Caffeine, Tasty Treat or Dangerous Drug?
Caffeine is the most popular stimulant in the world. We researched this topic and found out that many studies have been done to prove both the upside and the downside to caffeine. The upside is that, in moderation, caffeine increases alertness and focus, improves memory, and boosts mood and energy. The downside is that caffeine over stimulates the nervous system, leading to irritability, insomnia, headaches, nervousness, high and irregular pulse, elevated blood pressure, heartburn, dehydration, and may increase birth defects during pregnancy.
There is a legend that says coffee was discovered around 850 AD in upper Egypt by a goat herder named Khaldi. One night, Khaldi's goats did not return home. When he found his goats, Khaldi saw them dancing around a shrub with red berries (coffee beans). After Khaldi tried some of the berries, he started to dance too. Khaldi spoke with some monks who used the berries to make a drink and... "coffee was born."
According to the book The World of Caffeine, Shen Nung, a Chinese emperor created the first cup of tea while resting in the shade of a shrub on a hot day:
"Following a logic of his own… he decided to cool off by building a fire and boiling some water to drink, a practice he had begun after noticing that those who drank boiled water fell sick less often than those imbibed directly from the well. He fed his fire with branches from a tea bush, and a providential breeze knocked a few of the tine leaves into his pot." He was the first to enjoy the stimulant effect of tea.