4 days Ago By Hannah Ewens
Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow swear by it, Oprah Winfrey has cited it in interviews, and entrepreneur Tim Ferriss wrote about its benefits in his book, Tools of Titans . Suffice it to say, cacao – a previously niche superfood and sacred medicinal drink – is enjoying her five minutes of fame. Cacao has been popping up at wellness festivals and yoga studios in recent years, used in rituals designed to help participants feel grounded and present.
Now, with a little basic knowledge, you can reap its benefits at home. Medical herbalist and owner of the Cacao Club, Jordan Cohayney, links cacao’s popularity to growing interest in the potential of plant medicine and psychedelics for self-discovery. But some of those options – magic mushrooms or ayahuasca, for example – are intense, and not suited for casual experimentation.
Enter: cacao. “Cacao is legal and allows us to do that work in a much more accessible way, where you’re not having to go to the jungle and do something illegal or what some people see as really risky,” Cohayney tells me. What is cacao? Cacao is the raw, unprocessed form of the cacao bean, native to Central and South America.
It’s the primary ingredient in chocolate, but unlike processed cocoa, cacao retains all its natural nutrients like magnesium, phenylethylamine (PEA) – also known as the “love chemical” – and antioxidants. According to Dia Davila Boschetti, of CacaoAmor, it can be consumed by nearly anyone, from toddlers to the elderly, at any time of day (though those using SSRI antidepressants should avoid it). “Cacao has had a close relationship with humans for 5,000 years,” Boschetti says.
“We can connect with our hearts and be in our bodies while using cacao as a plant medicine. It brings us more into ourselves, not out of ourselves.” Its admittedly (very) bitter taste is nevertheless reminiscent of chocolate, says Cohayney.
“I think the luxurious taste of something familiar acts as a bit of a doorway for people to come in and not be so scared,” she explains, adding that for people who struggle to meditate, drinking cacao can make mindfulness more appealing. How and when to use cacao All you need to do is slowly heat it up on the stove – never above 60C – with filtered water or alternative milk. Boschetti advises to take it simply like this – unless you, like me, can’t handle the bitterness, in which case you can add honey to taste.
The Cacao Club offers different cacao and herb blends to allow you to reach different states. “Cacao is a synergist, meaning whatever you blend with it, it amplifies,” says Cohayney. “It’s a vasodilator so it opens the blood vessels, and anything you add to it will be able to move through your body and be absorbed in a much more powerful way.
” I personally use rosemary, sage and brami to boost cacao’s potential as a stimulant and coffee alternative. “You’ll feel a burst of creativity. Everything that needs to be done clicks into alignment and you get the inspiration and energy to follow through,” Cohayney explains of this blend.
If you want to open up emotionally and connect with others, you could add rose and some chilli. Alternatively, if what you’re after is a restful night’s sleep, you might throw in some lavender, chamomile and ashwagandha. How to make the Cacao Club’s medicinal mushroom blend Makes 1 serving.
