About Coca-Cola

("The Intellectual beverage"!)

My family used to despair of me- I was always talking about the healing quality of the conscious choice of foods. In this day and age, Doctors have accepted the wide range of products which offer more than nutrition- there are thousands of foods which offer health tonics that stimulate the system, that help to prevent even serious illnessness.
In ancient days, about all anyone knew was that oranges and lemons prevented scurvy. Later, the need for Vitamin C became a given in nutrition standards.
There are books on the healing properties of foods - you may take a particular mushroom for the benefit of your bloods' circulation; the kola nut is of benefit in several ways.
Products you have just taken for granted - "Coke refreshes!" can become part of diet consciousness.
Yes, there are the pros and cons of dietary issues- sugar and caffeine are frowned upon by some Doctors, yet recommended for some dietary concerns by others. For instance, my Doctor told me to have a cup of coffee before meals to alleviate excessive eating, and sugar may be of good use to the liver.

I decided to set up the qualities of coca and cola in my site because the history of Coca Cola is so interesting, and because the herbal qualities in both cola nut and coca leaf tea are certainly tonic.
In the sixties,the Coke company made historic diplomatic arrangements with Communist China (then a cold and unfriendly presence) to sell and to distribute the beverage, a meaningful business agreement through which China accepted what was considered the product of hyper-capitalism in the Far East.
The song, "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing in Perfect Harmony", used by Coca Cola to celebrate the diplomatic house-warming party, has remained iconic, its portent to be superceded only by Fords' recent , exquisite operatic gift on video.
I like an occasional Coke beverage, and I guess most people do. Their family of friends is all of us. Their relationship with us remains both honourable and societally diplomatic.

 Coca Cola was invented by a Pharmacist, Dr. John S. Pemberton from Atlanta, Georgia, USA. When he first made the drink, it was formed in wine and contained extracts of Erythroxylon cola and Cola nitida (caffeine). It was sold as a digestive aid, a tonic and a stimulant for the nervous system. Dr.Pemberton called his invention "an intellectual beverage".

After the Prohibition (anti-alcohol) era had arrived, the use of wine for the beverage was disallowed, and the drink was re-invented with sugar syrup as a sub for wine. This is the era which renamed 'the intellectual beverage' Coca Cola. it was also renamed 'The Temperance Drink'! the Coke company has had lots of practice in conforming to the prevailing wind, it seems!

In 1904 there were better-educated fears about narcotics which were still part of the original Coca Cola. Actual cocaine had been isolated in it in 1860.The coca extracts were removed, but the de-natured tea was still a part of the drink. The leaf itself is high in the vitamins C, B1 and riboflavin.

The Bissy nut (Kola nut) has about 25% the amount of caffeine as has a cup of coffee. It is considered safe for adults. It is a mild laxative, so it is stimulating to the proper hygienic function of the body.
The Coca leaf used in Coca Cola, with Kola nut extract, is a diuretic (like regular tea) and a stimulant.

 Coca Cola beverage is recommended by Doctors as a mild medicine for asthmatic children.

LINK TO

Dr. Andrew Weil

for a cautionary but interesting article.


For some illuminating  Cool References about cola and coca, try Herb Contents/coca, or herbcontents/kolanut

Canada FlagTo the left of the page is an image of Canadas' national Flag. Thanks to Coca Cola for reflecting the colours of our national choice in a flag - red and white! These are the colours of purity and of passion, of the maple leaf and that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. My thanks are extended to Coca Cola company employees and owners for their excellence and diplomacy in the maintenance of high standards in business and friendship (even though their choice of colours was way before Canadas' change in flag colours!).


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