Theobroma

Works with Bug to grow the Mushroom staple of the Mutating Ice clan. Bug focuses more on the macro production, while Theobroma has a lot of knowledge about how one actually goes about growing mushrooms. Is one of the few dragons able to grow the cash crop venomcaps. His lightning heritage makes him surprisingly handy with his tools, and Theobroma will gladly perform minor repairs on common tech for a few bartered goods, some coins, or an IOU from a friend. He has had a heck of a time trying to get Bug's undead to use tools correctly and is now aggressively possessive about being the only one to work his machinery when needed

Specializes in venomcap mushrooms using refuse from the Mutating Ice clan. These shrroms can be used to make a powerful topical aneglisic with vasocontrictive properties. When ingested, they create a sense of euphoria and are moderately addictive. The major active substance is an alkaloid that causes an effect somewhere between caffeine and opium. This abuse potential makes them an uncommon commodity, and as such are usually restricted to specialty medical shops and back alley drug trades. The clan, with it's high population of medics and bioengineers, buys much of Theo's stock. Theo is very reluctant to sell outside his known contacts since its addictive potential makes this mushroom dangerous.

Can usually be found trying to grow something or another on his lands. Good friends with Gambit. Both their policies are that they are not here to baby plants. Either it grows or it dies and something else more hardy comes along.

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And now an excerpt from The ASAM essentials of addiction medicine

The primary cellular site of action of caffeine is the adenosine receptor. Adenosine is an endogenous purine nucleoside found throughout the brain. It is formed from the breakdown of adenosine triphosphate and modulates a variety of central and peripheral nervous system effects. Caffeine is structurally similar to adenosine. As a competitive A1 and A2A adenosine receptor antagonist, caffeine produces a variety of effects that are opposite to the effects of adenosine (e.g., central nervous stimulation, vasoconstriction).

An important amount of experimental evidence supports a key role of dopamine in the psychostimulant and reinforcing effects of caffeine in animals and humans. Caffeine produces its motor and reinforcing effects by releasing the brake that adenosine imposes on striatal dopaminergic neurotransmission. By releasing the presynaptic brake, caffeine induces glutamate-dependent and glutamateindependent release of dopamine. These presynaptic effects of caffeine are potentiated by the release of the postsynaptic brake imposed by antagonistic adenosine-dopamine receptor interactions.
The effects of caffeine on sleep do not seem to be dopamine dependent and are related to the ability of adenosine to act as an endogenous sleep-promoting substance by acting on A1 and A2A receptors localized in the brain stem, basal forebrain, and hypothalamic areas, and A2A receptors localized in the ventral part of the striatum.

Compared to placebo, caffeine has been shown to improve cognitive and psychomotor performance. These effects are shown most reliably when performance has been degraded by fatigue, sleep deprivation, or caffeine withdrawal.

Animal studies also show that caffeine may increase the toxic effects of D-amphetamine, cocaine, and MDMA.