Cocoa Compound Benefits Chronic Cough

Cocoa Compound Benefits Chronic Cough

LONDON--Theobromine, a stimulant alkaloid found in cocoa, may stop persistent coughs more effectively than opioids such as codeine, according to researchers from Imperial College London. Their findings, published in the Nov. 17 online edition of The FASEB Journal (10.1096) (www.fasebj.org), suggest the cocoa compound could form the basis for a new class of antitussive drugs.

While animal research initially suggested theobromine could be effective against citric-induced cough, a follow-up placebo-controlled trial in 10 healthy humans found theobromine was one-third more effective against capsaicin-induced coughing than a placebo pill, and was also more effective than codeine. The researchers suggest theobromine acts by inhibiting vagus nerve activation.