enema. (As if a coma wasn't enough of an indignity.)

* A Harvard study concludes that the incidence of kidney stones

drops 10% if you drink coffee, and 14% if you drink tea.

* Causes relaxation of the bronchial tubes and the smooth muscles

of the blood vessels (except cerebral blood vessels).

* A diet of 20% green coffee in hamsters reduces tumor growth by

90%.

* Caffeine is injected with sodium benzoate for poisoning or

respiratory failure

* Wake up and smell the coffee! A University of California study

reports that the steam rising from a cup of coffee has the same

amount of antioxidants as three oranges.

Legends of the discovery of coffee:

* Middle Eastern shepherds noticed that when their sheep ate the

berries both the sheep and the shepherd were up all night.

* In 1258 Sheik Omar was in exile and was complaining about his

problems when a bird began singing in a tree. Trying to grab the

bird, he instead ended up with a handful of berries and flowers.

He then proceeded to make a "perfumed drink" from the berries and

felt much better.

* An Islamic monk was vexed by his inability to stay awake during

his prayers. One day he saw a goat herd dancing with his goats

and was told that the goat herd's happiness was caused by a

specific bean. He was convinced that Mohammed had sent him this

herb as a gift to keep him awake. The monastery was thereafter

called the home of the "Wakeful Monks", as they would drink

coffee as they prayed. (A similar legend exists in China

regarding tea.)

Notes:

* Coffee and chocolate (those twin guilt-marinated New-Age

bogeymen) are to many of people what sex was to the Victorians...

vices that are publicly reviled while being craved and

lusted-after behind closed doors. Both have now been shown to

have strong anti-oxidant properties. The antioxidants in coffee

are heterocyclic compounds which may prevent heart disease and

cancer.

* Coffee is second only to oil as a world commodity and is the

most popular beverage worldwide with over 400 billion cups

consumed each year. In the last three centuries, 90% of all

people living in the Western world have switched from tea to

coffee.

* The caffeine in coffee beans is bound to an organic acid and

requires roasting to become active, but dark roasted coffee

(unlike tea) has less caffeine than the lighter brews.

* Observation: From a clinical perspective Coffea arabica

(Coffee) is similar to Bupleurum chinense (Chai hu) in that both

are herbs that regulate qi in small doses, but bring it to a

grinding halt in larger ones. There, however the similarity ends,

as Bupleurum strongly directs the qi upward, and Coffea strongly

directs the qi downward.

* Coffee can be burned as a room deodorizer

* October 1st is Coffee Day in Japan.

* African warriors would mix mashed coffee berries with animal

fat, roll them into balls, and eat them before battle.

* In Bolivia, the bark is used to make a coffee substitute called

Sultana.

* Brazil is the world's largest producer of coffee. All of Latin

America's coffee industry emerged from one tree in a Dutch

botanical garden.

* In Jamaica, the rats often chew the fruit off of the coffee

berry. The kernels fall to the ground and are gathered to make a

brew called "rat coffee".

* In Sumatra coffee leaves are dried on of bamboo strips over a

fire, then powdered and infused. Coffee leaves are reputed to

have as much caffeine as the beans.

* In Turkey the inability of a man to give his wife enough coffee

is considered grounds for divorce. (no pun intended)

* The name Coffee comes from Caffa, an Abyssinian province.

* By the 1400s Mecca had several coffee houses.

* Most Arab coffee was shipped through a port called Mocha. Arabs

were forbidden to export the plant but in the 1600s the Dutch

smuggled out some coffee starts to the island of Java. In 1652

the first Coffee shop was opened in London

* After hearing that coffee was "the Devil's potion", Pope

Clement VIII tried a cup and declared it to be "so delicious that

it would be a pity to allow the Muslim infidels to have exclusive

use of it." He then baptized the coffee to make it a Christian

beverage. Even Martin Luther agreed with this. About the same

time J.S. Bach wrote his Coffee Concerto.

* Coffee was brought to Hawai'i by Don Marin in 1813 or by a

"Frenchman" to Manoa Valley in 1823, depending on who you ask.

