The Health Benefits of Chocolate: Ancient Remedies & Modern Science

Since ancient times, chocolate has been used as a cure for everything from anxiety to a cough. Today, the chocolate we eat is a watered down version of ancient chocolate and, therefore, less beneficial. However, if you eat pure chocolate, it has qualities that can help with several health problems.

Cough

• The most documented health befit that chocolate has is its effect as a cough remedy. At London's Imperial College, studies concluded that theobromine, which is found in chocolate, helps stop coughing by eliminating the tickling that causes coughing. It works nearly a third better than codeine. However, this was 100 percent pure chocolate that was used, not the typical chocolate we find at the checkout stands in grocery stores.

Anxiety

• Chocolate releases endorphins and serotonin in the body, making a person feel happier. This is a key reason why it helps lessen anxiety. There are 400 compounds in pure chocolate that help create this effect. This is only achieved by eating the chocolate though, not just taking capsules that have chocolate in them. The experience of eating chocolate is what also helps the body relax.

Diarrhea

• At the Children's Hospital in Oakland, Calif, studies were done that showed flavanols in chocolate helped relieve diarrhea. This is a cure that had been used in Europe since 1577 by doctors, but was now proven in the U.S. as well.