As the “Cacao Shaman” that I was with for a week in Guatemala says, “Cacao doesn’t take you on a trip (like the other plants…) but the doors are open.”
The doors of perception to your own heart, feelings and clear thinking along with increased connectivity to your body and spirit is abundantly available to you by ingesting about an ounce per day.
Body & Health
- Cacao has the highest antioxidant content of any food.
- Cacao is considered a ‘superfood’ and is a great source of Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Copper, Sulfur, Chromium and available Calcium.
- The most medically researched aspect of cacao is its effect on cardiovascular health. Following a few months of regular use (2 or more times per day), it completely cleans the deposits from your arteries, so there is nothing to break loose and cause a heart attack or stroke. Regular cacao use is the best cure for high blood pressure and it reduces bad and increases good cholesterol.
- In one study, cancer among daily traditional cacao drinkers was only 16% of the control group and some cancers, like cervical, were almost unknown.
- Adult onset diabetes was 39% of the control group in the above study. Research shows real cacao improves insulin sensitivity and, therefore, diabetes is less likely.
- There is increasing evidence that cacao drinkers have less dementia, senility, and Alzheimers.
- Real cacao is well-known for balancing hormones and benefiting mood, PMS, etc.
- The Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOI’s) and other consciousness compounds in cacao serve as effective anti-depressants. Cacao can also be used to get off anti-depressants and anti-psychotics, especially if there is the motivation to delve into the underlying issues that these medications are designed to suppress.
- Cacao increases oxygenation to all parts of the body. Studies have shown smoother skin texture, improved microcirculation, increased oxygen saturation and improved skin hydration with even a single cacao use. Cacao has been shown to reduce the stress hormones that break down collagen in the skin. Cacao is also reported to be great for acne. In our experience, people look younger after prolonged regular cacao use.
- There is extensive research on real cacao increasing the levels of neurotransmitters. These ‘bliss chemicals’ are associated with love, or when you are engaged in an activity where you lose track of time. Over time, these centered states become much more frequent, with or without the cacao.
- Real cacao boosts mitochondrial energy production – and so your energy. It is also one of the richest sources of PQQ, which is a powerful simulator of mitochondrial biogenesis. Your mitochondria are the energy basis of all that your cells do.
- Cacao is known as anti-inflammatory. Many health researchers consider inflammation to be a basic cause of a multitude of other health issues.
Mind
People who value workplace productivity, innovation or decision making report that cacao in their system connects them to the ‘flow’ of deeper knowing and inner prioritization. Cacao brings your rational mind and intuition together. Your left and right brain co-create in a better synergistic partnership, where each does what it does best and the whole is greater than the parts.
There is extensive research on real cacao increasing the levels of neurotransmitters. These ‘bliss chemicals’, such as serotonin and dopamine, are associated with love or when you are engaged in an activity where you lose track of time. Over time, these centered states become much more frequent, with or without the cacao.
From acting as an antidepressant to being more balanced than caffeine (which, while coffee has many health benefits, is an energy fostering aggression as so many aware office workers know), cacao balances negative mental states and fosters positive ones without itself getting in the way.
Heart
Real Ceremonial Grade Cacao is a connection and partnership facilitator. Well known as a heart opener, the Mexican Nahuatl language word for drinking chocolate is ‘chocolatl’ which became ‘chocolate’ in Europe. The literal translation is ‘heart blood’. Although the anthropologists interpret this literally as ‘blood’, from the poetic nature of indigenous languages we understand it to mean that love is the ‘blood’ that flows through the heart. This was understood when cacao was scientifically named ‘theobroma cacao’, meaning ‘Food of the Gods’. The food of the gods would be love, right?
“When mankind gets out of harmony with the natural world, chocolate comes from the rainforest to open people’s hearts and re-establish the balance.”
Spirit
Real cacao is a major multi-dimensional partner in accelerated inner transformation and emotional release. It was once considered a deity, and now a magical and medicinal plant. Cacao helps you to open and receive what is always available.
“Cacao brings the door but doesn’t push you through it.”
Tara’s Yummy Ceremonial Cacao Recipe
- Grate or chop up 1oz of ceremonial cacao paste
- 8-16 oz of hot water
- 1 tablespoon of Coconut Butter
- 1 tsp-tbl of your favorite sweetener. I like maple syrup or Monk fruit, also good is honey or Sucanat-raw cane juice.
- Dashes of any or all of the following: cayenne pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice
I mix up all the ingredients in my blender, THEN add the hot water and blend till creamy and enjoy!
* For a deeper ceremonial experience it is recommended not to use the coconut butter and very little sweetener. The fats and sweetener will lessen the intensity of the ceremonial effects, which works well for me on a daily basis. When I wish to dive in deeper, I use 1.5 to 2 ounces of cacao paste and leave out the butter and sweetener.