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

Dark chocolate is also an appealing alternative to children's cough medicine for parents who prefer not to give their children drugs whenever possible. Coughing, a beneficial part of the immune system, is more an irritant than a risk. But because children's bodies are less able to regulate the appropriate amount of coughing, children are more susceptible to a chronic cough than adults. It should also be a relief to not have to fight with the kids to get them to take their medicine.

The quantity of dark chocolate that should be eaten to stop coughing--about two ounces for an adult and about half as much for a child--is not enough to get children wound up, or for the minimal caffeine to cause sleep disturbances.

Theobromine levels are directly related to the cocoa content in chocolate. Milk chocolate contains little theobromine, while dark chocolate usually has about 400 to 450 mg of theobromine per ounce. Thus, to stop a chronic cough, or even a coughing fit, eating dark chocolate with as high a percentage of cocoa as possible is preferable when using chocolate as a cough suppressant. Or, to put it another way, the higher the cocoa content, the less chocolate needed to stop coughing.

Though not generally dangerous, cold and cough medicines do have one considerable drawback: they suppress symptoms, but there is considerable evidence that they simultaneously interfere with the immune system. Untreated colds generally last from four to seven days, while those treated with medicines usually last from 10 to 14 days. Theobromine has not been found to have similar negative effects on the immune system.

Since these things ought to be said: a chronic cough can be a symptom of a serious ailment. While eating dark chocolate will provide some relief, it's not a replacement for a doctor or prescribed medications. Persistent coughing for more than a week does call for a doctor's visit, as it can indicate pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma, lung cancer, tuberculosis, heart failure, or numerous other problems.