Cacao beans have been revered since ancient times as food and medicine, considered an aphrodisiac due to the presence of tryptophan, a serotonin booster and phenylethylamine, a stimulant related to amphetamine. Scientists debate whether the beans used to make chocolate have enough of any of these chemicals to make anyone horny, though ethnobotanist and “Medicine Hunter” Chris Kilham has never doubted.

“While there are a great many agents in nature that boost libido and enhance sexual function,” he said, “chocolate alone actually promotes the brain chemistry of being in love.”

It’s said that the Aztec emperor Montezuma used cacao beans like Viagra, popping handfuls of them before he got it on. The Olmecs of southern Mexico fermented, roasted and ground cacao beans for consuming (usually drinking) as early as 1500 B.C. In the 16th century, Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés wrote to Spain’s King Carlos I about “xocolatl,” a drink that “builds up resistance and fights fatigue.” Cacao made its way to Spain and across Europe, where it became the preferred morning and bedtime drink of the upper classes.

#Cannabis #Chocolate #Cocoa #Cocao

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