Our daily stimuli explained!

Stimulants are the most used drugs in the world.

This statement may sound rather bold to many, considering how the media portrays the use of compounds such as cannabis and alcohol and our perception of stimulants. Often, when mentioning stimulants, people’s minds sail toward substances like amphetamines, cocaine, or methamphetamine. Hence, you may wonder, how are these the most used compounds? It’s not like people are constantly snorting cocaine before work or even taking out their glassware paraphernalia to smoke meth during their breaks.

But what if we think about substances in a realistic scenario, filled with less drama?

Rethinking about our routines, we tend to wake up and brush our teeth in the morning, followed by breakfast and coffee. (Or simply a coffee and a cigarette if you are European, or a breakfast tea if you are English.) Or thinking about our last night out or a week filled with work where you needed an extra boost and decided to have an energetic drink.

And here lies our queue for the topic of Stimulants.

Whether we agree or disagree to compare compounds such as amphetamines, methamphetamines, and cocaine to nicotine, caffeine, theine, and even theobromine present in various coffee beans, tea strains, and chocolate doesn’t make these compounds less stimulants, and certainly does not tick them off the stimulant definition stated by several chemical and pharmacological classes.

 

 

 

Thinking about this made me wonder what might be the most consumed stimulating beverage and what might have started the popularity of stimulating drinks worldwide.

To do so, we must dive into one of the longest histories of addiction, 2737 BC, according to a Chinese legend.

The legend states that the Chinese emperor Shen Nung was sitting beneath a tree while his servants boiled drinking water when some leaves from the tree blew into the water. Shen Nung was a renowned herbalist, so he decided to drink the infused accidentally made by his servants. This tree was Camelia Sinensis, the same tree we use to infuse various teas today. Hence, tea was born and became a thing. 

It’s impossible to know if there’s any truth to this story, but we know that drinking tea became popular in China. Additionally, archeologists found tea in tombs dating back to 206 BC – 220 AD, and it became the national drink of China during 618-906 AD. By the late eighth century, tea was so beloved in China that a book called Ch’a Ching, or Tea Classic, was written as a tribute to the drink.

If the legend is true, and we compare the tomb findings to those of ancient civilizations, we can say that Ancient China venerated tea. Considering civilizations like the Egyptians, people in higher hierarchies were buried alongside sacred items, plants, and symbols of their wealth. Perhaps they were even aware of the stimulant effects of tea, but also its vast pharmacological value.

When thinking about tea, we have several varieties in mind. But the most common types of tea, such as black tea, green tea, white tea, and even variants such as Earl Gray and Matcha, among many others,  all come from the same plant species, Camelia Sinensis,  with different methods of growing, harvest, and techniques such as withering, rolling and oxidizing.

 

Read more about how to make your own tea here!

 

These techniques change the type of tea you make and alter some of its properties due to different fermentation processes.

For example:

• Black tea tends to have a slightly higher caffeine content than green tea. 

• The average caffeine in black tea is ~40–70 mg per cup, while green tea has ~20–45 mg per cup.

• Black tea typically has a higher concentration of theophylline due to longer fermentation. Theophylline acts as a mild stimulant, which affects heart rate and breathing and can be used therapeutically for respiratory issues such as asthma and allergies.

• Green tea has the same or slightly lower concentrations of theobromine than black tea. Theobromine is also found in chocolate, and it’s known for its milder stimulant effects when compared to caffeine.

• L-Theanine although it’s not an alkaloid, both black and green tea contain L-Theanine. However, green tea tends to have a higher concentration, contributing to a more calming, less jittery stimulant effect.

Alongside the main phytochemicals present in Camelia Sinensis and its various forms mentioned above, we can also count on other phytochemicals such as flavonoids (Thearubigins (TRs) and theaflavins (TFs) and catechins), amino acids (L.theanine), vitamins (A, C, K), phenolic acids (caffeic acid (CA), gallic acid (GA), chlorogenic acids (CGA) and cauramic acid), lipids, proteins, volatile compounds carbohydrates, β-carotene, and fluoride that illustrated many promising pharmacological effects regarded as a growth promoter, cardioprotector, potent cholesterol-lowering effect, antioxidant and antimicrobial, etc.

Such properties and legends eventually made tea sacred on its own, and even today, we can experience and witness tea ceremonies in Asian countries, making tea the second most consumed stimulant beverage worldwide, with 7.09 billion Kilograms consumed only in 2023.

But that’s right, the second most used, another beverage would stop by to interrupt our tea party around 800 AD.

