Caffeine is sometimes called "theine" when it's in tea. This is probably due to an ancient misconception that the active constituent is different. Theophylline is present only in trace amounts. It is more diuretic, more toxic and less speedy.
- Caffeine
- 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine
- Theophylline
- 1,3-dimethylxanthine
- Theobromine
- 3,7-dimethylxanthine
Coffee and tea contain caffeine and theophylline, respectively, which are methylated purine derivatives that inhibit cAMP phosphodiesterase. In the presence of these inhibitors, the effects of cAMP, and thus the stimulatory effects of the hormones that lead to its production, are prolonged and intensified.
Theobromine and theophylline are two dimethylxanthines that have two rather than three methyl groups. Theobromine is considerably weaker than caffeine and theophylline, having about one tenth the stimulating effect of either.
Theobromine is found in cocoa products, tea (only in very small amounts) and kola nuts, but is not found in coffee. In cocoa, its concentration is generally about 7 times as great as caffeine. Although, caffeine is relatively scarce in cocoa, its mainly because of theobromine that cocoa is "stimulating".
Theophylline is found in very small amounts in tea, but has a stronger effect on the heart and breathing than caffeine. For this reason it is often the drug of choice in home remedies for treating asthma bronchitis and emphysema. The theophylline found
in medicine is made from extracts from coffee or tea.
Comments
Hey I'm fourteen and I have
Hey I'm fourteen and I have been drinking alot of AriZona Green Tea lately. And yesturday and today my eyes have been really dialated and I have terrible sensitivity to light. So much so, i was wasn't able to be outside playing kickball in PE. I wear contacts but i don't think this was the problem for i haven't worn them in a few days. I'm trying to figure out what is causing it. Please comment back if you have any ideas.
Withdrawal From Tea?
Can you get withdrawal symptoms from herbal tea? I drink a lot of camomile. I haven't had any in the last 3 days. Yesterday, when I thought about making myself a cup and realized I was out - shortly after I got a really bad headache. Same thing happened today. It seems like I trigger the headaches myself when I think of having a cup of tea. Are my headaches being caused by something else or am I a tea addict?
Withdrawal From Tea?
Oh, and one more thing...my headaches carry on ALL day, some moments less painful than others.
Herbal tea: any caffeine or dimethylxanthenes?
Do various "herbal teas" have caffeine-like effects on the heart? How about decaffeinated "regular" teas?
Caffeine in herbal tea
Some herbal teas are simply Ceylon tea with flavour added. Other herbal teas may have varying amounts of caffeine.
For a truly caffeine free tea, which is quote common in South Africa and not regarded as a "herbal" tea by the locals there, try rooibos tea (fairly easy to get outside South Africa) or heuningbos tea (a little more difficult to get).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooibos
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeybush
PaulineI was wondering
Pauline
I was wondering about decaffeinated tea as I am starting to have the same dizzy effects after drinking it. Anyone know?
Could be a placebo effect.
Could be a placebo effect. You get yourself hyped over it and your body will react to it itself.
decaf tea
Go for it!! Tetley do a good decaf tea. Not much difference in taste, but you don't get the buzz when you drink it. Or the headaches when you need a cup. This is only if you stop caffeine altogether. And start to use decaf everything!! Lol
From what I know, the
From what I know, the process to extract caffeine from tea or coffee requires exposing it to a slew of other chemicals. That may be why you're experiencing similar negative effects.
decaf
There are a couple of methods. One uses a chemical one method. The other is "swiss-water". In either case the chemicals used are destroyed by heat.