Posted on November 04 2022
Cacao is one of the highest antioxidant foods in the world. Its slight bitterness indicates its detoxifying properties, particularly of the liver, and release of emotions. Cacao can also replenish vital minerals such as magnesium, chromium, copper, calcium, manganese, zinc, sulphur and phosphorous. Cacao contains norepinephrine (the joy molecule), serotonin, dopamine, anandamide (the bliss molecule), theobromine (a cardiac stimulator that relaxes your blood vessels and produces a 30-40% higher blood circulation allowing higher absorption of all the superfoods that cacao contains) and much much more.
Mama Cacao is a deeply heart-opening plant medicine and plant spirit that gently enables you to release disempowering feelings and emotions, trauma and anything else that doesn't serve you anymore. Drinking this centuries-old sacred beverage also empowers you to reconnect to your deepest purpose and pave a way to increased self-love, trust, connection, intuition, gratitude and the beauty of life.
Cacao is an ancient non-hallucinogenic plant medicine. Thanks to its heart-opening and euphoric effects, it can help you enhance your mood, work on subconscious blockages and feel more connected to others and the world around you. It also promotes mental clarity and focus - unlike coffee, the caffeine content in chocolate is extremely low and usually insignificant.
The primary compound responsible for Cacao’s energising properties is Theobromine, a cardiovascular stimulant that has less impact on the central nervous system than caffeine. It is also a vasodilator and diuretic, and relaxes the smooth muscles including those in the respiratory system. These properties have been shown in scientific studies to promote healthy blood pressure and relaxation. However, in larger amounts, theobromine may produce some uncomfortable effects the way caffeine can. Contrary to caffeine, which usually causes insomnia and anxiety, theobromine has been shown in studies to be beneficial to sleep. The theobromine and minimal caffeine content of cacao is not linked to sleep disturbances or anxiety.
The primary compound responsible for Cacao’s energising properties is Theobromine, a cardiovascular stimulant that has less impact on the central nervous system than caffeine. It is also a vasodilator and diuretic, and relaxes the smooth muscles including those in the respiratory system. These properties have been shown in scientific studies to promote healthy blood pressure and relaxation. However, in larger amounts, theobromine may produce some uncomfortable effects the way caffeine can. Contrary to caffeine, which usually causes insomnia and anxiety, theobromine has been shown in studies to be beneficial to sleep. The theobromine and minimal caffeine content of cacao is not linked to sleep disturbances or anxiety.
HISTORY
Recent studies indicate that cacao was first domesticated about 5,300 years ago in the Amazon Basin, which includes parts of present-day Peru and Ecuador. This early use of cacao predates its cultivation by the Mesoamerican Olmec civilization by nearly 2,000 years, placing its origins further back in time and shifting the historical narrative around cacao’s beginnings.
The Mayans, and later the Aztecs, made a beverage from the beans of the cocoa pods that was used for a popular, SACRED, everyday drink but also used in rituals and healing practices. It was known as the “Food of the Gods”.
The Aztecs used it as currency as well as a drink.
The Mayans, and later the Aztecs, made a beverage from the beans of the cocoa pods that was used for a popular, SACRED, everyday drink but also used in rituals and healing practices. It was known as the “Food of the Gods”.
The Aztecs used it as currency as well as a drink.
Cacao had a deep religious significance for the Aztecs. It was considered to be of divine origin and the cacao tree was revered as a conduit between heaven and earth, with the tree being a gift from the god Quetzalcoatl. The plant’s flesh and the cacao drinks were regarded as the body and blood of the gods, and Aztecs believed that consuming cacao bestowed mortals with wisdom from Quetzalcoatl. Like the Maya, they believed that cacao was an ingredient in the creation of humans. The cacao plant, and consumption of cacao, was believed to restore balance to people and the beans were often offered to the gods (sometimes with people).
The Mayan people living in Belize today keep their drinks the way their ancestors liked: hot, frothy, and bitter, with the occasional hit of chilli.
Ceremonial-Grade Cacao
Ceremonial cacao or ceremonial-grade cacao, as it is also known, is a very specific type of product. It’s a 100% pure cacao-bean paste that contains a much higher quantity of beneficial, health-restoring, and mood-elevating compounds than any other cacao-based product on the market (like cacao powder, non-ceremonial cacao paste, dark chocolate, etc).
It is: Organic, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Earth Kosher, KETO friendly
- IRON: Cacao is the highest natural source of iron, much more than red meat. Cacao is therefore perfect for a vegan diet which usually lacks in iron. Iron also energises your body, boosts your immune system and helps with concentration.
- THEOBROMINE: Other than caffeine, this compound works as a stimulant and a muscle relaxer. It energises the body, enhances your mood and lowers blood pressure at the same time.
- MAGNESIUM: As one of the highest plant-based sources of magnesium, cacao keeps your heart and brain healthy and gives you clarity and focus.
- ZINC: promotes a healthy nervous and immune system.
- PHOSPHORUS: Actually much better than calcium, this mineral is perfect for healthy bones and teeth.
- ANTIOXIDANTS: Cacao is one of the highest antioxidant food in the world — 15x more than blueberries, 20x more than green tea and 30x more than red wine. Antioxidants improve blood flow and protect you from ageing — that’s why cacao is the world’s number one longevity food.