 

 

Firstly introduced by an Ethiopian goat herder named Kaldi, who constantly saw his goats acting strangely, jittery, and energized after chewing on some berries from a tree, Kaldi decided to try the berries himself. He also felt the same effects as his goats, so Kaldi took the berries to a monk, who believed them to be the devil’s work and threw them into the fire.

Once the berries hit the fire, they released a heavenly aroma while being turned into embers. Realizing their mistake, they placed the berries into a jug and covered them with hot water for preservation.

The monks would drink this lovely new concoction, only to realize it helped them to stay awake during nightly devotions and prayers.

This legend was followed yet by another story from a mystic traveling through Ethiopia named Yemenite Sufi, who also saw animals being very energetic and jittery after eating the berries of a plant. After noticing how energized the birds were, he decided to try the berries and found the same result as Kaldi. He was filled with energy once again after walking for endless hours.

These berries would be the berries that hold what we now know as the coffee bean.

And just like tea, the properties of coffee don’t stop with its efficiency as a stimulant.

Caffeine, the main component of coffee, increases alertness, concentration, and focus, enhances physical performance by raising adrenaline levels, promotes fat burning, boosts metabolism, reduces the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and reduces depression risk.

Alongside caffeine, coffee has complex structures and mixtures of brown and macromolecular polymers formed by the Maillard reaction of carbonyl and amino compounds in coffee beans during the roasting of the beans that have antioxidant properties, antibacterial properties, anti-hyperlipidemia, and anti-caries. Coffee can also improve the intestinal microenvironment and other biological activities. In addition, there is also the possibility that polyphenols present in the phytochemistry of coffee are the reason behind the anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antibacterial, vasodilator, anti-allergic, and anti-cancer effects, as these compounds interact with major cell signaling and gene regulation pathways and regulate the intestinal microbiota by inhibiting the growth of specific bacterial species.

Flavonoids present in the brew may also have various pharmacological effects depending on their bioavailability, and they must be absorbed, metabolized, and eliminated by the body.

According to Chinese material Medica, the slight bitterness of coffee causes the drinker to wake up and may be the reason behind diuresis* and strengthens the stomach. Research reports claim that the components contained in coffee mainly include alkaloids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, terpenoids, sterols, and volatile components that offer vast pharmacological properties such as insulin sensitization, improvement of sugar metabolism, anti-diabetes, and liver protection effects.

*increased or excessive production of urine.

So, if these compounds all have amazing properties, what is the ruckus behind why energy drinks are so bad for your health?

Those with a fair understanding of chemistry will likely tell you that energetic drinks aren’t as bad as the media says if consumed in moderation. Of course, this is a variable depending on what type of energetic drink you have, but plenty of them are typically caffeine or tea-based.

If we break, let’s say, Monster Energy down, we’ll see that the drink has caffeine (which we’ve proven to have benefits) and taurine ( which support nerve growth. It might also benefitpeople with heart failure by lowering blood pressure and calming the nervous system), guarana (a plant extract known to enhance energy and focus), ginseng (a natural root extract used to combat fatigue and improve concentration), B-Vitamins (Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (Niacin), Vitamin B6, Vitamin B1 (that help in energy production by aiding the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins), L-Carnitine (An amino acid derivative that plays a role in the body’s production of energy, especially in the conversion of fat to energy.) as well as sodium and other electrolytes that help with hydration and maintaining electrolyte balance during physical exertion.

The main issue when it comes to these drinks is, in fact, the levels of sugars and artificial sweeteners included in these drinks. Taking Monster Energy as an example, a 16 oz can of Original Monster Energy contains about 54 grams of sugar, which is more than the recommended daily sugar intake for most adults. 

However, this story changes rather dramatically if we compare these brands with tea-based energy drinks (Once again, in moderation) since brands such as NOCCO, Brite, etc. source their stimulants, such as theine and caffeine from tea instead of synthetic caffeine, source polyphenols, flavonoids, and other amino acids tea leaves as well people will naturally say that they are healthier than let’s say Redbull or Monster Energy. The secret that makes these drinks healthier and potentially better tools to bring us energy is that these brands also source their sweeteners from tea leaves, allowing them not to add artificial sweeteners or sugars.

We must note that those who have health conditions, are pregnant, or sensitive to caffeine should NOT consume stimulants, as it may lead to tragic results.

Nonetheless, we hope you’ve enjoyed these facts regarding the stimulants we take daily, and this article helps you understand more about our chemistry and maybe cultivating your curiosity about how everything we eat and do changes how our body functions.

Let us know whether you are team coffee or team tea!