Trade Coffee for Cacao
Cacao is quite ceremonious. The Mayan and Aztec cultures praised its ability to lift spirits and inspire creativity. Today, after thousands of years of medicinal and spiritual usage, its ceremonious offering is continued by those of us in the Western world seeking an alternative to anxiety inducing stimulants.
The cacao we, and all practitioners, use is a seed of the fruit of Theobroma cacao tree. The name is Greek, meaning “food of the gods” and the widely regarded benefits back up this audacious nomenclature.
Cacao is indenginous to South and Central America. Long before the term “nootropic” was coined, Montezuma, an Aztec emperor, described his daily dose as, “a divine drink, which builds resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink permits a man to walk for a whole day without food.” (source!)
Because of quotes such as these, we’re confident that cacao was used in 1750 BC much as it’s consumed for today:
– to increase cerebral blood flow
– release endorphins
– improve learning, memory, and focus
– reduces cortisol levels
– reduces stress
– reduces free radical damage
… and thus “food of the gods”.
In the brain, cacao boosts function in three particularly special ways:
1
Cacao improves mood by stimulating endorphins in our brain.
Cacao contains tyrosine, a precursor to dopamine and tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin. Both of which are neurotransmitters that contribute to mood.
2
Cacao boosts memory by flavonoids crossing the blood-brain barrier and accumulating in the hippocampus, the area of the brain associated with learning and memory.
These flavonoids improve cerebral blood flow and the creation of new blood vessels, causing long-term protective effects on cognition and behavior.
3
Cacao stimulates the release of phenylethylamine (PEA) which leads to the release of norepinephrine and dopamine.
This is often referred to as the reason behind cacao’s ability to create a euphoric feeling in the brain and body. And good reason for the ceremonious continuance of cacao.
The science of cacao is important. Nonetheless, the feeling of cacao is unexplainable.
Along with raw honey, mycro uses cacao as the foundation of our formulations. We believe its ability to inspire focus is matched by the ways in which it opens the heart, inspiring courage and kindness.
With ¼ the amount of caffeine as a cup of anxiety inducing coffee, cacao is a spiritual alternative to stimulants that can’t be trusted to make us feel into our divine purpose.
Feeling into one’s divine purpose is not a small request. Thus the ceremonious delivery of cacao is preferred for the substance and for ourselves to reach full potential.
However, if a cacao ceremony is too daunting for the everyday, we suggest a spoonful of honey or an Adapt Bar as an efficient and effective way to routinely consume the food of the gods.
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