Benefits and Uses of Our Cacao

Here is a detailed list [best on the web] of the known benefits and uses of real cacao / chocolate [with the active compounds, but without the caffeine that is common in the hybrid varieties which comprise most of the world’s cacao, especially the ‘raw’ type].  Compiled from our own experience, others, and medical journals. We have kept it brief, without links or references, as most of these entries could be expanded into an entire article!   We update this page regularly.

“I can't wait to injoy the best food God has made. I love your chocolate!”

To purchase our cacao, please go to our new e-commerce website:  https://keithscacao.com  blessings

There are 5 sections below: 

• Consciousness
• Creativity and Learning
• Workplace Productivity, Decision Making, and Innovation
  
• Workouts, Sports, and Training
• Medical and Health

Consciousness:

1] Real Ceremonial Grade Cacao is a connection and partnership facilitator for whatever you choose to connect to.  Well known as a heart opener, the Mexican Nahuatl language word for drinking chocolate was ‘Chocolatl’… that became ‘chocolate’ in Europe.  The literal translation is ‘heart blood’ and although the anthropologists interpret this literally as ‘blood’, we understand the poetic nature of indigenous languages 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, yes?  Now you know what has been forgotten for hundreds of years.  We give chocolate on Valentine’s Day, and in local tradition a couple exchanges cacao beans in their wedding ceremony… so this deeper connection is understood in many ways.

2] We first experienced this chocolate as a wonderful facilitator for meditation, inner processing work, and shamanic journeying… and then as an amazing assist to individual and group therapeutic sessions.  That expanded into chocolate ceremonies… hiking… breathwork… dancing [especially ecstatic dancing]… yoga… kirtan… sound healing.  These are now offered all over the world through many practitioners who use our cacao to take everyone deeper into the experience they offer.  

“From disgruntled, angry waitress to joyful, abundant Cacao Practitioner in the course of 1 year!”

I once asked the Cacao Spirit what the ‘big picture’was, and She directed me to an anthropological journal that quoted an ancient myth: 

“When mankind gets out of harmony with the natural world, chocolate comes from the rainforest to open peoples’ hearts and re-establish the balance.” 

In my early communications with the Cacao Spirit, She referred to herself as “The Food for the Shift”.  This cacao accelerates your awakening if that is where you want to go.

3] Real cacao is a major multi-dimensional partner in accelerated inner transformation and emotional release, assisting greater ease and depth.  Once considered a deity, and now a magic / medicine plant.  Wherever you need to go on this journey, “cacao brings the door but doesn’t push you through it”.  This cacao helps you open and receive what is always available…

"When one is Present, in the moment, in a state of heightened receptivity, one adds the essential ingredient to any spiritual practice."  Oneness through Rasha

"ceremonial cacao is like fire. I like to play with it and imagine how it burns down all what’s not in resonance with me anymore. I like to imagine how it helps me to let go of my past, let go of expectations and the maya (illusion of self). It is the medicine for my soul. It is the fire that awakens the life force energy within me and lets it flow through me. It is my liquid love. an elixir for the heart that cracks it open." - familiar with our cacao

4] We hear often that with real cacao in the system, people go deeper and get more out of workshops, meditations, listening to teachings, or reading a spiritual book.  More is understood on many levels… and retained.  Do give this cacao a try if you want to understand more deeply... and retain... what you read!  Connections and deeper meanings emerge, and at much more than at rational / mental levels. You have more energy and are more present... very helpful in all-day events.  Supportive space-holding energies are more easily radiated to other participants, as your vibe is higher and more centered.

“…it was PHENOMENAL! I was able to journey deeper, with powerful insights, clarity and stamina for the entire day.”

5] We know teachers, therapists, coaches, healers, body workers, and acupuncturists who use our cacao to maintain connected focus and keep themselves at a level where they do not use their personal energies, but instead bring through higher energies, and so don’t get so drained from a full day of work.  Over time the cacao will help you to learn to hold this kind of focus continuously... with or without the cacao.

6] We have known of ‘cacao bars/pubs’ who serve cacao instead of alcohol [which works as a social lubricant by suppressing fear]… to open heart-level presence and facilitate personal connecting.

