|  Botany
A small smooth tree reaching
a height of 3 to 5 meters. Leaves are elliptic-ovate to elliptic-oblong,
8 to 15 cm long, shining, and pointed on both ends. The flowers are
white, borne in fascicles in the axils of leaves. Fruit is red, ovoid
or ellipsoid, 1 to 1.4 cm long.
Chemical
constituents
• The alkaloids
of coffea arabica are caffeine, adenine, xanthine, hypoxanthine, guanosine
and proteids.
• Leaves contain an alkaloid, caffeine, 1.15 to 1.25 percent.
• The pericarp of the fruit contains caffeine, mallic acid, mannite,
invert sugar and saccharose.
• The seeds contain caffeine, gallic acid, citric acid, legumin,
glucose, dextrine, fat, and volatile oil (caffeol).
• Caffeine is medically known as trimethyl xanthine, C8H10N4O2.
Properties
Respiratory, gastric and
renal stimulant; diuretic, antilithic, digestive, peristaltic, febrifuge.
Increases reflex action and mental activity. More stimulatiing than
cocoa.
Roasted coffee believed to have disinfectant and deodorant properties.
A strong infusion of coffee is antisoporific.
Distribution
Widely cultivated.
Parts used and preparation
Seeds and leaves.
Roasted coffee considered in Indian medicine as disinfectant and deodorant.
Uses
Folkloric
• Infusion or decoction
of roasted coffee leaves as a stimulant. Some prefer the leaf to the
berry.
An important alkaloid used as a stimulant for the nervous system and
circulation.
• In traditional Indian medicine,
coffee is a palliative in spasmodic asthma, whooping cough, delirium
tremens.
• Used as a diuretic in dropsy.
Studies
• Gastrointestinal:
(1) Gasttroesophageal
reflux: Coffee promotes gastroesophageal reflux, stimulating gastrin
release and gastric acid secretion and slow gastric emptying. The effects
on esophageal sphincter effects. (2) In some, it increased rectosigmoid
motor activity within 4 minutes of ingestion.
• Nervous system effects: Caffeinated
beverages acutely stimulated the autonomic nervous system, affecting
alertness, heart rate and energy arousal.
• Antioxidant: Extract shown to have antioxidant activity attributed to chlorogenic acid.
• Dental Caries / Anticariogenic: Streptococcus mutans has been implicated as the primary causative agent of dental caries in humans. The organisms also produces an adherent glucan that contributes to the formation of dental plaque. Roasted coffee extract possesses a wide range of antibacterial activity that includes S aureus and Strep mutans. The study suggests coffee has an anticariogenic action but no antiadhesive action.
• Lectins: Study showed potent lectin activity in the fruit extract.
• Cafestol / Hypercholesterolemic: A diterpene molecule in coffee, said to be the most potent cholesterol-elevating compound in the human diet. . A typical bean of Coffea arabica contains 0.6% cafestol by weight, and is highest in unfiltered coffee drinks. Regular consumption of boiled coffee increases serum cholesterol by 8% in men and 10% in women. In drip brewed coffee, it is present in only negligible amount. Study suggests that cafestol can directly regulate expression of genes involved in cholesterol metabolism through activation of nuclear receptors FXR and PXR. Cafestol is also an intestine-specific activator of PXR and direct regulation of FXR and PXR genes in the intestines contribute to its choleraterol-raising effect in humans.
Availability
Wild-crafted.
Cultivated.
Tinctures and seeds in the cybermarket.
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