Home Makers' Column

White Ribbon, Volume 19, Issue 2, 1 March 1947, Page 8

Home Makers' Column

Bv "LYNETTE”

STIMULANTS In the St. John Ambulance lecture* and textbooks, there are only two cases where the first-aider is recommended to give alcoholic stimulants, and these are, the bite of a rabid dog, and the taking by the patient of prussic acid or cyanide poison! Both of these emergencies arc so rare that it is a fairly safe rule for the first - aider never to administer alcohol. The stimulants recommended are sal volatile, smelling salts, meat extracts, tea, coffee, and cocoa. So let us look this month at our “kitchen stimulants. About the origin of tea there are many myths, one being that a holy eastern prince, who spent his nights in meditation upon the Infinite. One night, to his horror, he fell asleep and, to punish himself, he tore off his eyelids, which lie found later had grown into a shrub, the leaves of which were capable of being brewed into a sleepbanishing drink. The quality of tea depends on the size of the leaf, th small, young leaves being the best. The difference between the green and black tea is that the latter is heated or withered in the sun during the manufacturing process. The stimulant in tea is theine, which has astringent properties, and can interfere with the digestion of proteins. The amount of tannin extracted in tea brewing depends on the length of time the tea is in contact with the water, and the temperature of the water, as it dissolves slowly. Three to five minutes is the best time for brewing, and the best tea is that poured off the leaves into another heated pot. As well as these two substances, there are certain "essential oils” in tea which impart its characteristic flavour. Coffee is manufactured from the seeds of a cherry-like fruit and the legend of its discovery runs thus: A young Arab boy, noticing that his sheep were more lively after eatinß a certain bush, made a drink from its berries, and experienced the same stimulate n. Though his neighbours felt he had sinned against the prophets, the Mohammedans later came to regard the discovery as a gift from God. sent as a reward for their abstinence from r.lcohol. The stimulant in coffee is caffeine, and this has proved to be the same substance as the theine in tea. Tannin, too, is present in coffee, though in smaller quantities than in tea However, thi * is the reason for the adage that “coffee l>oi!ed is coffee spoiled.” Ihe flavour-giving materials are caffeol and essential oils Cocoa is native to tropica! America and the Spanish explorers viewed the Emperor Montezuma drinking cocoa flavoured with vanilla, from a golden

cup. The Spaniards kept this delicious food and drink a secret for many years but now it is universally used Here we have a different, though allied stimulant, theobromine, which is less in its effect than those in tea and coffee. A small amount of caffeine is present in cocoa. This drink has food value, supplying starch, fat and minerals such as iron. These are stimulants to give in emergency, witli plentv of sugar, which increases the stimulating effect.