7] As a connection and partnership facilitator, cacao is of course for connecting to your sweetheart… especially bringing the physical and emotional together, and in inviting higher energetic experience… so much so that many consider it an aphrodisiac.  Many into tantric practices report it takes their experience to another level.  It is easier to stay in the focus you prefer with your partner… and that focus stays heart-centered if you want that… and goes deeper.

8] Real cacao is also a wonderful assistant, from couples to business partners, who understand how to assist each other in issue / drama processing… for those capable of being beyond blame, fixing, and projection... who can go deeper to transmute the belief systems behind what they play out on reality's surface as their repeat drama scripts... cacao can help keep one centered in the inner-work and not so easily sidetracked away from the real pain-body issue.  You will go much deeper if that is your choice.

“I have also used some cacao this week while having my very last appointment with my ex-boyfriend. It was by a river and very special and wonderful, both opening up like never before, crying and laughing together. Grateful for all of this being part of my journey.”

“[My]…parents took cacao together on a retreat and it helped them with communication and saved their marriage after having been separated for months!!” 

9] The best lucid dream and dream remembering facilitator around.  Really!... 8-10 gm taken in the middle of your sleep cycle… [drink enough water to awaken to pee].  It is also useful for sleeplessness... 5-10 gm will help you go deeper below the monkey-mind loop and you are back to the dream time. 

10]     “I have worked and introduced cacao now to a number of medicine shamans who hold ceremonies with Ayahuasca, Peyote, Kambo and other plant medicines, and all have experienced the same, deeply powerful, nurturing nature of this medicine and continually express their surprise and delight at how fast their own lives transform into greater heart-centered and heart-oriented flow and awareness, with deeply satisfying and rewarding and equally powerful healing effects for their groups. Each person’s experience is exceptionally unique, including my own, in each ceremony. I invite you try this for yourself, if the Cacao Spirit is calling you to play to the next level of your unique magic!”

There is an ancient history of combining cacao with magic mushrooms with natives in southern Mexico.  Real cacao is combined with medicine plants, in major to micro-doses, by many.  Realizations tend toward more permanent changes than with many psychedelic trips.  Many use cacao in the day-after integration from a deep journey with a medicine plant.  Be aware that because a full dose of real cacao increases blood-flow to the brain by 40%, an overdose from psychedelic saturated blood is possible.  More on the use pages of this website.

“I have been working with other medicines for years now but only recently have begun to work with xocoatl [chocolate] medicina. Its proving to be the very best possible medicine for my journeywork. Can’t wait to see what bliss Mistress Cacao bestows upon us as She opens more and more. I was literally shocked how potent of an effect my last ceremony had on my internal work.”

11] There is an expression here at Lake Atitlan, Guatemala... where we brought this re-emergence of real cacao into the western world: “Cacao and…”  Meaning cacao goes so well with everything!  Our cacao is for Life! 

“Your chocolate is awesome. Makes laugh, cries, sing poems, meditate & Love.

"When I started working with Cacao, it was all about meditation  Although my mentor Keith (from Keith's Cacao) had always mentioned that She was also a great partner for Creativity, I never really believed she could help me. Oh, how wrong was is. Now I can fully see the extent of her Power and admit that She is supporting me in unleashing my Creativity! But first and foremost, regular practices with Cacao has been helping me fully accept myself as I am and see the Beauty, Truth and Divine in what I create"

Workplace Productivity, Decision Making, and Innovation:
 
1] Our kind of cacao is both a profound individual and group facilitator.

People who value workplace productivity, innovation, or decision making tell us that our cacao in their system connects them to the ‘flow’ of deeper knowing and inner prioritization… it works. Keith’s 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.  We hear often that our cacao is:

"the edge that works"

"the authors observed a significant increased interest in doing tasks with respect to placebo"  ... from the theobromine of cacao

2] People find themselves with a lowered tendency to control and manage, and they experience the flow itself bringing resolution that formerly would have been a problem demanding fixing.  With the insight and prioritization that also goes with the enhanced brain function from cacao, this significantly impacts productivity. 

Several channeled beings have said that as we move into higher energies, those able to go with the flow and not attempt to exert their will against it for the outcome they wish to control, will increasingly experience problems resolving themselves.  Businesses that apply this will become increasingly competitave by comparison to those not understanding and helping their employees to get this.

