This cacao powder is made with the same Ecuadorian Cacao as our Ceremonial Cacao Paste, Ceremonial Cacao Nibs & Ceremonial Cacao Butter. Cacao Powder is produced by squeezing the fats/butter out of the cacao bean!
Due to the processing of removing the fat to create cacao powder, this product will have a lower alkaloid content as compared to our Cacao paste and cacao nibs of the same origin. Ceremonial Cacao powder is still strong and active, but less so as compared to the paste and nibs. It’s great for use in smoothies and baking and the affordable price makes it a great option for any cacao enthusiast!
Ceremonial Cacao, what is this all about??!
We are blown away with excitement about the introduction of this herb….! Cacao is an amazing plant in any form, and we’ve been very pleased with the cacao varieties which we’ve offered at Eternity in a Box thus far. However, this new Cacao we quickly realized is of a completely different essence…!
This Ceremonial Cacao comes from the jungles of Guatemala and is harvested responsibly and with reverence by the natives and then traded through respectful hands en route to us here in the US. What makes this cacao so special though is not only the reverence and fair-trade principles which encompass its trade, but also the unique genetic (and energetic!) characteristics! The alkaloid content is Significantly different than that of ‘modernized’ cacao, the reason being is that us silly westerners bred the cacao plant to be more of a culinary pleasure and less of a spiritual ally.
This Cacao comes in the form of a paste which has been dried and naturally re-hardened, so the pounds resemble a block or brick. Once a pound block is broken the cacao quickly crumbles into small ‘nib-sized’ pieces which are very easy to work with and prepare into w arm cacao 🙂 Half pound and less will be crumbled chunks of cacao paste, whole pounds will be solid blocks.
Cacao as an Entheogen….
Cacao has a rich history of use by natives throughout central and south america, and the use of this plant was primarily in that of ritual and ceremony! I was always fascinated with the stories I’d heard that Mayan Priests would drink Cacao daily to stay in tune with the spirit realm…but it never made sense to me exactly why they chose this ally, considering my limited experience with ‘Cocoa’ (processed hybridized low quality cacao). Now that we’ve had the honor of working with this Ceremonial grade Cacao, shipped fresh from Guatemala, I am starting to understand how and why this plant was utilized for spirit work and held in such high reverence…!
We consider this Cacao to be of an entheogenic nature, providing strong vibrations, increasing awareness of consciousness, and even being capable of providing insight and wisdom if used with respect. Common cacao varieties tend to have a stimulating effect. Our Ceremonial Cacao on the other hand, has a very perceptual and meditative effect, with energy flow increasing particularly at the Heart and Third Eye chakras. One is very ‘Awake’ and ‘Invigorated’ with this cacao undoubtedly, but the effect is so much deeper, providing an almost magnetic-feeling (again the heart chakra!) connection to the life around you and the spiritual essences we are a part of.
*NOTE OF CAUTION* This Cacao is so extremely potent that dosages should be measured as opposed to estimated. Please get to know this plant before trying a strong dosage, and also please be aware of potential interactions with other plants/pharmaceuticals!! Cacao is said to have an MAOI (Monoamine oxidase inhibitor) effect in strong doses. MAOIs can be extremely dangerous to mix with certain plants (and deadly to combine with certain pharmaceuticals), though they are completely safe to mix with other herbs. Please research yourself to see if any medications you may take are safe to mix with Ceremonial Cacao.
