Spanish: Cafe, Cafeto
Cook Islands; Kaope, Kaope Maori
Fiji: Kove
Fiji, Niue, Samoa: Kofe
French Polynesia-Marquesas: Kafe
Palau: Kohi
Tonga: Kofi
Tahiti: Taofe

Classification:

Coffea arabica L.
Kingdom Plantae-Plants
Subkingdom Tracheobionta-Vascular plants
Superdivision Spermatophyta-Seed plants
Division Magnoliophyta-Flowering plants
Class Magnoliopsida-Dicotyledons
Subclass Asteridae
Order Rubiales
Family Rubiaceae-Madder family
Genus Coffea L. - Coffee
Species Coffea arabica L. - Arabian Coffee
(National Plant Database.USDA.2003)
(Wagner,W.L., D.R. Herbst, and S.H. Sohmer. 1990. Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii.)

The flowers are white, star-like, fragrant, in axillary clusters which appear in the spring. The fruit are red when ripe, in the fall, with a sweet pulp surrounding the bean.
(Watson, L.and Dallwitz, M.J.1992.The Families of Flowering Plants.)
(Stone. 1970.)

These people gathered the Coffee beans from the trees that grew in the region, ground them up and mixed them with animal fat, forming small balls that they carried as rations on trips. Other indigenous tribes of Ethiopia ate the beans as a porridge or drank a wine created from the fermented crushed Coffee beans.
(Donnelly, J. 1996. World Wakes up to Ethiopias Coffee.)
Dried seeds "beans" are roasted, ground, and brewed to make one of the two most important beverages in the western world. In Arabia a fermented drink from the pulp is consumed. Coffee is widely used as a flavoring in ice cream, pastries, candies, and liqueurs.
(List and Horhammer.1969-1979)

Recorded medicinal properties of caffeine are: anticancer, antiHIV, antitumor-promoter, cancer-preventive, antibacterial, antiviral, cardiotonic, coronary-dilator, antiulcer, vermifuge, antieczemic, antiasthmatic, anticolitic.
(Schultes, R. E and Raffauf, R. F. 1990. The Healing Forest, Medicinal and Toxic Plants of the Northwest Amazonia.)
Reported to be analgesic, anaphrodisiac, anorexic, antidotal, cardiotonic, CNS-stimulant, counterirritant, diuretic, hypnotic, lactagogue, nervine, stimulant.
Coffee is reported as a folk remedy for asthma, atropine-poisoning, fever, flu, headache, jaundice, malaria, migraine, narcosis, nephrosis, opium-poisoning, sores, and vertigo. Also, caffeine is a widespread additive in over-the-counter diet pills, pain killers, and stimulants.
(Duke and Wain. 1981)
(List and Horhammer.1969-1979.)
(Duke. J.1984.)

** The information provided above is not intended to be used as a guide for treatment of medical conditions using plants.

Caffeine occurs naturally in the leaves and seeds of the coffee plant. The chemical components with medicinal action are: caffeic acid, caffeine, chlorogenic acid, eugenol, niacin, scopoletin, tannin,theobromine, tannic acid and theophylline.
(Schultes, R. E and Raffauf, R. F. 1990. The Healing Forest, Medicinal and Toxic Plants of the Northwest Amazonia.)
Caffeine is a mild stimulant, acting on the central nervous system and some other organs of the body, for example the kidneys. It also increases metabolic rate. Consumption of caffeine equivalent to that found in a couple of cups of coffee has been shown to improve alertness and enhance concentration. Caffeine also has a weak diuretic effect.
Caffeine consumption has been shown to lead to a temporary increase in the metabolic rate and the rate of fat breakdown (lipolysis).
(Hazenfratz, M. et al. 1991. Human Psychopharmacology.)
(Smith, A.P. et al. 1990. Neuropsychobiology.)
(Holland, M.A. et al. 1981. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.)
(Acheson, J. et al. 1980. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.)
(Astrup, A. et al. 1990. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.)
(Dulloo, A.G. 1989. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.)

These trees blossomed in an area called "Kaffa" and the trees were called Kafa trees, which may as well be the root word for Coffee.
(Donnelly, J. 1996. World Wakes up to Ethiopias Coffee.)
This history of coffee begins with a legend that takes place around 800 CE. In this legend an Ethiopian goat herd named Kaldi was out tending his herd of goats one day, when he noticed some of the goats were eating these bright red berries on some nearby shrubs. After consumption of the berries, the goats began to romp about playfully and dance with great vigor. Kaldi wondered why his goats were behaving the way they were, and decided to sample the cherry-like berries with the seeds for himself. He himself was then overwhelmed by a feeling of exhilaration and was romping with his flock. Afterwards, some say Kaldi himself went on to tell others about his discovery. Others say a monk who was nearby had witnessed the goings on and decided to pluck a few berries for himself and took them back to be shared with his brothers, thus the monastery experiencing extreme alertness to "divine inspiration".
(Encyclopedia Britannica. 2003.)

Pilgrims of Islam spread the Coffee throughout the Middle East and by the end of the 15th century, coffeehouses had replaced mosques as favored meeting places.
Indonesians and Malaysians prepare an infusion from dried leaves.
With the spread of Ethiopians from Africa, to the Middle East, India, Europe, and the Americas, Coffea arabica has become one of the most popular coffee in the world.
(Donnelly, J. 1996. World wakes up to Ethiopias coffee.)
Coffee pulp and parchment are used as manures and mulches, and is occasionally fed to cattle in India. Coffelite is a type of plastic made from coffee beans. The wood of this shrub is hard, dense and durable. It takes a good polish and is suitable for tables, chairs, and turnery. Coffee with iodine is used as a deodorant.
(List and Horhammer. 1969-1979.)
Caffeine has been described as a natural herbicide, selectively inhibiting germination of seeds of Amaranthus spinosus (Rizvi et al. 1980.)

(Information for this species compiled and recorded by Camelia Cirnaru, NTBG Consultant.)