When it Comes to Coughs, Chocolate Is More Effective than Codeine

This piece originally appeared on PureWow.

It’s always when you’re in a meeting--or trying not to make a peep--when you feel it: that annoying, please-everyone-stop-staring-at-me beginning of a cough. The next time it happens, you just might want to reach for dark chocolate.

Here’s why: According to Professor Alyn Morice, head of cardiovascular and respiratory studies at the University of Hull, chocolate is actually a more effective method for relieving a tickle (or hacking cough) than other over-the-counter drugs.

The prof--and resident cough expert--references a recent study where patients who took a new medicine containing cocoa (versus cough syrup) saw a significant improvement in their cough within two days. Another study, performed at the Imperial College of London, further explains: There’s an alkaloid in cocoa that is better at suppressing the urge to cough than codeine. Codeine.

It makes sense: Chocolate’s texture is stickier than regular cough medicines, which means it’s better equipped to coat your throat and protect the nerve endings that trigger the coughing sensation.