"...sharing my ideas with the world, many of which have been inspired and clarified by the Spirit of the Cacao."

3] Time to design a website... cacao! 

4] Those at the executive decision-making level tell us their job is easier, with less FUD [Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt].  Unless you are a heavy coffee drinker [accustomed to the caffeine], be careful with common cacao that has a high caffeine content… too buzzy, no focus… and fewer of the compounds impacting creativity and focus.

“I couldn’t believe the difference!”

5] We have heard from several people that with cacao in their system public speaking or group leadership is so much easier as they have less fear and confidence issues getting in the way... it has been a revelation for them!
 
6] Studies show a 40% increase in blood flow to the brain.  The first scientific paper on this showed that a group of elderly in an old-folks-home had their brains wake up with a 30% brain blood flow increase from a smaller dose.

"Habitual chocolate intake has been related to better cognitive performances, measured with an extensive battery of neuropsychological tests in a population-based study evaluating 968 community-dwelling participants"

7] Software coders tell me that this cacao makes their brain work as they always imagined a brain should work. They can hold more things simultaneously in their heads, and know far better how the code they are writing will impact various other parts of the software.  And they have a day of more stamina and clarity, and much less stress.     

8] 'Think Tank' folks have let us know that cacao is good for ideas but especially great for synergy and the big picture focus by understanding all the parts and how they fit together.

9] Cacao is an excellent facilitator for group work… focus groups, team-building, and brainstorming.  There is less stress, more harmony, fewer individual discordant agendas, more connection with the work [ego quiets and insight flows], and more cooperation with others [more cooperative heart connection and synchronicity]. The best co-creation facilitator by far!

"I have been giving it to coworkers in my office and I have really seen a synchronization of our energies and have been able to make a heart connection in a place usually filled with low vibes and stress."

Give yourself, or your company, an edge that works!
Many understand that caffeine fosters aggression in a workplace environment... and our cacao tests far lower in caffeine than any of the other cacao's we have had tested in an independent lab.

10] If you need to learn a new task or software, or take your understanding of something to a deeper level... cacao in your system will help you make the connections and retain them.  So much more efficient and productive!

11]  Nothing we know is better for deadlines or long hours... motivation, focus, far less distraction, and priorities flow in a way that will surprise you with organization that seems to originate at another level. 

12] Using cacao, housework and chores go easier and faster, and are much more enjoyable... time to clean the kitchen… cacao!

Workouts, Sports, and Training:

1] Many tell us that using our cacao for both sports and exercise / workout / training routines has replaced all the supplements for energy and motivation that they previously took.

I’ve eaten the [whole cacao] beans pretty regularly for the last 5 years and one of the things that I’ve used them for is an endurance and stamina enhancer when I used to be a long distance runner. I remember eating about 10 beans before running a 10k trail race and being amazed at how much I was able to push myself. I would have to say the vasodilator quality of cacao would certainly be of benefit to anyone breathing heavily and magnesium would keep you from cramping up as easily. Sometimes I will eat a few beans before playing baseball or billiards and I find it helps my focus, concentration and keeps me more present in the moment which certainly helps in those realms.

2] Real cacao removes much of the mental limitations… increases your excitement for physical activity… helps those who struggle with maintaining their commitment to physical activity to follow through…… facilitates motivation.   Makes it easier to do good things for yourself… easier to prioritize your life.

3] For exercise: real cacao helps you visualize success, clear negative chatter, and focus on your goal.  There is less boredomwith repetitive exercises like treadmills and stationary bikes.  Our brains create barriers designed to protect us … cacao moves you beyond the barriers where the mind says “stop”.  The brain relaxes into succeeding, in easy partnership with your body.  Visualize success and completion, and you’re there!  Actually, this applies to everything… growth… creativity… productivity.  Go deeper, farther, faster in your own harmonious flow. 

It is easier to distinguish the voice of fear or resistance from your own knowing, for your own body… and to not ‘buy into’ the limitation but instead know what the truth of your own body is... trust that... and go with it!  We hear that it is much easier to have clarity on when it is ideal to stop for your own body in the now.