- PHENYLETHYLAMINE: The famous love chemical, usually only produced by the brain, gives you the happy-exciting feeling like you feel when falling in love.
- ANANDAMIDE: The bliss chemical makes you feel euphoric and therefore works as a natural antidepressant.
When the cacao reaches your heart, it opens your energetic centre and allows the blood to circulate better, so that your brain and heart get more oxygen. That brings clarity to your mind and feelings as well as more vitality to your body.
For the indigenous population Muhysqa from Northern Colombia, cacao is considered to be a mediator between different states of consciousness. When the cacao reaches your heart, it opens your energetic centre and allows the blood to circulate better, so that your brain and heart get more oxygen. That brings clarity to your mind and feelings as well as more vitality to your body.
Cacao vs. Cocoa
Cacao and cocoa can easily be confused when it comes to recipes. With similar origins and a very similar spelling, it can be difficult to know which is which. Even though these ingredients can be used interchangeably in some recipes, they are not the same product. They have different production methods, tastes and nutritional values.
There have been many studies that have promoted the health benefits of eating chocolate. People have been clamoring about the wonderful nutrition that chocolate provides. This sends many people to the store searching for their favorite chocolate bar for what they think is a “healthy” indulgence. While chocolate does have nutritional properties these studies are about the raw forms of the cacao plant, not the heavily processed form that comes in a chocolate bar. Below we’ll review the true differences between Cacao and Cocoa.
Cacao Plant
Chocolate ingredients or products come from the same cacao bean. What is done with the bean is what changes the ingredients and their nutritional values. These beans are picked from a cacao plant which is an evergreen tree. These trees are found in areas of West Africa and South America. Cacao beans grow in large bunches or pods, but they are not held in the leaves of the trees. Instead, they hang from the trunks.
Many find the appearance of the cacao pod surprising. There are few people that realise that their favourite chocolate bar once hung from a tree. These pods are very large and contain many beans. The beans are encased in a fatty pulp that can vary in colour but is commonly white. The beans are a purple-brown colour, but often lose their purple hue after being processed.
Cacao
Cacao and cocoa both come from the cacao plant, but that is where their similarities stop. Cacao is the raw, untouched state of the cacao plant. It is kept in its most natural form to preserve more taste and nutrients. Even though there is little processing that is done to cacao, it does come in a variety of forms to use with different recipes.
Cacao beans are whole, unprocessed beans removed from the pod and with the surrounding fruit stripped off. Cacao nibs are simply broken up pieces of cacao beans. Cacao powder is finely ground beans with the oil/fat removed.
This oil is what we call Cacao butter.Finally, cacao paste is created by slowly grinding nibs into a paste and letting form into chunks. All these minimally processed forms of Cacao remain as close to their natural state as possible, are full of nutrients and have a distinct bitter flavour.
It’s not until you begin using high heat and adding sugar, oils or milk fats that you arrive at a Cocoa product.
Cocoa
Cocoa is most typically found in powder form. Many people enjoy cocoa when mixed in with a beverage. To create cocoa high heat is used with the raw cacao plants, most often along with sugar. This level of heat changes the nutritional value that the plant holds and greatly decreases its benefits.
Many manufacturers try to market the benefits of cocoa powders. They advertise the benefits without emphasising the added ingredients in the product, such as oils, sugars, or milk fat.
Raw, pure cacao is always more nutritionally beneficial than cocoa.
Health Benefits
In either form, there are nutritional agents that both products carry however cacao is much higher in antioxidants and is a great source of fibre. Cacao also offers a good level of protein. While there are nutritional benefits of the cocoa products, it is best to reach for cacao if looking for a nutritional boost.
Severe Health Problems
Cacao cannot cure or treat severe health problems, but some of the nutrients in the raw form are beneficial to the body. In its raw form, the plant has a lot of magnesium. A person should get a good amount of magnesium to have less of a risk of diabetes, help maintain a healthy blood pressure, have stronger bones, have a lessened risk of having cardiovascular problems, and maintain nervous system activity that is healthy.
There are so many health problems that can be deterred, with the help of other factors, by having enough magnesium in the body. While it will not reverse the effects of other health factors cacao can help provide the body with more magnesium.
Inflammation and Heart Problems
There is a class of antioxidants that are called flavonoids. These antioxidants help to reduce inflammation throughout the body. The presence of flavonoids in the body has shown to help maintain levels of the “good” HDL cholesterol which can aid in better cardiovascular health. Both cacao and cocoa have flavonoids that can help in these areas.
Meet Recommended Daily Values
There are nutrients in cacao and cocoa that are needed in our daily lives. Some of these are harder to meet without watching the diet closely. Iron is one dietary need that many people fall short on. Cacao offers a low value of iron which helps move oxygen into the body's tissue.
Ceremonial Cacao is made from heirloom strains of Cacao from Central and South America. Unlike conventional Cacao or cocoa powder, Ceremonial Cacao has not been defatted and is minimally processed under low temperatures to maximise its health benefits.
You can enjoy Ceremonial Cacao at our CACAO bar in-store, take-away or purchase the flakes to make it at home yourself!
You can enjoy Ceremonial Cacao at our CACAO bar in-store, take-away or purchase the flakes to make it at home yourself!