And finally, for those who cannot sleep... a few quotes:

* From the 19th century Eclectic Physicians : "Coffee, in strong

infusion, without cream or sugar, is one of the first agents to

be thought of in opium narcosis... and electricity, and

particularly flagellation, resorted to...." - - King's American

Dispensatory (Doctors after my own heart)

* A morning without coffee is like sleep. - - Graffitti

* Far beyond all other pleasures, rarer than jewels or treasures,

sweeter than grape from the vine. Yes! Yes! Greatest of

pleasures! Coffee, coffee, how I love its flavor, and if you

would win my favor, yes! yes! let me have coffee, let me have my

coffee strong! - - Johann Sebastian Bach

* Coffee! Thou dost dispel all care, thou are the object of

desire to the scholar. This is the beverage of the friends of

God. -- In Praise of Coffee," Arabic poem (1511)

* He that would drink it for livelinesse sake, and to discusse

slothfulnesse, and the other properties that we have mentioned,

let him use much sweat meates with it, and oyle of pistaccioes,

and butter. Some drink it with milk, but it is an error, and such

as may bring in the danger of leprosy. - - Old Arab Text

* Coffee should be black as hell, strong as death, and as sweet

as love. - - Turkish Proverb

--

*************************

-- ,

FAX:

December 17, 2001

I loved the coffee info and forwarded it to many fellow syncophants to the noble coffee bean. Thanks to the poster.

Mark Reese

-

cha

Sunday, December 16, 2001 10:05 PM

[Fwd: Coffea arabica - Special Report - Medicine At Your Feet]