With cacao you are not looking to get through it… you are in it, expanding it creatively and performing at a higher level.  Mental outlook is more positive, and you are more present.

"a significant improvement in motor learning, such as sequence, skill, adaptation, and reversal learning was found in theobromine [part of cacao] group compared with normal nourished mice"

4] Medical journals report: there is more than 80% increase in oxygenation to the body. 

"Even though I had increased the weight by 15% at each interval over the previous week, I was able to do more reps in each set with the cacao in my system.”  

We know some absolutely massive body workers who take a larger dose of cacao before getting on the machines or weights... find your ideal dosage.

5] The vasodilation and increased blood flow from cacao helps endurance in sports, as well as attitude.  But the biggest difference seems to be in the creativity… like snowboarding… where more inventive flow means more fun!

"The divine drink which builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink permits a man to walk for a whole day without food." Hernando Cortés, 1519... imagine walking in the hot humid tropics with all that metal conquistador gear...

6] Walking or hiking… more enjoyable, with more connection / appreciation of your surroundings [including colors and bird sounds]... and any companions.  Cacao!  Do go somewhere in nature, or a park or garden, with some cacao in your system!

7] Gym or Yoga Studio… Bring your clients to another level.  Offering cacao (that has the correct balance without the caffeine) will set you apart from the crowd.  Many years ago, I introduced a high-end yoga studio to a menu item of a little bowl of whole peeled cacao beans and one of agave, honey, or artichoke syrup… dip a bean and crunch!  For a quick energy lunch, one cacao bean and a nut chewed together.

"With cacao in everyone, there is a deeper connection with each other and a deeper focus on the task.  Teachers can better tap into the needs of the collective, so can better guide the class."

Medical and Health:

Please note:  This entire website page and especially what follows is for those where the validation helps… to understand cacao in this more rational and scientific way.  

For many of us, She is a Medicine Plant… a Multidimensional Being that manifests physically as cacao.  She is interested in assisting humanity through this evolutionary shift process… and in assisting you in whatever you do.  It is all on feeling and energetic levels.  Magic.  So here follows service as it manifests in physical reality… 


A note: Cacao, COVID-19, and Immunity

Real cacao is a rich source of several items known to benefit the immune system and the way COVID effects the body. Magnesium and Flavanols – immune system. Magnesium – this common deficiency leads to decreases in the concentration of red blood cells, problems with oxygen transport and utilization, and the binding of oxygen to myoglobin and hemoglobin. 

Theobromine – almost double tissue oxygenation from a cup of cacao… as hypoxia is a common feature of advanced COVID infection and is what gets you placed on a respirator [can argue that the COVID problem is in the lungs and Theobromine is about transport, but you will have more blood-flow to the lungs, as well].

Cacao strongly increases nitric oxide, which allows oxygen to diffuse into tissues better. The Cacao Spirit suggests this would also apply to oxygen getting to the hemoglobin in the COVID damaged lungs, as well. 

Cacao is a great source of zinc, and Vitamin D - two of the most recommended supplements for the immune system and viral contagions.

Real cacao is also an excellent pre-biotic… it feeds the gut microbiome that has been recognized as being of central importance to the immune system.

And... the amazing Medical and Health benefits:

1] Cacao has the highest antioxidant content of any food. 

 “Cacao is also a source of the catechins, another strong antioxidant found in green tea.”

2] Cacao is considered a ‘superfood’, and a great source of Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Copper, Sulfur, Chromium, and available Calcium.

Cacao has recently been found to be a rich source of vitamin D2, the vitamin D in foods, and so would especially help in winter when sunlight on skin is not producing much vitamin D.  We hear many positive comments from our friends in northern latitudes where they get little light on their skin in winter.

“Cacao also contains a variety of essential B vitamins, such as B2, B1, B5, B9 and B5, in addition to vitamin E.”
Cacao is famous for being high in Magnesium... of great benefit for the heart, muscle cramping... many things.

“Cacao contains procynanidins and epicatechins, the same flavonoid phytonutrients found in red wine and berries.”

