theobromine Hear it!

theobromine Definition

theo·bro·mine (t̸hē′ō brō′mēn′, -min)

noun

a bitter, crystalline alkaloid, CHNO, extracted from the leaves and seeds of the cacao plant, used in medicine as a diuretic and nerve stimulant: it is closely related to caffeine and is also found in cola nuts and tea

Etymology: < ModL Theobroma, a genus of trees of the sterculia family < Gr theos, god (see theo-) + brōma, food + -ine

theobromine Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • contain: Chocolate also contains the chemical theobromine, which is poisonous to dogs.
  • call: The humble cocoa bean, from which chocolate is produced, contains a drug called theobromine.
  • give: The level of capsaicin needed to cause coughing was about one third higher in the volunteers who had been given theobromine compared with placebo.
  • take: No. The volunteers who took theobromine had none of the side-effects normally caused by other cough medicines.
  • find: It is free from the stimulants caffeine and theobromine found in chocolate.

Modifies a noun

  • level: Theobromine levels in loose leaf teas ( 6-7 mg/l ) were also lower than in tea bags.
  • content: The toxicity of chocolate for dogs is due to its theobromine content.

Noun used with modifier

  • relative: There is additional information about caffeine which is also generally true for its relatives theobromine and theophylline.
  • being: The other methylxanthines ( the major two being theobromine and theophylline ) have similar but slightly differing effects and strengths from caffeine.
  • alkaloid: Guaraná The herb guaraná contains caffeine and the closely related alkaloids theobromine and theophylline; these compounds may curb appetite and increase weight loss.