If you look at the Wikipedia article on Caffeine their is a great deal of information but some of it is quite dense so I have put together this little article about Caffeine.
Mention Caffeine and most people usually think of the coffee bean, obviously tea leafs provide us with our caffeine fix as well. The Coffee and Tea plants have done pretty well from our love (addiction?) to caffeine, we now tend the plants and work to ensure no harm comes to them.
In return they supply us with our regular fix of what many crave. Caffeine for the most part seems fairly harmless to us if consumed in moderate amounts. It is interesting to wonder why certain plants have evolved to contain caffeine in the first place. It was not for humans to consume but instead is used as a defence mechanism for the plant.
Caffeine is a pesticide that certain plants have evolved to resist and deter attacks from insects. It can paralyse and kill certain insects that might choose to eat the plant or its berries. Caffeine has also been found in the soil around the coffee plant seedling. It is suspected this acts to stop other coffee plant seedlings from germinating (growing) next to it, this gives the original plant a better chance of survival.
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