3] The most medically researched aspect of cacao is its effect on cardiovascular health.  In 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.  Many journal papers on this.
The vasodilation properties open and relax blood vessels so aneurysms (exploded brain blood vessels) are rare.  This works even if you are over 60 and on a high salt / fat diet.  With locally made, traditionally processed cacao [where, as with our cacao, the goodies are not removed] the first medical journal paper on this showed 8% of the death rate from cardiovascular problems, compared to a control group matched for age, weight, and genetics who did not drink traditional cacao.  A minimum dose of 20 grams daily of our cacao is sufficient to maintain these benefits after a few months of higher dosage to clear the arteries.

Regular cacao use is the best cure for high blood pressure.  People who consume real cacao daily do not have high blood pressure, even with a high salt diet, advanced age, and overweight.  At first use, blood pressure drops only for an hour or 2… continued use for months results in a 24-hour continuous normalization.  Use a higher dose for the first months and then a minimum maintenance dosage about 20 grams of our cacao daily.
Cacao reduces bad and increases good cholesterol.  There are many medical papers on this.

4] In that same study, cancer among daily traditional cacao drinkers was only 16% of the control group… and some cancers, like cervical, were almost unknown. 

"a possible role in reduction of angiogenesis [formation of new blood vessels] in tumor growth"

"all this translates into a reduction of inflamation and tumor development"- both from medical journal papers on cacao

5] 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.
Cacao can help to stabilize your blood sugar... there are medical journal papers on its effect on diabetes and pre-diabetes.  The chromium in cacao is a powerful mineral that most of us do not get enough of. Chromium helps to improve the function of insulin to stabilize blood sugar and can also help reduce sugar cravings.  Cacao is also a decent source of dietary zinc which can help to improve blood sugar stability as well.  Most folks today are over coppered and under zinced.

"It was discovered in 2008 that cocoa does not raise blood sugar levels the way caffeinated products do."

6] There is increasing evidence that cacao drinkers have less dementia, senility, and Alzheimers.  Cacao seems to preserve cogitative abilities during aging.  We regularly see new medical journal papers on this. 

“Cacao is a key ingredient in some brain health supplements.”

7] There is some research on protection against many chronic degenerative diseases, besides those of the brain. 

8] We hear from many that our cacao works well for "brain fog".

When I received my cacao I knew right away that this would be from any cacao I’ve ever purchased. The SCENT.  It was intoxicating!  I immediately pulled the remaining bit of powdered/organic cacao I have in my superfood cupboard to compare the two.  No contest.  The cacao from Keith had the richest, most delightful fragrance.  I couldn’t wait to use it.  Slicing off an ounce of cacao was easy, and within moments I had whipped up a simple hot beverage.  The flavor, and the purity of that flavor was incredible!  With nothing but hot water + a dollop of coconut cream – it was delicious.  As I sipped the cacao, almost immediately I felt something shifting in my upper body.  My neck and shoulders were settling, and my mind was clearing.  The next morning I started my day with another cacao drink.  Again, my brain fog – a fog that had all but stopped my ability to think, read, and create – LIFTED.  I could almost feel this internal dust clearing, and my mind opening.  Honestly, it was hard to believe.  But day after day of using this cacao product, I can feel the changes.  My mindset, mood and energy are elevated.  It has become an integral part of my healing + self-care routine, and I am so beyond thankful to have found it!  - From a client of one of our practitioners 

9] Real cacao is well-known for balancing hormones and benefiting mood, PMS, etc. 

“I can’t tell you how much the cacao spirit is helping me.....and i don’t crave normal chocolate anymore.....not even when it’s my moontime!  I have been addicted all my life.....thank you soooo much for bringing her :-)”

Over the years, women have reported that real cacao can either increase or decrease their menstrual flow.  Some with a temporary increase in flow report that it was more liquid and they experienced it as a detox at a deep level.

“I have found that taking Cacao during my Moon period helps with tiredness, cramping and bloating and fluidifies my blood, which often leads to “heavier” flow. It does not feel heavier, but simply more watery.”

“My personal experience is that it reduces my cramps due to the magnesium and makes me softer”

I had cacao on my first menstruation day and it was lighter than it usually is. My first was a womb healing effect though.

This is how it is with real cacao... you will get what you need. You will go through a detox, judge it, and feel cacao is bad for you. You will go through a detox, celebrate it, and have gratitude for cacao as a partner. You name it, you will see it. May never happen again. May happen every period.  If you don't accept the teaching, don't eat the teacher.

