The Best Cough Medicine to Stop a Chronic Cough: Dark Chocolate and Theobromine

A Study Finds that Theobromine, a Substance in Chocolate, May Be the Safest and Most Effective Cough Suppressant

Who would've guessed the best cough medicine to stop a chronic cough would also be the most delicious? Cough medicine, infamous for its disagreeable taste, is facing some tough competition from a substance in chocolate called theobromine. A recent study has indicated that the theobromine content in dark chocolate may indeed be the most effective and safest cough suppressant around.

In a cough suppressant study performed by London's National Heart and Lung Institute, chocolate's theobromine significantly outperformed codeine, the primary active ingredient in prescription cough medicine. Participants in the study were treated at different times with a placebo, codeine, and theobromine before being exposed to capsaicin via an inhaled gas. Capsaicin, a chili pepper derivative, has long been used to induce coughing in clinical research.

As a cough medicine, codeine (mostly known as a painkiller) had nominal success compared to the placebo, but theobromine was 33 percent more effective than codeine to stop coughing. Theobromine was found to work directly on the vagus nerve, which is responsible for triggering coughing. Researchers found nearly identical results in guinea pigs as in humans.

Beyond theobromine's increased efficacy, it's safer than over-the-counter and prescription cough medicines. Cough medicine is rarely harmful, but can have minor side effects; most common are drowsiness, constipation, and dry mouth. We've been conditioned not to operate heavy machinery after taking cough medicine. It is, however, perfectly safe to eat dark chocolate in your crane, forklift, or other industrial vehicles, provided you're still paying attention. Theobromine has not been connected to any side effects (though it should be noted that the substance has just begun to be studied in the past few years).