– An Easy Spread –

Dark Chocolate

Did you know—The latin name of the chocolate tree is Theobroma Cacao, which translates to “food of the gods”?

The chocolate tree was first found in the Amazon rain forests in South America. The Mesoamericans were the earliest people to make use of chocolate—enjoying it not only for its wonderful taste, but also making use of it for medicinal purposes, rituals (such as marriage ceremonies), and as a form of currency. Columbus was the first European to encounter cacao.

The website also claims that dark chocolate stimulates endorphin production (i.e. makes you feel good), contains serotonin (an anti-depressant), and contains theobromine, caffeine and other stimulants. The site warns, however, that drinking milk with your chocolate may actually decrease the positive effects by blocking the antioxidants from being absorbed by your body…darn, and I thought that I might be doing something doubly healthy for my body!

But the real issue here is whether dark chocolate has aphrodisiacal properties. There is much debate about this, but there are some studies that say that it does. Granted, there’s no wire running from your mouth to your nether regions that is directly sparked when you eat dark chocolate. What it really does is simply makes you feel more pleasurable generally and tricks your brain into thinking that it is doing an activity similar to sex. As mentioned before, dark chocolate stimulates endorphin production, which makes you feel good. Endorphins are stimulated in other activities like sex and exercise and give you that “high” feeling. The anti-depressant serotonin is also active in dark chocolate, and provides an overall feeling of pleasure. Phenylethylamine (a relative of amphetamines) is another main chemical found in dark chocolate. It is known to boost in your body during exhilarating times like when you fall in love and when you have the big O.

Of course, for many women, just looking at and smelling chocolate could probably boost their sexual desire—that creamy, smooth texture that begs you to put your lips around it and that intoxicating smell. Women crave chocolate like men crave sex. But even the famous Casanova was dedicated to the erotic powers of chocolate, calling it the “elixir of love.” So next time you go out to the bar trying to get lucky, it might be more helpful to drink a pint of dark chocolate, rather than a pint of beer.