The Science Behind Cacao

Anandamide: The Bliss in Your Cacao Cup

(excerpted from Keith's Cacao website)


That heart-opening, stress-melting glow you feel after drinking ceremonial cacao isn’t your imagination—it’s neuroscience!

One of the most fascinating compounds in Cacao is Anandamide, a naturally occurring endocannabinoid produced by your body. Named after the Sanskrit word Ananda, meaning “bliss,” Anandamide binds to the same brain receptors as THC (the active compound in cannabis)—but instead of getting you a fuzzy-headed high, it offers something more grounded: a gentle euphoria, emotional clarity, and a sense of peaceful presence.


What’s Really Happening in Your Brain?


Discovered in cacao in 1996 by neuroscientist Daniele Piomelli, Anandamide plays a key role in regulating mood, memory, appetite, and pain. It interacts with your endocannabinoid system, a complex cell-signaling network that helps maintain internal balance, or homeostasis. When Anandamide levels are high, we tend to feel more connected, less anxious, and more capable of accessing emotional insight.

And here’s where pure ceremonial cacao really shines: minimally processed doesn’t just contain Anandamide. It also contains compounds that inhibit the enzyme FAAH, which would otherwise break Anandamide down. Translation? That glow you feel lasts longer and goes deeper.



In short, Anandamide doesn’t just elevate your mood—it creates an internal environment where transformation becomes possible.


Theobromine: Cacao’s Gentle Powerhouse

There’s a quiet revolution brewing in the world of plant-based wellness—and it starts with a bean.

Not just any bean, but the one at the heart of Keith’s 100% Pure Ceremonial Grade Cacao.

While antioxidants usually steal the spotlight, there's another compound in cacao that deserves a standing ovation: theobromine. It’s the primary compound responsible for cacao’s energizing-yet-grounding effect—and it works differently than you might expect.

What Is Theobromine?

Theobromine is part of a class of naturally occurring compounds called methylxanthines—a word that sounds like it needs a PhD to understand, but hang in there.


Caffeine is the main methylxanthine in coffee. Tea has theophylline. And in cacao? Theobromine reigns supreme.


It gets its name from Theobroma cacao—literally “food of the gods.” A fitting title for a plant that lifts your mood, focuses your mind, and supports your body in gentle, sustainable ways.

Why Theobromine Feels Different

If caffeine is like a jackhammer, theobromine is more like a tuning fork.


Unlike caffeine, which is a central nervous system stimulant, theobromine is a cardiovascular stimulant. That means it doesn’t give you the wired buzz or jittery crash. You feel it working not with a crash-and-burn high, but with focused energy, a lifted mood, and a sense of grounded alertness that can last 6–10 hours. (That’s your liver doing slow, beautiful work.)


While caffeine often leads to dependency and withdrawal, theobromine offers energy that’s both gentle and non-habit forming. Many of us at have gladly traded in our coffee cups for cacao mugs.


Additional phyiological Support:
from ORA


Flavonoids and anti-inflammatories:

The beneficial natural plant compounds in cacao, called flavonoids, are powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents. Cacao flavonoids are known to improve cardiovascular health. 120 antioxidant compounds remain intact in gently processed ceremonial cacao.

Immune cells:

Cacao upregulates intracellular pathways involved in T-Cell production - immune cells that protect the body from harmful pathogens and signal defensive immune responses

Cognition: 

Cacao upregulates neural signaling and sensory perception associated with brain hyperelasticity, the brain’s ability to change, heal, and adapt

Brainwaves:

Cacao also promotes gamma brainwaves (24-40Hz), which enhance neuroplasticity, increase creativity, and are associated with mystical and inspired states of consciousness