Cacao is one of the most balancing and healing hormonal system things around... but if your hormone issues, as is likely, are metaphorical messages from Higher Self, via your body consciousness, you may have increased emotions or such as the relevant issues are surfaced so they can be worked with.

10] The Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors [MAOI’s] and other consciousness compounds in cacao serve as effective anti-depressants,and 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. 

“…from my experience, it has seemed to remove the roots of severe long-term clinical depression. (or rather, has helped me do the internal processing of those roots...”

"Cacao has “helped me process strong emotions and also have motivation to take action on some of the neurosis.”

11] And on the other side, we often hear that our naturally un-caffeinated cacao is excellent to relax, de-stress, and drop below surface monkey-mind into whatever state [productivity to chill to sleep] you desire.  Many praise the serious therapeutic benefits in anxiety or panic that also help you to get in touch with the belief systems insisting that stress and anxiety are needed.

“Cacao has both anti-depressant and anti-anxiety properties.” 

12] An improvement over afternoon Adderall… and no depressive let-down from extended use.  Years ago i knew a stock trader on the floor that replaced cocaine with our cacao... His wife told me... 

"better at his high-pressure job... could juggle more faster in his head... got a raise... no martinis after work to come down from the coke... and home to wife, garden, kids, and helping make dinner."

We hear this sort of thing often:

"Cacao has been a game changer... balancing my energy and mood (I have a 2yr old, so I was pretty sleep deprived and using sugar to keep me awake) with cacao I have completely stopped eating other chocolate and treats."

13] Cacao in your system is a sunburn preventive… it takes at least twice as much sun exposure to burn. 
 
14] 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 [internally] is also reported to be great for acne. In our experience, people look younger after prolonged regular cacao use. My sweetheart Barbara, in her mid-60’s and a cacao drinker for 10 years, is regularly asked by 20 somethings what she does with her skin… having seen old photos of her Mom, at 15 years younger - it is not genetic!

15] Used correctly, real cacao is of great benefit in pregnancy, birth, post-partum depression, and lactation.  It works well for many with morning sickness.  Our cacao has helped many Moms find a deeper connection and love with both born and unborn children. 

A therapist: “Many have shared their experience describing deeper peace, love and connection with Self and little one."

…and… “she was exhausted and she contacted us the next day to say that she had a total shift in her energy when getting up to nurse the baby at 3AM. She explained feeling love and joy instead of more unloving emotions she had been experiencing before”.
 "From a medical journal: "chocolate consumption during pregnancy may lower risk of preeclampsia"

 ‘Cacao Children’ are different…

“The babies born to women who had been eating chocolate daily during pregnancy were more active and “positively reactive” – a measure that encompasses traits such as smiling and laughter.”

16] Newly recognized body organs and systems that cacao deeply benefits:

1] Interstitium – one of the largest organs of your body, found just under your skin.  It plays an important role in how the skin looks, heals, and functions to detoxify the body.  An average dose of cacao brings 80% more oxygenation to this organ and helps to keep it healthy and looking young.

2] Endothelium - an organ system one cell thick lining all blood vessels and lymphatics. It is involved in a multitude of physiologic functions, including vasomotor tone, trafficking of cell nutrients, blood fluidity, new blood vessel growth, and interacting with all other body organs.  It weighs an average of 1 kg and covers a total surface area of 4000 to 7000 square meters.  When stressed, it coats itself with cholesterol, forming the plaque that can break off and cause heart attacks and strokes.  Cacao, over time, removes this coating and restores this organ to health.

3] Endocannabinoid System - The brain has more cannabinoid receptors than any other type of receptor. CBD and THC, the principle cannabinoids in cannabis / marijuana, mimic the body's natural cannabinoids and fit into these receptors in the brain and nervous system.  Real cacao has the body’s own, natural cannabinoid, Anandamide [Ananda is a Sanskrit word for bliss]. Commercial chocolate processing removes all the Anandamide.

"Anandamide is immune-boosting as well as neuroprotective. It has the ability to encourage neurogenesis and can help in the creation of new nerve cells which ward off anxiety."  

