I would have never imagined, that Cacao can have such a positive impact on ones life. They say that chocolate is a happy drug, but i never experienced more than a sugar high. Then, Jamie recommended to try cacao beans and I did. As few as 20 of them greatly enhance my mood and general feeling of wellbeing. They might even have antidepressant properties.

Now, i have also combined chocolate beans with kava. I do not know safe this combination is since both are mild maois. But i have to tell you, that this is the closest thing to low dose mescaline or LSD i have ever experienced. Especially with 2 Tbls of "Tongan Pride" which is a speciality kava in so far as it is actually stimulating.

I speculate, that the maoi action of the kava prevents PEA from breaking down, but it could just be, that they synergize well. To me, cacao beans are far superior to coffee. I can see the potential for addiction. But to feel able to participate in life is worth a lot, so i wanted to share this with you and all those who feel down.

Comments and suggestions are encouraged, especially in regards to potential risks of this combination.

I'm not sure on the risks. I've only tried kava once or twice. but i can see it going well with cacao from that. I have mixed cacao with lower end doses of caapi or rue though many times and i really love that combination. Too much of either though can make it quite uncomfortable though, so if anyone tries that start low and be careful

I've taken an aweful lot of cacao this year and i must say its a very underrated bean! I have no problem though stopping for weeks at a time

As far as other combinations go..i really love mixing a massive amount of cacao beans in a fruit smoothie with a solid amount of melatonin (around say 50 to 80mg), and then a bit later slowly puffing changa during yoga/meditation. Its quite an amazing synergy and really extends the duration of the changa, while deepening it as well

You may find this interesting:

Psychedelic Salon podcast: 256-Ott: "A Drug Enhancer Called Chocolate"

Yep I've been into the raw cacao for a while. I remember my first time I ate that much It's a really healthy food imo if you practice moderation, but personally I feel fine coming off it for a bit. I pretty much always mix mine with maca powder. It really makes me feel GOOD.

boil a small handful of cocoa nibs in coconut milk with chillies for about 10 mins to make the best vegan hot choco this side of the galaxy

I always loved the taste and the positive effects of dark chocolate! Ill soon buy some quality beans straight at the source

hmmm first time i heard of this effect from cacao was from Lyserge's mesc trip report. So the other night i saw some chocolate that said 86% cacao and i grabbed it. Its very bitter and i really didnt like the first bite but found it growing on me quickly like coffee, and last night to my suprise I was actually craving it. To actually feel the effects from it I would have to get the raw beans though right?

I am getting beans next. But the cocoa powder I just used was pure. Sell it at trader joes. It is some strong stuff when made right.

That's what I've been wanting to do stale pixel thank you. But what type of chiles do you use because maybe a hot chile will synergies with the cacao.

care to elaborate?

Nibs are nice... When I first found some about 6 months or so ago I didn't enjoy the taste, but now I really enjoy it. Highly complex, rich bitters with a mild back-of-the-throat sweetness and a hint of aged rum or other dark liquor. I also find that I crave it sometimes!

Its effects are more subtle than coffee's caffeine-dominated, heady stimulation. Cacao is almost invigorating rather than stimulating. I like it with fresh goats milk (gotta have goats for that though!) it's nice in the morning if I have stuff to do because I can just grab a handfull of crushed nibs and chug it with milk, simpler than coffee.

Side note- Kola nut is halfway between cacao and coffe (in my book) being around 1% theobromine. But there is something else in cacao, I guess the PEA or just an antioxidant buzz.

As you said, you get used to the taste. However, for anyone that just can't handle it, I really enjoy mixing it with goji berries, golden berries, and mulberries.

I like to mix this blend in with greek yogurt for breakfast. Great way to start your day.

There´s lot´s of stuff in cacao: PEA, choline, cafeine, theobromine, phosphor, fatty acids and antioxidants with MAOI-activity. There is a huge variety of flavors in raw cacao. Some raw criolo beans have a mild sort of almond flavour to them, wich is my personal favorite, but there are also beans that have a very dark, bitter taste.

I think that the very bitter tasting beans probably do improve a bit when they get heat treatments, because it probably reduces some of the bitterness of them, but the beans that have a very mild taste by themselves are much more subtle when they´re eaten raw.

the way aluminumfoilrobots explained the flavor of nibs sounds very similar to how the 86% cacao dark chocolate i bought tasted. And ya know i thought i felt a little something after eating a good amount of it but i wasnt sure if it was just a placebo effect or not. I guess i need to do a little more research im pretty interested in using it as an alternative for coffee which i have become rediculously addicted too lately.

The first time I ate raw cacao beans was at a party. They were in a bowl and, for some reason, I just grabbed a handful without really knowing what they were and scarfed them down. They were incredibly bitter and I was confused as to why they were on the table in the first place. The host, an awesome shaggy-haired soul, came by and told me what they were and that Alex Grey had told him about them at a party down on his property in New York.

Not long after, I was totally floored by the effects. Definitely not placebo. I felt tremendous empathy for everyone around me, I was overcome with creative energy, and felt totally rejuvenated. Although my personal stash has run out, I still swear by these things. Magic beans for sure.

^and id need to get raw beans for that kind of effect right? im assuming that even with my chocolate being 86% its still not even close the potency of raw beans.

not sure what type i use, but yeah they're hot and dryed

i just made a batch of chocolate by grinding up cocoa nibs, adding sugar and crushed almonds, melting coconut oil, mixing and letting set in the fridge overnight

the ratio was about 60% nibs, 25%sugar, 15% coconut oil

What kind of doses does one need for a noticeably psychoactive experience?
I Like to throw a handful (around 10-12 grams) of cacao nibs in the blender
with a smoothie but have never noticed anything like what you guys describe.

Even without the headspace change, they are quite delicious. Next I plan on
making chocolate chip cookies, but subbing the chips for nibs. And that
chocolate recipe sounds awesome stalepixel. I will def have to try that out.

I think it depends. I've had some batches of beans that were more potent than others, but I don't know what accounts for the difference. When I had raw cacao nibs, a good palm-full gave a great empathetic, giddy buzz. Not very specific I know, but fortunately, I've never had negative effects from cacao (like I have from too much coffee, for instance ).

I have noticed, that there is a certain threshhold level. The difference between 10 and 20 beens is enormous. So i like to take 20 minimum. Trying 30 as we speak. 1 bean is around 1g.

Another interesting thing i found during my research:

Cacao contains anandamide, what appears to be a endogenous cannaboid. Now, lecithin apparantly contributes to anademine buildup in the body. I prepare my kava with soy lecithine, so this could have contributed to the long lasting, intense effects i get from kava + raw cacao.