What is Px?
Px is an abbreviation for Paraxanthine, a compound that occurs naturally in the body when the liver metabolizes, or breaks down, caffeine. About 80% of caffeine is converted into Px.
On its own, separate from caffeine, Px gives you the boost without the jitters, elevated stress, and sleep disruptions that caffeine can cause. So the obvious solution to those problems was to create a new kind of coffee that skipped caffeine and went straight to Px.
Why you've (likely) never heard of it
Odds are you've never heard of Px. That's not surprising, as Px only exists inside the human body when it breaks down caffeine.
I learned about Px at UC-Berkeley while writing my Ph.D. thesis in Bioengineering. Buried in some older research studies was information about this little-known compound that, I realized, had the potential to revolutionize the way we fuel our lives.
After three years of research and development, we developed and patented the first-ever Px Coffee in 2023. We here at Rarebird are so excited to share the benefits of Px coffee with the world. We often say here that there are now three types of coffee in the world, not just two: regular, decaf and now Px.
Head to Head: The Px vs. Caffeine difference
Like caffeine, Px is a stimulant that increases alertness, reduces fatigue, and decreases drowsiness by binding to adenosine receptors in the brain. But Px is less likely than caffeine to cause negative side effects, like anxiety, irritability, and nervousness.
Additionally, Px has a shorter half-life and is cleared from the body faster than caffeine, so it is less likely to negatively affect sleep quality. If you've ever had a good night's sleep ruined by an afternoon cup of coffee, you know exactly why that matters.
In addition to its stimulatory properties, Px may preserve dopaminergic neurons, helping to protect against age-related cognitive decline.
Making the first Px Coffee
The process of making Px Coffee is actually simpler than you may think.
We take a high-quality, specialty-grade Colombian coffee and decaffeinate it at the source via the Sugarcane process. This process is safe, environmentally friendly, and preserves the flavor really well. This coffee is then shipped to our facility in the United States, where it is tested for mycotoxins upon arrival.
Then comes the secret sauce: using our specially-developed technology, we roast the coffee with Px, then ship it fresh from our headquarters in California.
The end result? You get to keep your morning ritual, but it doesn't have to come with the caffeine consequences.
*with Rarebird Coffee advisor Major Cohen at our roasting facility
Safety Information
As compared to caffeine, Px has a higher oral LD50 (127-367 mg/kg for caffeine and 829-1601 mg/kg for Px; rodent). Likewise, Px has a higher no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) as compared to caffeine (150 mg/kg body weight per day for caffeine and 185-300 mg/kg for Px). In animal and clinical studies, caffeine has been shown to be anxiogenic (i.e., anxiety increasing); in contrast, Px exhibits anxiolytic (i.e., anxiety decreasing) properties.
Because of its shorter history of use, the maximum allowable daily intake of Px is lower than caffeine (300 mg per day for Px as compared to the FDA-recommended maximum of 400 mg per day for caffeine).
Conclusion
We're so excited to be sharing our discovery of Px coffee with the world. Life is already stressful enough, so there's no reason for our daily routine to amplify that stress even further, like caffeine does.
The way we see it, the everyday choices you make should help your mind and body function at their best, and nothing less.