Caffeine

Caffeine (Audio Book) (Michael Pollan)

  • Short but sweet
  • Caffeine is the only drug we regularly give our children (in pop)
  • By far the most widely used psychoactive drug.
  • Plants use caffeine to drug bees into pollinating their flowers even if the plants are out of nectar. (Good for plant, bad for bee)
  • Question arises about humans. Coffee plants have clearly benefited. Not clear if net positive for humans.
  • Improved society in 17C for sure: > It was boiled, made safe for drinking. > Has some anti microbial features > Improves focus/concentration > Substitute for booze > Laxative (Constipation was a big problem in the 17C)
  • Probably very detrimental to our sleep
    • half-life of 6 hours in our system (1/4 life 12hrs)
    • Addictive: Coffee is the cure for the problem it causes
  • Arabs had monopoly on coffee plant (were making a killing)
    • Dutchman smuggled it out to Java (This was the seed for most of coffee in the new world)
  • Charles II tried to ban coffee houses in England, was afraid that it would foment revolution. People ignored him.
  • The so-called drink TEST
  • The so=called drink TEST2 #TestMe

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