It is commonly used in helping emaciated patients gain weight and stimulating the nervous systems of the physically weak by allegedly strengthening the lungs and energizing them. Yes, chocolate is that significant in traditional medicine.

Chocolate drinks with added coconut milk and onion were used in the Dominican Republic to lessen common cold symptoms. Sounds a bit odd, I know.

On the other hand, traditional healers in Oaxaca, Mexico who are called “curanderos” reportedly used chocolate in treating “espanto” or “susto,” a sickness said to be caused by being startled or frightened. Both the healer and patient go back to where the fright took place with cocoa beans in hand. These beans are then planted into the ground as an exchange for the patient to be healed. Some of these healers in Oaxaca utilized chocolate against scorpion, wasp, and bee stings.

In the modern times, chocolate still has a special place in medicine. Certain people from San Joaquin Valley of California say that fresh beaten eggs added to hot chocolate could make a good cure against fatigue. When mixed with cinnamon and rue, chocolate can ease stomach aches.

Other parts of the cacao tree are still used by indigenous people of America. The cacao bark can be used in treating bloody stools and lessening abdominal pains. Meanwhile, cacao flowers, when mixed with water, can be drunk to improve mental alertness and reduce nervousness.

Cacao fat is used in disinfecting minor wounds and burns.  It also makes for a good moisturizer when the skin is chapped, so is cacao oil/butter which is applied on chapped lips. Cacao oil/butter is also used in patients with hemorrhoids to relieve irritation, while cacao fruit pulp is given to pregnant women to pave the way for easier delivery.

Nevertheless, non-believers are claiming that the positive results are mere placebo effects associated with the pleasure one gets when eating or drinking chocolate.

Theobroma cacao, or the “chocolate tree,” has been used in folk medicine as an anticeptic, diurectic, and parasiticide.  It has been used to heal burns, cough, dry lips, fever, listlessness, malaria, nephrosis, rheumatism, snakebites, and small wounds.

The cacao tree was thought by the Aztecs to be a gift from their god Quetzalcoatl, which means “feathered serpent.”  The Aztecs would drink ground cacao in religious ceremonies to thank the gods for their generosity.  The drink was said to give feelings of euphoria and stamina.

When cacao beans were introduced to Europe, the stimulant effects (now known to be caffeine and theobromine) gave it the reputation as an aphrodisiac.  Europeans drank cacao more as a love potion than religious offering.

In Mayan times, incense consisting of cacao beans would be burned as an offering to the gods for safe travel and speedy return.

In ancient America, cacao was also used to try to cure malaria and other types of fever diseases by inhaling the smoke during healing rituals. 

Today, we hear chocolate is rich in “flavanoids,” “anti-oxidants,” and phenylethylamine (PEA).  The science and benefits seem to change over the years, but chocolate has always been seen as good for us.