And I just bought a ~$20 bag of raw cacao powder!  However I have been using 
this stuff for awhile now in my coffee occasional nights (kind of like a 
moka) with agave and I find it has none of the effects noted below.  I 
wonder if they are overstated?

I've also read that it contains arsenic I think although in very small 
concentration....

For William: I aso read not long ago that adding vanilla helps with taking 
the sour/bitter edge off cacao. Maybe buy it organic whole and grind it....

Marilyn


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 10:34 AM
Subject: Re: Green and Blacks dark chocolate now contains... milk


Some interesting info on this new world drug.


Raw Cacao: A Veritable Cocktail of Opiates and Stimulants

Chocolate seems to be the latest fad food in the raw food world these days, 
and it's not surprising, considering its complex and addictive chemical 
makeup.

It is a dire mistake to promote or consume raw cacao with the expectation 
that it is in any way a healthy or health supporting food. It is, however, a 
powerful stimulant, and when ingested will inspire a vast range of 
physiological responses in the body, as the human organism attempts to 
neutralize, process, and eliminate these poisons.

The authors of the raw food literature on cacao openly extol the effects of 
these stimulants, and are not trying to hide the fact that they exist.... 
they promote the food BECAUSE of the stimulants, not in spite of them. As 
long as you are aware of this, you will have the information necessary to 
decide whether or not to include this food as part of your diet.

If you prefer to derive your energy from healthy foods, rest, sunshine, and 
fresh air, then cacao is most decidedly not for you.

If, on the other hand, you enjoy the "quick fix" nature of caffeine and 
theobromine, and enjoy the rush of energy obtained as your body vigorously 
attempts to eliminate what it perceives as a poison, then cacao may be a 
drug/food that you enjoy using.

Theobromine, for example (used as a high blood-pressure medication) is one 
of the substances responsible for cacao's powerful effects on the body. The 
fact that chocolate and cacao products are sometimes lethal to dogs, horses, 
and other domestic animals is primarily because they metabolize theobromine 
at a slower rate than humans do. The longer theobromide remains in the body, 
the more damage it does. The fact that we as humans are capable of 
eliminating it fast enough to avoid death in no way means that we do so fast 
enough to avoid harm.

Our hearts, nervous system, and kidneys are all affected, resulting in 
restlessness, muscle tremors, increased urination, and other symptoms, all 
of which are frequently reported by those consuming raw cacao.

Ironically, the purer and more natural cacao is, the higher the 
concentration of theobromine will be. Raw cacao is about as pure and 
"natural" as chocolate can get, and therefore the theobromine dose will be 
as high as possible.

Although you may, on some level, enjoy the stimulation experienced as your 
blood vessels dilate and your body increases adrenaline production in an 
effort to remove the theobromine as quickly as possible, rest assured that 
your body does not enjoy it. It works tirelessly to keep you healthy and 
free from poisonous substances, and efforts such as those required to 
eliminate cacao’s byproducts result in eventual enervation and fatigue, 
sometimes sooner, sometimes later, but always eventually.

Caffeine is yet another familiar drug found in chocolate. It is sometimes 
claimed that the amount of chocolate found in cacao is negligible, but any 
serious laboratory analysis reveals this claim to be mistaken, if not a 
deliberate deception.

Caffeine increases the amount of calcium lost in the urine, and this 
potential to weaken our bones is but the tip of the iceberg. As the body 
detects the presence of caffeine in the blood stream, it makes a rapid 
effort to remove it as quickly as possible. The liver releases a rush of 
sugars into the bloodstream in an attempt to increase energy to the point 
that the poison can be dealt with, placing heavy stress on the endocrine 
system.

Although cacao is a veritable cocktail of opiates and stimulants, it would 
be inappropriate and unnecessary to do a point-by-point treatise on each of 
them. Suffice it to say that it doesn't get any better than what we've 
already covered.

We haven't even touched on the fact that "raw cacao" is far from fresh, and 
often far from raw, despite claims to the contrary.

Any food requiring fermentation and subsequent drying in order to ship, 
store, or consume should be automatically suspect.

If one considers raw cacao to be a "health food," then it's clear that one 
has a very unique and rather dangerous definition of what constitutes 
health. There are no shortcuts to true and lasting energy and vitality. The 
stimulation derived from such a food is but a pale comparison of the energy, 
strength, focus, and fortitude to be found when a commitment is made to all 
of the tenets of health, including, but by no means limited to, fresh, raw, 
organic, wholesome foods, rest and sleep, exercise, sunshine, and fresh air.