Theobroma cacao
Theobroma cacao - Greek. Theo = God, broma = food
With over 300 individual ingredients, cacao truly is a superfood. It is amongst the richest sources of magnesium, loaded with copper, zinc, iron, manganese, vitamin C, healthy fatty omegas, chromium, etc. Finding not only popularity with-in the raw food community, sound healers, and advocates of alternative healing methods, chocolate, rediscovered, is once again being sipped and enjoyed for it's heart opening abilities. Enjoyed in the Raw (not-roasted or otherwise altered), Cacao- Is once again being eaten as a health-food, for it's healing and mood-lifting properties.
Because of the variety of ingredients in cacao, it can affect us in remarkable ways. Due to these effects, cacao has been cultivated for the past 3,000 years, traded between the Mayans of central America and the Sinaguans of the south-western part of the United States, and has been a currency of the Aztecs and throughout Mexico up until the 1850's. Having been used as a medicine for various ailments, cacao upon first being introduced to Europe, was strictly reserved for royalty before it gained popularity in the 1600's in England. Known to be an aphrodisiac, it is treasured as a gift for lovers. Cacao serves a facilitator for deep meditation and inward journeying if taken in the right context and desire to connect with our higher consciousness. The Mayans and alchemist knew how to open the gate to the heart... Now it can be your turn to see how much more we can be allowed to feel.
When cacao is ingested, as we do in our ceremonies, one gains a direct understanding why chocolate was named the "food of the gods"/ "god's food". As cacao enters our bloodstream, dopamine is released in the brain, creating feelings similar to when we fall in love. After the release of dopamine, endorphins, tryptophan and serotonin our Be-ings go through, is the release of anandamide. Ananda is a sanskrit word translating into "Bliss" or "joy".