When coffee was first introduced in Europe during the second part of the seventeenth century, there was a great deal of controversy about it. Many “learned doctors” announced that coffee was a strong poison and should be prohibited. Others insisted it was a good thing to drink coffee, and “coffee-houses” sprang up everywhere.

Coffee can actually act as a poison when it is given in large doses to animals in laboratory tests. It can also produce toxic effects in small children. But for adults who drink it in moderation, it is definitely not a poison.