Cacao Nerd Stuff
So, wanna learn about cacao…?
Cacao is a magical, mysterious, ancient plant. We are most familiar with it as the foundational ingredient for what we now know as chocolate, but it has a long and fascinating history dating back as far as 3,000BC. Cacao gained a divine status in different Meso American cultures like the Mayans, Toltecs, Aztecs and Incas. Cacao was a highly prized drink mainly consumed by the elite. Cacao was used in rituals, ceremonies, feasts and festivals. Because of its value the beans were even used as an early form of money, tax and even counterfeited.
Why do we drink it?
Drinking cacao has many benefits, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. A common experience of drinking ceremonial cacao is a warm and euphoric body-state not dissimilar to the elation some people experience when feeling deeply connected with life in a beautiful moment. Watching the sunrise or sunset with a loved one, or watching or being a part of something epic.
Drinking cacao is a time to be deeply present with yourself and your heart. The heart opening physiology of cacao, combined with a scared ceremony can produce the perfect environment to look at what your heart is telling you in a moment. To illuminate your hearts desire, what is blocking your heart from being open, and what is alive for you when you look through your heart rather than your mind.
What is in it?
Cacao has two main active ingredients, Theobromine and Anandamide along with a magical cocktail of minerals.
Theobromide is a cardio vascular stimulant (unlike caffeine which is a nervous system stimulant). Theobromide relaxes blood vessels producing an effect of 30-40% higher blood circulation. This gives that ‘heart opening’ sensation, and is the main reason cacao has been used ceremonially. It can give you the feeling of a warm and uplifting “hum”.
Anandamide, or the The Bliss Chemical. This little beauty is a neurotransmitter. Anandamide is also produced naturally in the brain. Anandamide is known as "The Bliss Chemical" because it is released while we are feeling great. Cacao contains enzyme inhibitors that decrease our bodies' ability to breakdown anandamide. This means that natural anandamide and/or cacao anandamide may stick around longer, making us feel good longer, when we eat cacao.
On top of that, pure cacao contains many beneficial minerals. In particular, Magnesium. Magnesium is used in all key brain functions, especially memory and concentration. It is also beneficial for the function of the heart, acting to relax blood vessels and decrease strain. Besides magnesium, cacao is also the highest naturally occurring source of chromium, and also high in copper, calcium, manganese, zinc, sulfur, iron, and phosphorous.
How do you make it?
Four Elements Ceremonial Cacao is 100% Peruvian Criollo Cacao.
It is grown in it’s original habitat using sustainable farming practices and promoting favourable living conditions for farmers and their families.
— Millie Letori, Founder of Four Elements Healing