Coffee

Combats drowsiness, temporarily boosts athletic performance, eases congestion due to colds and flu, prevents asthma attacks, enhances the pain-relieving effects of aspirin

Although most people don't think of it as such, coffee is America's most popular herbal beverage. It helps a sleepy nation wake up in the morning. It also has therapeutic value. It can act as a decongestant for colds. It may help prevent asthma attacks. It may boost athletic performance. And it increases the pain-relieving power of aspirin.

Of course, coffee can also cause problems — jitters and insomnia. But despite scare headlines that have linked coffee to many serious diseases, the latest medical review concludes: "Coffee appears to pose no particular threat in most people if consumed in moderation."

Coffee has been around for a long time. Our word coffee comes from Caffa, the region of Ethiopia where the fabled beans were first discovered. The beverage we know as coffee emerged around 1000 AD, when Arabians began roasting and grinding coffee beans and drinking the hot beverage as we do today. Until the 17th century, Arabia supplied all the world's coffee through the port of Mocha, which became one of coffee's names. Then the Dutch introduced the plant into Java, and the island quickly became synonymous with coffee.

The medically important constituent of coffee is, of course, caffeine, but coffee's caffeine content depends on how it's prepared. A cup of instant contains about 60 milligrams of caffeine. Drip or percolated