I was doing some reading recently, and came upon an interesting statement. It was a claim that dark chocolate was as effective a cough suppressant as most over the counter cough remedies, or even codeine.
I have not used dark chocolate this way, but I was very interested, since I am quite fond of dark chocolate. (Actually, my wife says I am a chocoholic.)
I have written before about the health benefits of chocolate, see this post: More Good News About Chocolate, but was unaware of this use for chocolate. So I did some further research.
I found that chocolate contains many constituents, including an alkaloid called theobromine. Theobromine is considered a broncholytic agent, which means it helps relax or expand the bronchial passages. So it seems that it could help reduce coughing.
All chocolate contains theobromine, but the darker the chocolate, the higher the concentration. If you want to try chocolate as a natural cough suppressant, I recommend using the darkest (highest cocoa percentage) chocolate you can find, also the highest quality chocolate available. (Stay away from products with "chocolate flavor" as they may contain little actual chocolate.)
I am not certain of the optimal dose, the original article mentioned a very small dose, 450mg (which is less than half a gram, and there are just over 28 grams in an ounce, so the original recommendation is far less than a mini-chocolate bar.)
I do believe that starting with the smallest possible dose that is effective is the best practice with any natural remedy, so the 450 mg dose is a good place to start.
I will try dark chocolate next time I feel a cough coming on, and I invite anyone else who is interested to join me. Let me know how it works for you.
