The cacao plant has many
alkaloids within it's beans, but the most prominent regarding their affects on human physiology is the molecule
Theobromine. Cacao does contain a small amount of caffeine, but Theobromine tends to be the prominent stimulant. Theobromine and caffeine are part of a class of alkaloids called
methylxanthines, and the liver's metabolism of caffeine actually involves the breakdown of caffeine into Theobromine, and then subsequently into various other molecules. Theobromine is used medically in asthmatic cases due to it's ability to loosen the muscles in the bronchus, but too much of this molecule is poisonous due to this affect. This ability also makes it quite poisonous to animals such as dogs (due to the slower metabolism of the molecule), making the Christmas season dangerous for when your dog decides to eat all your chocolate.
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| Theobromine |
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| Caffeine |
