Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site bbncca.ARPA
Path: utzoo!linus!bbncca!sdyer
From: sdyer@bbncca.ARPA (Steve Dyer)
Newsgroups: net.rumor,net.med
Subject: Re: The Secret of Coca Cola
Message-ID: <586@bbncca.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 16-Feb-84 12:01:59 EST
Article-I.D.: bbncca.586
Posted: Thu Feb 16 12:01:59 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 17-Feb-84 06:14:25 EST
References: <155@ames-lm.UUCP>
Organization: Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Cambridge, Ma.
Lines: 18

CocaCola's original recipe back at the turn of the century called for
coca leaves.  Even now, coca leaves with the cocaine removed are part
of the recipe.  Every now and then someone starts wondering how much cocaine
might still unavoidably be in Coke (answer: if any at all, not 
a physiologically significant amount.)

I have NEVER heard that nicotine (or tobacco juice) was part of the recipe.
Though we don't know CocaCola's recipe, we can at least attempt a
pharmacological "thought experiment." If there was any significant amount
of nicotine in Coke, we would expect typical "nicotinic" sympathetic and
parasympathetic reactions after drinking it, especially in "Coke fiends."
That is, nausea, sweating, increased heart rate and blood pressure.
Any stimulant effect of CocaCola seems directly attributable to the
caffeine present, and not to any nicotine.
-- 
/Steve Dyer
decvax!bbncca!sdyer
sdyer@bbncca