Shrub-like trees, 12 to 26 feet in height known as the Theobroma cacao, produces a hard-shelled outer casing to protect the precious and sacred bean. A tree produces the cacao seed or bean, that is used to make chocolate, cocoa butter, and several other foods and health-related products.

The cacao tree is native to Central and South America, and it is one of the stronger trees I have observed, able to withstand and live in harmony with several plant species in close proximity.

When Christopher Colombus, or Christopher Colon, first discovered the Americas in 1502 he shared a cacao beverage with Montezuma, who reportedly drank a lot of the chocolate drink.

Wild cacao today still grows in the foothills of the Andes, in the Amazon, and Orinoco basins of South America, and in Colombia and Venezuela.

Evidence suggests that cacao had been consumed largely by every civilization in those regions from Aztecs to Mayans to Incas and all the way back to the Olmec civilization.

According to legend, Quetzacoatl (ket za koh AH tul), the Aztec God of Vegetation, came to our world with a cocoa tree and taught the mortals how to cultivate cocoa and make a drink out of its beans. Legend has it that this made the other Gods furious, and cast him out of paradise for sharing the sacred drink with humans. When he left our world, he vowed he would return, and it is thought that the promise would bring with it tremendous consequences for the Aztecs, or our world.

Some accounts tell that Montezuma and his circle drank 60 beverages a day and an extra one for when a lady friend was to come to visit. Certain accounts indicate that women were prohibited from drinking the elixir. This Food of the Gods, in this time, was mixed with chili peppers.

Cacao trees grow in a limited geographical zone, of about 20° to the north and south of the Equator. Nearly 70% of the world crop today is grown in West Africa. The cacao plant was first given its botanical name by Swedish natural scientist Carl Linnaeus in his original classification of the plant kingdom, where he called it Theobroma (“food of the gods”) cacao. [1]

To live in these times you had to be tough, your ad to be strong, you had to have strong foods.

XOCOLATL: (SHOW-CO-LA-TIL)

The word for Chocolate. The word ‘chocolate’ is said to come from the Mayan word ‘xocolatl’ which means ‘bitter water.’

This substance was a legend to be taught and given by God. The most exact version XOCOLATL of as I can tell:

1. Remove beans from cocoa pods.
2. Ferment and dry them.
3. Roast them on a griddle until done.
4. Remove the shells and grind the seeds into a fine paste.
5. Mix paste with water, chili peppers, and cornmeal.
6. Pour the resulting concoction back and forth from pot to cup until frothy foam develops on top.
7. Serve with pride in finely decorated earthenware cups.

This food gets its name ‘of the Gods,’ in English by way of Carl Linnaeus’ translation whom the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau sent by way of a messenger, “tell him I know no greater man on earth.”

The German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote about Carl Linnaeus, “with the exception of Shakespeare and Spinoza, I know no one among the no longer living who has influenced me more strongly.” Swedish author August Strindberg wrote that “Linnaeus was, in reality, a poet who happened to become a naturalist”.

Among other compliments, Linnaeus has been called Princeps botanicorum (Prince of Botanists), “The Pliny of the North,” and “The Second Adam”. He is also considered to be one of the founders of modern ecology.

When the Aztecs conquered the Mayans, they were forced to pay taxes to the Aztecs. These taxes were called “tributes” and they were paid in cocoa, so the Aztecs, who couldn’t grow their own cocoa, would always have a supply.

Cocoa beans were kept in lockboxes in homes and in businesses, and some enterprising Aztecs actually made counterfeit cocoa beans.

I should mention the previous and neighboring Incan Empire may have very well operated on and expanded with, the participles of charity and giving back to the land, and helping thy neighbor as thy self. It is told that Patchacutec grew this Empire by teaching new things and bestowing great charities, a true leader. We could use one like him today. Montezuma was also documented to be a good man, honorable, and martyred.

Not far from where I write this to you nowhere in Panama, a Harvard University study found, that the Kuna Yalla people living on the islands suffered fewer cancers, or heart disease cases than those not living on the San Blas islands and taking a cocoa-based drink regularly.

Theobromine and caffeine are the stimulant chemicals in cacao. The beans contain between 0.1% and 0.7% caffeine, whereas dry coffee beans are about 1.2% caffeine. Generally, cocoa is considered to be a rich source of antioxidants such as procyanidins and flavanoids, which may impart anti-aging and anti-cancer properties. [2, A]

Chocolate and cacao are so important to my diet I must have the absolute best chocolate.

CHOCOLATE RANKINGS

1. Wild Cocoa Powder

Wild Cocoa is a well-made bag of extra fine cocoa granules packaged in a perfect backpacking pouch that boasts all the features I am interested in with a cacao chocolate product, such as Non-GMO, USDA Organic, Non-dutched, Natural cold process, Vegan and Paleo-friendly.

We found out from the company that in cacao there is about ~10-12mg caffeine per 1 TBSP.

Here is the Mayan Powder if that is what you are going for, I personally have found it very helpful to coffee addicts and hard workers alike and a great modern supplement and alternative.

