Raw Cacao Beans & Combinations

[skoobysnax]

I'm very happy about the new contributions made to this thread - very helpful!
I would like to adress a few things...

hummus....the question remains wether or not pure theobromine elicits the same effects as good cacao beans. While theobromine is an important onstituents of cacao, it could be that there are other factors at play, creating the warm glow cacao has to offer. Some speculate, that the maoi effects of cacao build over time and prolong the effects of the Phenylethylamine which usually gets metabolized within 30 minutes. I do believe this is true, because PEA does not make me feel good (on the contrary) and i somewhat hit a ceiling with cacao after a while...i then just feel pretty bad overall

Also happy you got something out of your first experience skoobysnax.
I would not worry too much about kava though. The liver toxicity risk is grossly overstated in my opinion. Do not drink tudei kava or other non noble kavas and kava preparations (those using the aerial parts of the plants, and/or alcohol extractions) and you'll probably be fine.

The question remains, wether or not kava is safe with chocolate.

...and as for maca...yuck, that stuff tastes so bad, im not sure i'll try it ever again :lol:

Today I found this podcast featuring a lecture by Jonathan Ott you may find very interesting that gives an amazing overview of this entheogen. http://matrixmasters.net/archive/JonathanOtt/256-OttChocolateOaxaca.mp3

I havent worked with Kava for a very long time. Perhaps it's time to revisit... I am quite interested to try DMT well into a cacao session. Last night it was on my mind but the bed felt soooooo amazing.

 

[WisdomTooth]

Here are some additional herbs that i found overtime that may potentiate or at least enhance the experience. I don't mean to update old post but i believe Cacao has some true healing, entheogenic potential and should be brought back to light.

Mucuna pruriens - Natural L Dopa

Cayenne pepper - Used in All Cacao Ceremonies

He Shou Wu - Natural Bliss?

Ashwagandha - Amazing Adaptogen, Calming Nature

Maca Root Power - Great Synergy with Cacao

Chaga/Reishi Mushroom - Spiritual & Synergistic qualities

Spirulina - Extra PEA and Neurochemical Boosts

General Spices like Turmeric, Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cardamom, Vanilla ect..

Shilajit - Significantly enhances bio-availability of anything you take with it.


Sunflower Lecithin and Coconut Oil possibly? and or Cacao Butter(if using powder)
Mesquite, Lucuma and Hemp seeds(loaded with omegas, magnesium and nutrients) may synergise well with Cacao. CBD oil may also be awesome addition to a Cacao Elixir i presume. Bacopa/Gotu Kola/Ginkgo, Astragalus and Rhodiola may also potentiate. Others have already mentioned Raw Honey/Bee or Pine pollen. Saffron and Damiana as well.

If you want to take it to some extreme levels possibly Kava Kava or Cannabis Oil ect..

 

[Cactus Man]

Use one large scoop of powder in my coffee all the time. Got some nibs for the first time recently but haven't opened them yet. Want to try taking a higher dose some time or actually eating the powder itself instead of straining it.

 

[twitchy]

Before some youngin reads through this thread and runs to the store to guzzle down a can of cocoa powder in the hopes of getting off on it, pretty much all the cocoa in the US is "processed with alkali" and pretty much worthless for anything but flavoring and fudge. The beans is where the magic is, and ideally, they will be organic and untreated ones... Hopefully, I've prevented a choking death with this post lol.
There's some terrible things going on with the cocoa trade, the farmers in Ivory Coast and Ghana are getting screwed big time so try to find some that are grown and harvested decently and fairly. :thumb_up:

Edit: Also the history of cocoa use is fascinating, it was literally the beverage of kings and probably used to potentiate other entheogens, if you aren't familiar with this it's well worth a read.

 

[dragonrider]

A friend of me just came back from a short stay in ivory coast, and brought a whole cocoa bean-thing. I mean the fruit containing those beans. I've just opened it and tasted some fresh beans, with the white gelly stil on it.

I never had it this fresh before, and it tastes great.

But yeah, you're right. The stories she told about ivory coast are pretty bad.
Extreme poverty and corruption everywhere. Even the capital looks like one big shantytown.

 

[Cactus Man]

How soluble are the actives from cocoa in hot water? I really do feel like I get much more psychoactive effects from the coffee I make at home (espresso grind/cocoa/nutmeg/cinnamon) than when I get coffee made someplace else, even if it is one of those sooper dooper monster coffees that has a ton of caffeine and other stuff in it.

I always find describing the "effect" of a drug/botanical difficult or I would try to describe it. But like has been previously stated it functions perfectly as a booster in a "stack" with other botanicals.