Acorn Coffee
Historical document, translated for reference. It reflects medical knowledge of the 1920s–30s and is not medical advice.
Summary
Acorn coffee is a traditional surrogate beverage made from roasted and ground acorn cotyledons, possessing a brownish color and an astringent taste. In 1930s medicine, it was used internally as a decoction, often mixed with real coffee to improve flavor, particularly for treating gastrointestinal disorders in children due to the astringent action of its tannins.
Encyclopedia entry (1928–1936)
ACORN COFFEE, Glandes Quercus tostae, Semina Quercus tosta, the cotyledons of acorns, roasted and ground into a coarse brown powder with an astringent taste reminiscent of coffee. Composition: carbohydrates (mainly dextrins and starch); caramel, fat, protein, tannins; ash no more than 2.5%. Application: internally as a decoction, half a tablespoon per cup of water, adding real coffee to improve the taste (taken hot). For gastro-intestinal diseases in children, one relies on the action of tannins as astringents.
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“Acorn Coffee.” Soviet Medical Encyclopedia. English translation of Bolshaya Meditsinskaya Entsiklopediya, 1st ed. (Moscow, 1928–1936), ed. N. A. Semashko. https://sovietmedicalencyclopedia.pages.dev/article/acorn-coffee/