David Leonard wrote: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Plant Name: Coffea arabica Family: Rubiaceae Similarly Used Species: C. liberica, C. excelsa, C. robusta, C. canephora, C. maclaudii, C. stenophylla Common Names: Coffee, Java, Joe [uSA] Kope [Hawai'i] Qahwah, Caova, Cova [Middle East] Cabi [Panama] Cafe [spanish] Category: Regulate Qi Properties: Sweet, bitter, neutral Channels Entered: Bladder, Discovery, Large Intestine Western Functions: Addictive, Analeptic, Analgesic (as an additive), Anaphrodisiacal. , Anorexic, Anti soporific, Anti-emetic, Anti-soporific, Antidote to narcotics, Cardiotonic, Cardiotonic (Increases blood flow through the coronary arteries), Cholegogue, Counterirritant, Diuretic (loses its effect with continued use), Hypnotic, Increases peristalsis, Intellectual aid, Nervine, Stimulant Energetic Functions (functions and properties are extrapolated) : Regulates and sinks the qi, opens the chest, drains dampness, opens the orifices, moves the bowels Common Medicinal Uses: Constipation, depression, acute asthma, fatigue, hangover. Esoteric Medicinal Uses: * Cosmetic: Coffee grounds are used in Japan as a body scrub and skin cleanser. [Japan] * Cardiovascular: Cardiac insufficiency [Eclectics]; Right heart failure [General]; Heart disease [General] * Dermatological: Cold coffee is used by fishermen to wash the smell of fish off their hands. * Digestive: Chronic diarrhea (?) (black coffee) [Eclectics, India]; Constipation (when not due to excessive use of coffee) [Eclectics]; Nausea [Turkey]; Slow digestion [Eclectics, Science] * Eyes, ears, nose, throat: Headache [Curacao, Haiti, USA]; Migraine. [Eclectics, Global, Science]; Unpleasant sense of fullness in the head [Eclectics] * Food: Yep. * Hepatic: Ascites [General]; Jaundice [General]; Pleural effusion [General] * Infection: Charred as a dressing for gangrenous ulcers [Eclectics]; Fever [General]; Intermittent fever (unroasted beans as a quinine substitute) [General]; Malaria [Eclectics]; Sores [General]; Typhoid-type fevers [Eclectics, General] * Musculoskeletal / Trauma: Gout [Eclectics, Turkey]; Rheumatism (not commonly used) [Eclectics]; Scorpion sting, snakebite [General] * Neurological: Delirium tremens [Eclectics]; Vertigo [Curacao] * Pediatric: Whooping-cough [Eclectics] * Psychospiritual: "Anemic condition of the brain" [Eclectics]; Depression [Eclectics, Global]; Hysteria [Eclectics] * Reproductive: Abnormal uterine bleeding [Eclectics]; Amenorrhea (green kernels) [Eclectics]; Post partum hemorrhage [Eclectics] * Respiratory: Asthma (acute and chronic) [Eclectics, Global, Science, Trinidad]; Bronchitis, chest congestion [General]; Emphysema [General]; Hiccough [Eclectics], Influenza [General, Science]; * Urinary: Kidney stones [Eclectics, France, Turkey]; Renal "torpor" [Eclectics] * Other: Coffee enemas used for "cleansing" [Central & South America, USA]; To prevent "rapid wasting of the tissues of the body" [General] Cancer [General]; Convalescence from acute disorders [Eclectics]; Drowsiness after meals [Eclectics]; To improve athletic performance [General]; Intoxication [Charles Belyea, China, Eclectics, General]; Low energy [Global]; Narcotic poisoning [Dominican Republic, Haiti, Science, Turkey], "opium narcosis" [Eclectics, General] Part Used: Berries, kernel, leaves Habitat: Native to Ethiopia. Clinical Combinations: * "Combines well with digitalis" [Esoterica - DO NOT try this at home, kids] * Caffeine with aspirin in over-the-counter analgesics Traditional Combinations: For arthritis black coffee is mixed with lime juice [Trinidad] Caution: * Not with stomach heat, gastritis, insomnia, heart palpitations, agitation. * Small doses only for liver qi stagnation. * Not in pregnancy or while nursing. * Not in large doses with muscle spasm; shoulder, neck, or back pain. * Not without giving me some. Possible Drug Interactions: Bronchodialtors, quinolones, and oral contraceptives (overstimulation), MAOIs (coffee contains tyramine), benzodiazapines (poor man's speed ball), beta-blockers (coffee can raise blood pressure), histamine blockers (can irritate the GI system - H2 receptors) Preparation: Decocted. Black, small quantities. Dosage: 1-2 cups Research: * Antioxidant * Coffee will raise serum cholesterol unless filtered through a paper filter. * Increases gastric secretions, plasma homocysteine and catecholamine levels. It reduces urea and phosphoric acid in the urine * Increases blood pressure in non-habitual users. * Heavy coffee drinking is correlated to increased risk of suicide and decreased risk of colorectal cancer and Parkinson's disease. * Coffee is used as a stimulant, used to ward off coma in narcotic overdose and snake bite. In acute cases administered as an enema. (As if a coma wasn't enough of an indignity.) * A Harvard study concludes that the incidence of kidney stones drops 10% if you drink coffee, and 14% if you drink tea. * Causes relaxation of the bronchial tubes and the smooth muscles of the blood vessels (except cerebral blood vessels). * A diet of 20% green coffee in hamsters reduces tumor growth by 90%. * Caffeine is injected with sodium benzoate for poisoning or respiratory failure * Wake up and smell the coffee! A University of California study reports that the steam rising from a cup of coffee has the same amount