Also in reference to mixing cacao with other herbs I will say that this plant Does have a long history of use alongside other herbs, and in a safe manner. Aztecs would drink Cacao through the course of a few days while they were working with Psilocybin Mushrooms in ritual context…It is possible that the MAOI effect provided by the Cacao was potentiating the visionary aspects of the experience and possibly helping the natives to digest the wisdom and be ‘led’ through the experience, similar to how natives revere Caapi Vine as being the guide essence to the Ayahuasca experience…
Our crew has been working with Ceremonial Cacao for a few months now, and we’ve gotten to know if pretty well…! The common dosage for an experience is 1 oz of Cacao, for stronger experiences 2 oz can be used. We recommend starting slow with this cacao so that you can measure how your biochemistry (and spiritual resonance) reacts with the plant. 5-10g is a good amount to start with for a first experience, too much can be overwhelming for some people so its always best to gauge how the plant reacts with your body before pursuing a full experience. There are plenty of good vibrations when using smaller amounts, though the entheogenic aspects are less distinct.
We’ve also been experimenting with combining other healthy herbs alongside it (AFTER we got to know the cacao by itself of course!), and with great results thus far! In the Alchemical formula of spirit work Ceremonial Cacao provides a variable which allows much potential to awaken 🙂
Some more general information about Cacao…
Theobroma Cacao is a type of tree native to Central and South America. These trees are very well-known in that their beans are the source of Cacao Butter, Cacao Liquor, Cacao Powder and Cacao Nibs. These Cacao products are commonly used in the production of Chocolate treats and Candy bars in modern America. Cacao, though always popular, is becoming especially well-known recently due to the increase in interest in Superfoods. Cacao beans (as well as all the other Cacao products) are extremely rich in Antioxidants, Polyphenols, Omega Fatty Acids, Minerals and Vitamins. The more that these beans are studied from a nutritional and health perspective, the more it is becoming understood how amazing they are.
The spelling of Cacao may seem incorrect as well to those of us who grew up in modern commercial product-ridden cities, Cocoa is what we are familiar with. There’s a big difference between our Raw Organic Cacao products and those nasty sugary chocolate bars you remember from childhood (or this morning ha). Cocoa is usually used to describe processed and cooked Cacao products, whereas the term Cacao describes the Raw products from this amazing tree. While a chocolate bar or Cocoa product will serve some benefit to the body, and still contain some amount of the healthy cacao components, the value of processed cacao is not nearly the same as that of Raw Organic Cacao. Like most foods, applying heat to Cacao beans is sure to reduce the overall nutritional value by diminishing the fatty acids and mineral content.
Why Eternity in a Box Cacao products are superior…
Firstly and foremost, our Cacao Beans and Nibs are all Certified Organic and completely Raw! We strive to carry only the most powerfully ‘restoring’ foods in our Restorative Foods section, so Organic and Raw was the only way to go with Cacao! There are plenty of suppliers offering ‘Raw’ cacao products, but please do beware of this general label. There are quite a few sources for Cacao which will apply significant heat to the beans during fermentation. Our Cacao bean are never heated to this degree during any point!
Why you should have Raw Organic Cacao in your pantry…
It seems in today’s modern world that just about everybody is nutritionally deficient in some manner. Cacao as well as other Superfoods are great to have available for ourselves as well as our loved ones because they can help us to ‘catch up’ to nutritional balance. These wonderful beans are rich in Magnesium, Iron, Chromium, Manganese, Zinc, Vitamin C and they also contain powerful brain-effecting compounds such as Tryptophan, Phenethylamine and Serotonin. Cacao is a particularly fun superfood to have handy, because it can be used in a wide range of culinary preparations. There has also been research done to show the benefits of Cacao for the heart, regulation of blood pressure, stress and depression.
What do I do with these Cacao products…just eat them?
Our Cacao products are certainly ready to eat as is! But that doesn’t mean that you should be limited to this…Cacao products can be added to Trail Mixes, Cookies, Energy Bars, Protein Shakes, Nut Milks (to make Raw Chocolate Milk yum!) and more. The possibilities are truly endless with Cacao when it comes to culinary preparations. You can also add some warm-hot water to our powdered cacao or ceremonial cacao paste and blend/stir until it is uniform….add some vanilla bean powder,cayenne pepper, maybe some sweetener or nut milk and you’ve got some profound and tasty hot chocolate!
***These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. ***
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