“Anandamide is a neurotransmitter.  It plays a role in pain, depression, memory, fertility, and feeling hungry… and an important but hitherto little-known role in hormonal balance and the reproductive system.

"Anandamide is important in parts of the brain that have to do with memory, higher thinking processes and motor control. The highest concentrations in the body are not found in the brain, but are found in the womb just before the embryo is implanted."

"As far as is known, cocoa is the only food that contains [significant] anandamide.” 

We hear of increasing numbers of folks who are adding CBD to cacao... making chocolates, using at the same time... many ways.  They work very well together, assisting each other... and again, that is with cacao without the caffeine.

17] 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. 

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. 

“Cacao contains some very interesting neurotransmitters, sometimes called “love chemicals,” associated with motivation and pleasure.”

18] Real cacao boosts mitochondrial energy production - and so your energy. It’s 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. 

19] We have many reports of real cacao [very important for these children: without the caffeine!] making a significant difference in ADD, ADHD, autism, OCD and similar conditions… in both children and adults.  Significant improvement in communication and social interaction, both with peers and adults, is normal.  It helps in expressing the gifts that some with autism have in a more balanced way, without damping them down.  Again, please use cacao without the caffeine for these children!

“People with ADHD suffer from abnormally low concentrations of Phenylethylamine”, and real cacao is the major source.

20] Cacao extract has been shown to do a far better job than fluoride of re-mineralizing teeth and preventing the growth of the bacteria whose acids cause cavities... and slowing the process of plaque formation. There is a toothpaste with it... Whole Foods carries it!  We have used our sifted cacao powder to brush our teeth for 7 years. No cavities, less plaque and tartar. 

“People who brushed their teeth with cacao-extract toothpaste twice a day for one week had ‘100 percent dental occlusion’ with their tooth dentin becoming re-mineralized or repaired.”

21] The fats [cacao butter] found in whole cacao are considered to be healthy… although they are technically saturated, many are long-chain steric acids and do not react in the body in harmful ways.

“Cacao contains healthy monounsaturated fats, which have their own role to play in detoxification, as well as in the immune system and as a helper for metabolism.”

“It has oleic acid within it as well, which is found in olive oil and has been shown to be protective against certain kinds of reproductive cancers.”

22] Cacao is recommended by some to lose weight as it stimulates metabolism.

From a medical journal:

"Cocoa and dark chocolate supplementation reduced body weight, body mass index and waist circumference.”

23] Cacao has a long history of use for rebuilding the body in convalescence from enervating diseases... and was first [that's by Europeans] used on Caribbean islands in the era of the sailing ships for this purpose.

24] Cacao is used as part of ending addiction or substance abuse, and in detox from alcohol to cocaine to heroin, by several we know.  It assists in the deeper understanding of the inner issues behind what is happening on the surface.  Sure, you can use cacao itself in an addictive manner, but it will assist you in understanding your addictive tendencies if you want to go there.  There is no ‘crash’ or withdrawal, even for a heavy and prolonged user, if cacao usage is discontinued abruptly. 

“Coffee cravings drop a lot. Couldn't believe it at the beginning as a coffee addict like me. But, oh yes, they do really drop.”
 
"...began to share cacao in my job at a rehab centre with clients recovering from addiction. The results were really astonishing and deeply moving."

25] Cacao helps prevent asthma attacks as it contains several compounds that work together to halt bronchospasms and open constricted bronchial passages.

26] The theobromine found in cacao was found to halt coughs better than codeine or commercial cough suppressants.

27] Cacao is known as anti-inflammatory.  Many health researchers consider inflammation to be a basic cause of other health issues.
28] I see increasing references to cacao as an excellent prebiotic... it feeds the microbiome, the good microorganisms in your gut that play a very important, increasingly understood role in health.  [The microorganisms in your gut weigh more than your brain.] Cacao has large amounts of prebiotics and polyphenols... and these are both being understood as essential for the gut microbiome to function at optimum levels.  Take cacao and probiotics together - studies show that the bacteria you are introducing get off to a great start.

29] There is some research about cacao as a heavy metal chelator, binding and removing them from the body.

30] “Chocolate is cheaper than therapy and you don’t need an appointment.”

To purchase our cacao, please go to our e-commerce website:  https://keithscacao.com  blessings