Happy Easter | Maya medicine ~ Cacao…Hot chocolate…massage
‘Chocolate is a divine, celestial drink,
the sweat of the stars, the vital seed, divine nectar,
the drink of the gods, panacea and universal medicine’
~ Geronimo Piperni
The mythology
According to the ancient Mayan creation story, we are each made of chocolate. The story tells us that cacao was a precious substance, freed from the gods of the Underworld and coming to the earthside deities at Sustenance Mountain, and from which humans were created. It is sacred and divine, and its botanical name, Theobroma cacao, literally translates as ‘food of the gods’.
Cacao was used in trade and currency, and cacao drinks were an important part of Mayan ritual and ceremony, used at weddings, feasts, initiation ceremonies and the pods as an offering to the gods.
Cacao, in substance and myth, was also intrinsic to the Mayan concepts of fertility, death and rebirth - appropriate for this Easter musing…
It symbolised fertility, and the essence of women and the womb. The cycle that goes from the womb (which births the future and the past), to the deceased ancestors who are not gone, for cacao came from the underworld by way of the gods, and their spirits are present in every birth. And so the cycle goes on.
Cacao served to an Aztec couple on their wedding day. Picture: National Geographic
The science
A world away, today, research is revealing all the wonders of (dark) chocolate. The methylxanthines like theobromine, the polyphenols…these terms are not just biochemistry porn! These are the potent chemicals that are unique to dark chocolate and imbue it with its nourishing qualities.
The methylxanthines work on our central nervous system to enhance mood and cognition. It is the psychoactive property of theobromine that makes us feel good when we eat dark chocolate (also found in those other feel-good beverages, tea and coffee!). It primes our brain to explore and create and think and DO.
Theobromine may also help to encourage sleep duration (cacao has not been linked to sleep disturbances, unlike coffee), and increases healthy HDL cholesterol levels while decreasing harmful LDL levels.
The polyphenols are antioxidant and anti inflammatory. They are also prebiotics and can help to optimise a diverse microbiome, by increasing beneficial gut microbes while decreasing less beneficial ones. The higher the percentage of cocoa solids in your chocolate, the greater the polyphenol content.
Indulge in 20-40g (2-3 pieces) of dark chocolate daily. Choose one containing at least 70% cocoa solids. If your tastebuds are not yet accustomed to the characteristic bittersweet of dark chocolate, start low at say 54%, and week by week work your way up. It’s worth it...
The best bite
Buying chocolate can come at a cost though. Deforestation. The poverty of local cacao farmers. Child labour.
Buying fairtrade chocolate goes a long way to helping cacao farmers directly. It reduces the child labour problem throughout the industry. It encourages better farming practices.
Consider these Fairtrade/Rainforest Alliance/UTZ dark chocolate options:
♡ Pana (also organic & vegan)
♡ Green & Blacks (also organic options)
The Arvigo® Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy (ATMAT) are another healing offering coming out of the mayan tradition.
Developed from traditional Central American practice, treatment involves a localised external massage technique specifically focused on optimising reproductive and digestive health. ATMAT is a wonderful modality to experience, to support circulation to the reproductive and digestive organs, uterine position, and lymphatic removal of waste away from the area. It can also help to reduce any adhesions or scar tissue.
It is suitable for any woman of any age.
Consider it when you are trying to optimise fertility, for period pain, endometriosis, prolapse, recurrent UTI’s, IBS, constipation, SIBO and reflux.
I am available for the Maya Abdominal Massage on Monday, Tuesday and every second Saturday **
Make…
This is a beautiful and nourishing hot chocolate.
Create space for yourself over the long weekend to warm this elixir up on the stove. To breathe in the warm spices. To slowly sip this indulgent and medicinal drink. To stoke your internal fire and spark.
✴︎ The cinnamon and ginger are warming to the uterus.
✴︎ The ashwaganda* (Withania) is restorative to our adrenals, thyroid and nervous system.
✴︎ And the cacao…well, you already know…
I swap the maple syrup and coconut sugar out for a little rice malt syrup.
Have a wonderful Easter long weekend.
Have fun, make some time for self-care…and chocolate! jx
*Look for this at your local health food shop or let me know if I can order some for you.
** I am taking a short hiatus from Maya Abdominal massage - please reach out to go on my waitlist.
If you would like to nourish your hormones, health & fertility, please book an appointment with me to discuss.
…I love talking about all this stuff, all the time! Stay connected…