Rated highly by over 400 customers on Amazon this choice product from where the cacao crop originates (Peru) won our best chocolate rating due to market popularity, price, and company information. This company produces a wide range of healthy products I would not mind having in the medicine cabinet.

2. Wicked Dark Chocolate Bar

Having a ready to go bar that someone put a lot of time into and made sure to create purely is a valuable commodity. For this reason, I have ranked this well-made product among the best chocolate sources.

3. TRU VIBE Do it Now Cacao

The creating tribe has gained a great reputation with this product, one of the boasts intrinsic impregnating of positive energy through symbolism and intent which is actually real science that most companies don-t dare to mention. For this bold statement towards dynamic understanding and the price and high Amazon rating, I rank this cart-worthy product.

4. El Ceibo Bolivian Chocolate

While supplies are not as abundant with this Bolivian product, when in stock it is a great option to source 100% pure cacao from Bolivia. I like this bulk buy option, that is a fair price in the end to get a great product from a great ancient chocolate location rarely offering products to the U.S. This company has done a quality job in putting together a quality export and we all know the economy is in need of as much support as possible there, not to mention I like to go for the bulk buy with all my athletic clients and all.

5. Kiva Ecuadorian Cacao

This “Amazon’s Choice” product is well priced, and a good solid source from Ecuador. I am always after a diversity of nutritional sources, and these ‘criollo’ beans featured here represent a rare 1% of the world’s production. For those who like to give a good history and sound top shelf as they serve hot or cold morning cups to the clan, this is the choice for you.

Priced within normal cacao pricing, the 16oz / 454 grams of powder in this travel-ready pouch will work out great for enhanced energy and heart health during the next month or so.

6. Best Naturals

This Best Naturals bag has some of the highest reviews in the game. The two-pound bag makes it desirable for an extended trip or an extended stay for a couple or family. The money-back-guarantee, and price drop for the extra pound make this chocolate choice a ranked one.

7. Freedom Superfoods

This order in the morning get it in the afternoon cacao product by Freedom Superfoods, has excellent reviews, is low in cadmium (a cadmium a score of 0.66 ppm which is a A+++ rating), and is sourced from the Dominican Republic. Being Sourced from this island has the likely hood guarantee of being far from mining operations that could leech heavy metals and other discernable ingredients found present in certain cacao beans, into soils.

8. KOS Cacao Powder

While a little pricey, those who are rough with their packs like I am or prefer a harder container, this company has a good reputation.

9. Lili’s Chips

If your looking for those little chocolate chips you remember as a kid from the cookies, for snaking and baking elegantly sweetened with stevia, and no sugar, this is the product for you.

10. Lily’s Bars

If you want some bars to stick in the freezer or the rucksack, these are them. Stevia sweetened no sugar dark chocolate bars, at a very affordable price. Shipped in a twelve-pack this product is well worth adding to the cart.

CHOCOLATE BENEFITS

Strong species, of super fruit, the tree’s and the nutrients are robust and powerful. Many revere the cacao fruit to be a superfood. The highs in magnesium, calcium, zinc, and iron make it a perfect strong man’s food. [3,A]

Chocolate helps the consumer digest other foods, and this is a key benefit to those adhering to principles of the Nutritional Diversity diet [4].

The prevalence of hypertension among the San Blas islanders population is a very low 2.2% and blood pressure does not increase with age there. The population there also experiences lower rates of diabetes mellitus, myocardial infarction, stroke, and cancer than mainland Panamanians. [2a]

Improves heart health; researchers globally who studied cocoa flavanols mechanistic pathways have agreed that cocoa flavonoids—in vitro and through animal models—upregulate enzymes that act as a vasodilator of the coronary arteries. [5]

Chocolate proves to be a healthy medium for probiotic bacteria. [6]

A special study with elite football players determined that diets strategically containing cocoa phenols could relieve oxidative stress and muscle injury. The antioxidative effects induced by cocoa-derived polyphenols were also confirmed on skeletal muscle cells in vitro. [7]

Anticancer compounds [.]

CHOCOLATE SIDE EFFECTS

Too much, or too late in the day and you could up for a while. You could experience nausea, and headache, dizziness, and an intense buzz. This being said many, especially in this region, partake of the chocolate cleanse ceremony, an experience where mass chocolate consumption is meant to help away from the unneeded and become purer.

CHOCOLATE EXPERIENCE

They like the shade, they produce more shaded you can grow them in the sun; just grow a vine on top of them. I grow it from seed all over the farm, several varieties, one of which was planted by my Dear Uncle Bo who started our farm, Rest in Peace.

Total muscle food. I can feel it opening up my flow channels inside the muscle, a small pump can come just from eating chocolate. I eat chocolate throughout the first half of my day on a regular, as it has a kick and has caffeine and so if you eat it too late in the day it can make it hard to sleep. I like to sleep early so I can get up early – this is the main power move of my nutritional arsenal, and all action is nutrition, so is the sunrise.

CHOCOLATE DISCUSSION

I am blessed to have a lot of access to great, raw chocolate, here in Panama. It comes in chunks, ready to be mixed down with whatever else into whatever blend more palatable for whatever consumer, si se quere.

