Drinking Coffee Kills Pain, Lifts Mood and Sharpens the MindSayer Ji Study participants who had consumed coffee (1/2-1 cup) on average 1 hour and 18 minutes before performing a simulated computer office-work task found to provoke pain in the neck, shoulders, forearms and wrists, were found to have attenuated pain development compared with the subjects who had abstained from coffee intake. While the researchers attributed the observed effect to the caffeine content in coffee, we believe there is more going on here In a previous post on coffee as both drug and medicine, we looked at the opiate-like properties of an oil-soluble component within both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee called cafestrol which likely acts as a pain-killer. Because the average cup of coffee contains five times the amount required to produce an opioid effect (as measured by ED50),[ii] it would appear that the pain-killing effect in coffee is not just about the caffeine. We dont, of course, delude ourselves into believing that caffeine isnt an important part of the equation. Caffeine has potent analgesic properties, but may not work as well when separated from the complex (and delightful!) chemistries contained within the fermented and roasted coffee bean. Indeed, another recent coffee study, involving a total of 50,739 women (mean age, 63 years), found that caffeinated, but not decaffeinated coffee, significantly reduced depression risk.[iii] So, take out the caffeine, and the characteristic mood-lifting, anti-depressive properties of this beverage may fade into the background, or disappear Coffee also has powerful antioxidant properties and genoprotective properties. This is important, as stress and environmental stressors, e.g. chemicals, may cause increased oxidative stress and even DNA damage, and this will translate into improved neurological health. For additional research on coffees health benefits, view our Coffee Research page which contains study abstracts on over 50 health conditions that may benefit from the responsible consumption of this herb. RESOURCES [ii] J H Boublik, M J Quinn, J A Clements, A C Herington, K N Wynne, J W Funder . Coffee contains potent opiate receptor binding activity. Nature. 1983 Jan 20;301(5897):246-8. PMID: 6296693 [iii] Michel Lucas, Fariba Mirzaei, An Pan, Olivia I Okereke, Walter C Willett, ilis J OReilly, Karestan Koenen, Alberto Ascherio. Coffee, caffeine, and risk of depression among women. Arch Intern Med. 2011 Sep 26 ;171(17):1571-8. PMID: 21949167 [iv] C Tohda, N Nakamura, K Komatsu, M Hattori . Trigonelline-induced neurite outgrowth in human neuroblastoma SK-N-SH cells. Biol Pharm Bull. 1999 Jul;22(7):679-82. PMID: 10443461 This article first appeared at GreenMedInfo. Please visit to access their vast database of articles and the latest information in natural health. linkwithin_text=Related Articles: 