Cacao Science & Our Findings
In June 2020 we set up our 21 Day Cacao Challenge – from Stress & Anxiety to Peace & Harmony, to see if people who drank ceremonial grade cacao daily saw a significant reduction in their stress and anxiety levels, and we recorded their findings in a National Health Study.
Using a combination of drinking a daily cup of cacao, alongside a daily email that offers tips on mindfulness, meditation and connecting with nature, the results of the study provided significant evidence that regularly drinking ceremonial grade cacao not only helps reduce stress and anxiety but also helps us feel calmer and more peaceful, making it THE medicine for these turbulent times.
Our aim at Ritual Cacao is to help our customers ritualise their daily cup of cacao, as a mindful practise, to improve mental health in a gentle, effective and enjoyable way!
Six reasons for why cacao is a powerful and effective way of reducing stress and anxiety:
Theobromine
Unlike caffeine, theobromine is not a central nervous system stimulant and therefore doesn’t typically make you feel as on edge or jittery.Instead, it stimulates the cardiovascular system, and increases heart function and blood flow. Theobromine feels more like the energy you gain after a good night’s sleep rather than the quick high you get from coffee!
Dopamine
Dopamine and phenylethylamine are the chemicals we release when we fall in love. Seratonin, helps us feel good, calm and relaxed. This range of natural mood-boosting chemicals mean that we are increasing our happiness levels with each cup of cacao we drink.
When we consume Cacao, our stress levels fall and our mood improves. We also seem to live longer and have better social connections too. So, while there are lots of remedies for stress and anxiety, none are quite so pleasant, or delicious, as ceremonial Cacao.
Rich in Magnesium & Tryptophan
Cacao is one of the highest plant-based sources of magnesium, sometimes known as the “sleep mineral”. Magnesium is a natural relaxant that helps deactivate adrenaline and is said to quiet nerves and calm sensitivity to pain. Cacao is also a source of tryptophan, an amino acid that gets turned into the neurotransmitter serotonin and then converted into the hormone melatonin.
Serotonin is known as the “happy chemical” and cacao boosts the body’s natural production of it, increasing our mood and ability to fend off stress. Being rich in sleep-friendly magnesium and stress-fighting tryptophan are just two more reasons we believe cacao is THE plant medicine for these crazy times we are living in!
Polyphenols
Cacao polyphenols in commercial chocolate have been shown, in clinical trials, to reduce stress in both healthy and highly-stressed individuals, so we wanted to see if ceremonial grade cacao had the same - if not greater - impact on participants who drank it daily. Whilst the study was not a clinical or scientific trial, the data from real peoples’ experience shows that cacao induces feelings of peace, calm and harmony.
Releases the Bliss Molecules
Cacao is a powerful source of four scientifically proven bliss chemicals – serotonin, anadamide, dopamine and phenylethylamine. Anandamide, a compound named after the Sanskrit word “anand”, meaning bliss, which is said to deliver the same feel-good rush we experience after a workout.
Heart-Opening Properties
With a ceremonial dose of 42gms, cacao becomes a powerful Plant Medicine that calms the mind and reconnects us to feelings of peace, love, and connection. Using it in traditional shamanic ceremonies, Rebekah Shaman connects people with the spirit of cacao, to help release blockages around the heart and heal emotional wounds.
From a scientific perspective, cacao’s heart-opening properties can be attributed to its high levels of theobromine, which widens blood vessels, increases blood flow, and specifically stimulates the heart.