It is a stimulant, on one farm in Central America that I learned at, the guy had well-replaced coffee each morning with hot chocolate. I thought that was smart, and now the idea of switching is becoming more and more popular, especially because of the added heart benefits. When I was there he was working on a way to get the chocolate into a fine enough powder to assimilate. The electric heavy duty coffee grinder I brought back is what we successfully used in this case. I have it on my to-do list to recreate the Mayan cornmeal, chili pepper concoction, and maybe visit the San Blas Islands to see how the drink is made today.

I have often included the papery leaves (red, young) in Nutritional Diversity blends and cooked dishes. I reason in part, lots of cocoa plant consumption in how much the plant was appreciated by pre- Colombian culture.

Where I grew up in Albuquerque New Mexico, we ate “Green Chile” on everything. Fast food chains had to adopt the specific genus of chili pepper preserved in Hatch, a Pueblo town whose entire economy is based on the supply of this food to all New Mexican residents. Could this be a lineage of the same pepper seen in Mayan art?

CHOCOLATE FAQ

Q. Where is the cacao tree originating from?

A. The cacao tree is native to the deep tropical regions of Mesoamerica.

Q. What form of the cacao tree is it?

A. The cacao tree is a small, 4–8 m (13–26 ft) tall evergreen tree in the Malvaceae family

Q. What well known nutritional contents does cacao possess?

A. Cacao has copious varied content of minerals, such as calcium, copper, sodium, magnesium, iron, zinc, potassium, and phosphorus.

Q. How are fruits of cacao trees normally used?

A. The cacao fruit pod contains seeds and are referred to as beans enveloped in a white pulp. The seeds are the main ingredient of chocolate. The pulp can be used to prepare juice, smoothies, jelly, and cream, etc.

Q. How does a cacao tree look?

A. Leaves of cacao plants are alternate, entire, unlobed and the flowers cluster directly on the trunk and older branches. The fruit (pod) is ovoid.

Q. When does the cacao tree plant blossom?

A. The flowers grow in clusters all year round on the leafless trunk.

Q. Which countries yield the most production of cacao?

A. In 2018, global production of cocoa beans was 5.3 million tons, topped by the Ivory Coast with 37% of the total and trailed behind by Ghana and Indonesia.

Q. Does cacao provide antioxidants?

A. Cacao is very rich in cocoa flavanols which is a plant-based antioxidant. Scientific studies have shown that it supports some health benefits ranging from reducing tiredness and fatigue to improving heart health, cognitive function, and regulating blood pressure.

Q. Does cacao help in digestion?

A. Certainly, cacao contains fiber which is tantamount to helping gastrointestinal action.

Q. How does cacao contribute to body growth?

A. Cacao is a source of protein that encourages muscle growth.

Q. How does cacao benefit muscular and neurological function?

A. Cacao consists of potassium which is essential to maintain good muscular and neurological function.

Q. How does cacao aid in energy metabolism and healthy psychological function, bones, and teeth?

A. Through magnesium that is an ingredient in the composition of its nutrients, cacao provides that particular benefit.

Q. Is cacao anti-inflammatory?

A. Cacao contains polyphenols which is another source of antioxidants that are believed to reduce inflammation.

Q. Does cacao regulate blood pressure?

A. Due to the presence of polyphenols, cacao reduces blood pressure and regulates cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

Q. How does flavanols in cocoa help in reducing blood pressure?

A. The flavanols in cocoa are believed to ameliorate nitric oxide levels in the blood, which can improve the function of the blood vessels and reduce blood pressure as a result.

Q. Does the consumption of cacao lower the risk of heart failure?

A. Two studies have shown that chocolate consumption is correlated to a lower rate of heart failure at the correct dosage of one serving of 0.7–1.1 ounces (19–30 grams) of chocolate per day.

Q. Does cacao play a role in good brain functioning?

A. Various studies have found that polyphenols, contained in cocoa, may lower the risk of neurodegenerative diseases by enhancing brain function and blood flow. Moreover, flavanols in cocoa can buttress neuron production to provide good brain function.

Q. How does cacao regulate mood swings and depression?

A. A study on chocolate intake and stress levels in pregnant women found that more frequent consumption of chocolate was related to reduced stress and improved mood in babies.

Q. Does cacao help in diabetes?

A. Some studies have indicated that higher consumption of flavanols, such as those from cocoa, can result in a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

Q. Consumption of cacao can help asthma as well?

A. Extract from cocoa has shown definitive anti-asthmatic properties in animal studies but human trials have yet to be conducted before being suggested as a treatment.

CHOCOLATE RECAP

SUPERFOOD. Helps energy levels, brain activity, muscle growth, getting away from coffee, helps the heart and even the mood of babies is helped by the maternal consumption of the superpowerful creation.

This seed-based creation we do eat.

Just give me the best cocoa.

RELATED MATERIAL

These related materials would good in a chocolate cacao concoction!

1. Hot Pepper
2. Damiana
3. Ambrosia
4. Cannabis

Published Originally April 27, 2017, Updated October 4, 2017, Sep 7, 2019