# Substances used as both drugs and flavorings **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 22, 2016, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substances-used-as-both-drugs-and-flavorings/743882 "2016-01-22T14:56:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substances-used-as-both-drugs-and-flavorings/743882/1 "2016-01-22T14:56:16Z")
How many substances are there that can be used in very small amounts as a flavoring in food/drinks, or in larger amounts as a drug? Two obvious examples I can think of are caffeine and methyl salicylate. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substances-used-as-both-drugs-and-flavorings/743882/2 "2016-01-22T14:59:50Z")
Caffeine is bitter. It’s not added for flavor. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substances-used-as-both-drugs-and-flavorings/743882/3 "2016-01-22T15:03:11Z")
Do you count things like vanilla extract? The flavor doesn’t come from the alcohol itself; that’s just used as a solvent for the flavor. But there’s still alcohol in it, and enough of it would still make you drunk (with really nice-smelling breath). ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substances-used-as-both-drugs-and-flavorings/743882/4 "2016-01-22T15:03:15Z")
[Nutmeg.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutmeg) The psychoactive effects are not particularly pleasant, but it has been used by people who are desperate for some kind of buzz, like prison inmates. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substances-used-as-both-drugs-and-flavorings/743882/5 "2016-01-22T15:10:35Z")
Ginger is a well-known natural remedy for sea-sickness. ---
**Author:** ![iceiso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@iceiso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iceiso)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substances-used-as-both-drugs-and-flavorings/743882/6 "2016-01-22T15:17:27Z")
Would you count wine? ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substances-used-as-both-drugs-and-flavorings/743882/7 "2016-01-22T15:49:48Z")
Quinine is the flavoring in tonic water and also an antimalarial drug. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substances-used-as-both-drugs-and-flavorings/743882/8 "2016-01-22T15:52:24Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > Quinine is the flavoring in tonic water and also an antimalarial drug. Another bitter substance. I know there are people who like tonic water for some reason that non-psychotic people don’t understand, but the Gin and Tonic drink was designed to kill the horrid flavor of quinine. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substances-used-as-both-drugs-and-flavorings/743882/9 "2016-01-22T16:17:00Z")
How about poppies? The seeds aren’t what’s usually used for making opium, but there are still trace amounts in them. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substances-used-as-both-drugs-and-flavorings/743882/10 "2016-01-22T16:30:18Z")
[Bergamottin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergamottin) could loosely fall into this category, although I don’t specifically know exactly how much bergamottin itself contributes to the flavor profile of bergamot essential oil. Aside from the uses outlined in the wiki article, I’ve also occasionally seen references to the possibility of deliberately using the grapefruit juice effect to partially mitigate the cost of expensive drugs to low-income consumers. People who abuse benzodiazepines for recreational purposes are known to concurrently ingest grapefruit juice for its inhibitory effect on the CYP3A4 enzyme. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substances-used-as-both-drugs-and-flavorings/743882/11 "2016-01-22T18:09:03Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Another bitter substance. I know there are people who like tonic water for some reason that non-psychotic people don’t understand, but the Gin and Tonic drink was designed to kill the horrid flavor of quinine. Coffee, Tea, Chocolate, Beer, Broccoli, Greens… I’m not sure why you are starting off with the assumption that bitter is not a flavor. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substances-used-as-both-drugs-and-flavorings/743882/12 "2016-01-22T18:23:59Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > Coffee, Tea, Chocolate, Beer, Broccoli, Greens… I’m not sure why you are starting off with the assumption that bitter is not a flavor. Yeah, I don’t get it, either. Bitter is definitely an important flavor component and enjoyed by many, even in other commercial soft drinks like, say, Moxie. That said, I don’t think the caffeine in cola is there for flavoring in the way it is in tonic water. I assume it’s just there for the “perk.” ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substances-used-as-both-drugs-and-flavorings/743882/13 "2016-01-22T18:29:59Z")
[Turmeric](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turmeric) is the spice used in curries as well as mustard. It contains [curcumin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curcumin), an anti-inflamatory among other things. ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substances-used-as-both-drugs-and-flavorings/743882/14 "2016-01-22T18:30:17Z")
Cloves… ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substances-used-as-both-drugs-and-flavorings/743882/15 "2016-01-22T18:33:35Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > Coffee, Tea, Chocolate, Beer, Broccoli, Greens… I’m not sure why you are starting off with the assumption that bitter is not a flavor. I’m not saying bitter isn’t a flavor, I’m saying caffeine isn’t added to get a bitter flavor, it’s added as a stimulant. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substances-used-as-both-drugs-and-flavorings/743882/16 "2016-01-22T19:00:38Z")
Speaking of bitter, we have [Angostura bitters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angostura_bitters), now used to flavor cocktails, but originally sold as a medicinal tonic. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substances-used-as-both-drugs-and-flavorings/743882/17 "2016-01-22T20:44:24Z")
Aspartame (NutraSweet) was originally discovered by a pharmaceutical chemist who was working on a drug for treating stomach ulcers. Probably doesn’t actually count as a “drug”, however. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substances-used-as-both-drugs-and-flavorings/743882/18 "2016-01-22T21:03:24Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I’m not saying bitter isn’t a flavor, I’m saying caffeine isn’t added to get a bitter flavor, it’s added as a stimulant. But quinine is definitely added to a Gin and Tonic to make it taste like a Gin and Tonic. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substances-used-as-both-drugs-and-flavorings/743882/19 "2016-01-22T21:55:08Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I’m not saying bitter isn’t a flavor, I’m saying caffeine isn’t added to get a bitter flavor, it’s added as a stimulant. And in fact, the bitterness from caffeine in cola can’t be detected in blind studies: [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666306006507](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666306006507) _Subjects could distinguish between caffeinated and non-caffeinated sweeteners (p \<0.001), but all subjects failed to distinguish between caffeinated and non-caffeinated cola beverage (p=1.0). Caffeine has no flavor activity in soft-drinks yet will induce a physiologic and psychologic desire to consume the drink._ Admittedly, this still doesn’t prove that it isn’t added as a flavorant. It could be added for that reason even if the reason is invalid. I wonder what the regulatory argument is (flavor with a side effect of stimulant seems an easier sell than additive for the sole purpose of stimulant). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substances-used-as-both-drugs-and-flavorings/743882/20 "2016-01-22T23:47:48Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > But quinine is definitely added to a Gin and Tonic to make it taste like a Gin and Tonic. Supposedly, though, the gin was added to make the quinine water palatable. I would almost say it works the other way 'round, too, that tonic water is added to gin to make it palatable. I’ve since developed a taste for gin, but for the longest time the only way that I could find either gin or tonic palatable was in a gin and tonic. There is just something truly magical and synergistic about that combination (well, and lime, of course.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substances-used-as-both-drugs-and-flavorings/743882.md?page=2)