cacao

Benefits of Cacao

Ahhh, chocolate. Just the sound of the word alone arouses desire within most of us.
It indeed has a powerful essence that is truly indescribable.

Chocolate comes from the cacao bean, a seed of a fruit from an indigenous jungle
tree, and is where all of it’s health benefits originate from. The processed chocolate
that we have become accustomed to does not contain even a fraction of the
antioxidants, minerals, and health-promoting benefits found in cacao.

It’s Latin name is Theobroma cacao, which means, “Cacao, the food of the gods.”
The Aztecs often called it yollotl eztli, which menas “heart blood”, since it supports
a healthy cardiovascular system and increases circulation. It is also a powerful
aphrodisiac and full of libido-enhancing minerals such as magnesium and zinc.

Cacao also has an abundance of natural chemical compounds such as
phenylethylamines and anandamide, which are known to increase focus, awareness,
pleasure, and an overall feeling of vitality. These precious compounds are heat-
sensitive, and are therefore destroyed by roasting or cooking the cacao beans.

In fact, most of the powerful health-enhancing properties of cacao are destroyed by
today’s common commercialized chocolate, which is over-processed and contains
harmful additives such as sugar, dairy, and chemicals. But never fear! The extensive
health benefits from the cacao bean can still be experienced with the raw, organic
cacao found in Hot Rawks.

CACAO References/Studies:
http://adampaulgreen.com/wp-content/resources/UofU_White_Paper.pdf

http://www.secrets-of-longevity-in-humans.com/raw-cacao-benefits.html

~”Superfoods” by David Wolfe (North Atlantic Books, 2009)
~http://hubpages.com/hub/Dark-Chocolate-Weight-Loss-Aid
~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Louise_Calment
~http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8232569.stm

http://cocoa-university.org/scientific-research/research-library/pdf/
edwards05(1bzphysiologyseedextracts(172kb.pdf

http://www.amazonherb.net/cacao_research.aspx

http://superfoodu.com/the-superfoods/cacao/cacao-research/

http://www.ulimana.com/research/benefits-of-chocolate-and-raw-cacao/

Teresa L. Dillinger, Patricia Barriga, Sylvia Escarcega, Martha Jimenez,
Diana Salazar Lowe, Louis E. Grivetti, “Food of the Gods: Cure for
Humanity? A Cultural History of the Medicinal and Ritual Use of
Chocolate”, The Journal of Nutrition. Retrived on November 28, 2010,
from http://jn.nutrition.org/content/130/8/2057S.full.pdf

Francois-Pierre J. Martin, Serge Ressi, Emma Per-Trepat, Beate Kamlage,
Sebastiano Collino, Edgar Leibold, Jurgen Kastler, Dietrich Rein, Laurent B.
Fay, Sunil Kochhar, “Metabolic Effects of Dark Chocolate Consumption on
Energy, Gut Microbiota, and Stress-Related Metabolism in Free-Living
Subjects”, Journal of Proteome Research, October 7, 2009, 8 (12), pp 5568-
5579

Andrew B Scholey, Stephen J French, Penelope J Morris, David O Kennedy,
Athea L Milne, Crystal F Haskell, “Consumption of coca flavanols results in
acute improvements in mood and cognitive performance during sustained
mental effort”. Journal of Psychopharmacology, October 2010, 24 (10)
pp 1505-1514

http://www.naturalnews.com/
030603_cacao_medicine.html#ixzz1pFVLjVHf

http://www.sacredchocolate.com/scientific-cacao-chocolate-health-research/
nutritional-characteristics/love/

^ Nehlig, A., Daval, J., and Debry, G. (1992). “Caffeine and the central nervous
system: mechanisms of action, biochemical, metabolic, and pyschostimulant
effects”. Brain Research Reviews 17 (2): 139–170. doi:10.1016/0165-
0173(92)90012-B.PMID 1356551.