Cola drinks

The genus Coca contains about 60 species indigenous to tropical Africa of which four are cultivated for their nuts: Cola acuminate, Cola anomala, Cola verticillata and the most important Coca nitida.

Cola nitida and C. acuminate trees of Africa produce cola nuts that are both chewed and prepared as beverages for their stimulant properties.

Cola nitida is the most important cola species of commerce. Cola nitida contains from 1.0 to 4.0 per cent caffeine by weight and traces of theobromine, while C. acuminate has from 1.5 to 3.6 percent caffeine and 0.02 to 0.09 per cent theobromine.

Both caffeine and theobromine are alkaloids which stimulate the nervous system and the skeletal muscles.

Both varieties also contain small amounts of kolatin, a glucoside heart stimulant and tannin.

Muslim physician of the 12th century reported that cola powder prepared as a beverage treated colic and stomachache.

Subsequent writers stated that cola reduced thirst pangs and when mixed with milk cured headache relived fatigue and increased the appetite.

In recent decades medicinal reports have extolled the use of cola beverages to treat indigestion, infection, migraine and nervous headache, and ulcers.

In Western Africa, decoctions of cola bark are drink to reduce labor pains during childbirth.

The use of cola as a flavoring for beverages fates to the 1870s when mixtures of cola, sugar vanilla were served as tonics for people who were invalid.

In 1886, John S. Pemberton invented the beverage Coca-Cola, which initially was prepared using combination of coca (i.e., cocaine, Erythroxylum coca) and cola, and was initially dispensed as a drugstore remedy to cure headache and hangover.
Cola drinks