of antioxidants as three oranges. Legends of the discovery of coffee: * Middle Eastern shepherds noticed that when their sheep ate the berries both the sheep and the shepherd were up all night. * In 1258 Sheik Omar was in exile and was complaining about his problems when a bird began singing in a tree. Trying to grab the bird, he instead ended up with a handful of berries and flowers. He then proceeded to make a "perfumed drink" from the berries and felt much better. * An Islamic monk was vexed by his inability to stay awake during his prayers. One day he saw a goat herd dancing with his goats and was told that the goat herd's happiness was caused by a specific bean. He was convinced that Mohammed had sent him this herb as a gift to keep him awake. The monastery was thereafter called the home of the "Wakeful Monks", as they would drink coffee as they prayed. (A similar legend exists in China regarding tea.) Notes: * Coffee and chocolate (those twin guilt-marinated New-Age bogeymen) are to many of people what sex was to the Victorians... vices that are publicly reviled while being craved and lusted-after behind closed doors. Both have now been shown to have strong anti-oxidant properties. The antioxidants in coffee are heterocyclic compounds which may prevent heart disease and cancer. * Coffee is second only to oil as a world commodity and is the most popular beverage worldwide with over 400 billion cups consumed each year. In the last three centuries, 90% of all people living in the Western world have switched from tea to coffee. * The caffeine in coffee beans is bound to an organic acid and requires roasting to become active, but dark roasted coffee (unlike tea) has less caffeine than the lighter brews. * Observation: From a clinical perspective Coffea arabica (Coffee) is similar to Bupleurum chinense (Chai hu) in that both are herbs that regulate qi in small doses, but bring it to a grinding halt in larger ones. There, however the similarity ends, as Bupleurum strongly directs the qi upward, and Coffea strongly directs the qi downward. * Coffee can be burned as a room deodorizer * October 1st is Coffee Day in Japan. * African warriors would mix mashed coffee berries with animal fat, roll them into balls, and eat them before battle. * In Bolivia, the bark is used to make a coffee substitute called Sultana. * Brazil is the world's largest producer of coffee. All of Latin America's coffee industry emerged from one tree in a Dutch botanical garden. * In Jamaica, the rats often chew the fruit off of the coffee berry. The kernels fall to the ground and are gathered to make a brew called "rat coffee". * In Sumatra coffee leaves are dried on of bamboo strips over a fire, then powdered and infused. Coffee leaves are reputed to have as much caffeine as the beans. * In Turkey the inability of a man to give his wife enough coffee is considered grounds for divorce. (no pun intended) * The name Coffee comes from Caffa, an Abyssinian province. * By the 1400s Mecca had several coffee houses. * Most Arab coffee was shipped through a port called Mocha. Arabs were forbidden to export the plant but in the 1600s the Dutch smuggled out some coffee starts to the island of Java. In 1652 the first Coffee shop was opened in London * After hearing that coffee was "the Devil's potion", Pope Clement VIII tried a cup and declared it to be "so delicious that it would be a pity to allow the Muslim infidels to have exclusive use of it." He then baptized the coffee to make it a Christian beverage. Even Martin Luther agreed with this. About the same time J.S. Bach wrote his Coffee Concerto. * Coffee was brought to Hawai'i by Don Marin in 1813 or by a "Frenchman" to Manoa Valley in 1823, depending on who you ask. And finally, for those who cannot sleep... a few quotes: * From the 19th century Eclectic Physicians : "Coffee, in strong infusion, without cream or sugar, is one of the first agents to be thought of in opium narcosis... and electricity, and particularly flagellation, resorted to...." - - King's American Dispensatory (Doctors after my own heart) * A morning without coffee is like sleep. - - Graffitti * Far beyond all other pleasures, rarer than jewels or treasures, sweeter than grape from the vine. Yes! Yes! Greatest of pleasures! Coffee, coffee, how I love its flavor, and if you would win my favor, yes! yes! let me have coffee, let me have my coffee strong! - - Johann Sebastian Bach * Coffee! Thou dost dispel all care, thou are the object of desire to the scholar. This is the beverage of the friends of God. -- In Praise of Coffee," Arabic poem (1511) * He that would drink it for livelinesse sake, and to discusse slothfulnesse, and the other properties that we have mentioned, let him use much sweat meates with it, and oyle of pistaccioes, and butter. Some drink it with milk, but it is an error, and such as may bring in the danger of leprosy. - - Old Arab Text * Coffee should be black as hell, strong as death, and as sweet as love. - - Turkish Proverb -- ************************* -- Chinese Herbs FAX: Chinese Herbal Medicine, a voluntary organization of licensed healthcare practitioners, matriculated students and postgraduate academics specializing in Chinese Herbal Medicine, provides a variety of professional services, including board approved online continuing education.