CACAO IS MEDICINE

Where biochemistry meets the sacred heart.

Cacao has always been medicine. Long before labs confirmed its neurological, cardiovascular, and emotional impact, our ancestors already understood what the body remembers: this plant speaks directly to the heart.

As a neuroscientist, a medicine chef, and a woman raised by ancestral teachings, I see cacao through two lenses—the measurable and the mystical. Both tell the same story:
Cacao awakens you.

THE BIOCHEMISTRY OF HEALING

Cacao activates the body in ways that no other plant does.
Its compounds work like keys, unlocking clarity, emotional release, and heart coherence.

Theobromine — The Heart Expander

A gentle cardiovascular stimulant that increases blood flow, oxygenation, and vitality.
This is why, after drinking cacao, people feel open, honest, and connected.
The heart literally receives more circulation.

Magnesium — The Nervous System Softener

Cacao is one of the richest natural sources of magnesium, a mineral your nervous system drinks like water.
It relaxes muscles, calms the stress response, and restores deep exhalation.

Phenylethylamine — The Mood Lifter

Known as the “love molecule,” PEA enhances focus, pleasure, and motivation.
This creates the sensation of coming back to yourself.

Anandamide — The Bliss Chemical

Named after “ananda,” meaning bliss.
This neurotransmitter creates inner warmth and quiet joy—without overstimulation.

Flavonoids — The Protectors

Antioxidants that repair cells, support circulation, and strengthen cognitive function.

THE CHEMICAL REALITY OF CACAO MEDICINE

Cacao contains a rare combination of active compounds that each carry a specific effect on the nervous system, cardiovascular system, and emotional processing.
When mixed with the wrong ingredients, these effects cancel out, become distorted, or overstimulate the body.

THEOBROMINE

Vasodilator • Heart stimulant • Mood activator

What it needs:

– Warm water or plant milks
– Minimal sugars
– Space to expand blood vessels

Do NOT :

– Coffee (overstimulation, blood pressure spike)
– High caffeine teas
– Energy drinks
– Strong stimulants (matcha, guaraná, yerba mate)
– Alcohol (creates tension, blocks theobromine’s vasodilation)

Theobromine opens the heart’s field.
Mixing it with heavy stimulants turns clarity into anxiety.

PHENYLETHYLAMINE (PEA)

The love molecule enhances focus, joy,

What it needs:

– Natural healthy facts
– nuts
– Mushrooms

Do NOT:

– Heat above 80°C (176°F)
– Processed sugars (Creates Ceparation)
– Chemical flavorings
– Strong stimulants (matcha, guaraná, yerba mate)
– Artificial oils or Heavy acidic ingredients (lowers absorption)

If you want the emotional medicine of cacao, you must protect PEA.

ANANDAMIDE

Anandamide is one of the rarest and most sacred compounds in ceremonial cacao.

What it needs:

– Warm temperature (not boiling)
– Healthy natural fats (coconut cream, cacao butter)
– Minimal natural sweeteners
– Calm nervous system (avoid mixing with stimulants)

Do NOT:

– Mix with Ginger
– High-acid foods: tomatoes, citrus, pineapple, vinegar
– High-oxalate greens: spinach, beet greens, Swiss chard
– Sulfur-rich vegetables: garlic, onion, broccoli, cauliflower

Ginger’s heat increases metabolic breakdown, shortening the bliss window and breaking the emotional coherence cacao naturally creates.

THE ENERGETICS OF HEALING

Beyond chemistry, cacao works on the subtle layers of your being.

Cacao Softens Emotional Armor

There is a moment in the ceremony where the walls come down.
Not because you force it because cacao melts the tension you didn’t realize you were carrying.
Your heart begins to speak.
Your truth becomes impossible to hide.

Cacao Opens the Heart Field

The heart has its own electromagnetic field, stronger than the brain’s.
When cacao enters the bloodstream, the heart’s field expands.
You feel more honest, more tender, more brave.

Cacao Reconnects You to Your Truth

This plant doesn’t intoxicate.
It clarifies.
It brings you into coherence with what you truly want, what you deeply feel, and the direction your life is asking from you.

Cacao as a Portal

In every tradition from the Amazon to Mesoamerica, Cacao is known as a mediator:
A bridge to your own spirit.
A guide during transition.
A companion in healing.

THE MEDICINE OF PRESENCE

When you drink cacao intentionally, the body remembers safety.
The mind slows down.
The heart becomes the compass again.

In ceremony or in daily ritual, cacao teaches you to:
– feel instead of numb
– breathe instead of react
– open instead of contract
– choose love instead of fear

This is the medicine.