Hey Angele!
Something interesting I read in one of my books today:
(its about the spread of Africa native crops) "...two, the oil palm and KOLA nut, reached other continents. West Africans were chewing the caffeine-containing nuts of the latter as a narcotic, long before the Coca-Cola Company enticed first Americans and then the world to drink a beverage originally laced with its extracts."
Guns, Germs, and Steel: the fates of human societies