Chocolate is a psychoactive food.

It is made from the seeds of the tropical cacao tree,

Theobroma cacao. The cacao tree was named by the 17th century Swedish naturalist,
Linnaeus. The Greek term theobroma means literally "food of the gods". Chocolate has
also been called the food of the devil; but the theological basis of this claim is obscure.

More recently, a study of 8000 male Harvard graduates showed that chocoholics lived
longer than abstainers. Their longevity may be explained by the high polyphenol levels in
chocolate.

Placebo-controlled trials suggest chocolate consumption may subtly enhance cognitive

performance. As reported by Dr Bryan Raudenbush (2006), scores for verbal and visual
memory are raised by eating chocolate. Impulse-control and reaction-time are also
improved. This study needs replicating.

A "symposium" at the 2007 American Association for the Advancement of Science -

hyped as a potentially "mind-altering experience" - presented evidence that chocolate
consumption can be good for the brain. Experiments with chocolate-fed mice suggest that
flavanol-rich cocoa stimulates neurovascular activity, enhancing memory and alertness.
This research was partly funded by Mars, Inc.

Coincidentally or otherwise, many of the world’s oldest super centenarians, e.g. Jeanne
Calment (1875-1997) and Sarah Knauss (1880-1999), were passionately fond of
chocolate. Jeanne Calment habitually ate two pounds of chocolate per week until her
physician induced her to give up sweets at the age of 119(three years before her death
aged 122). Life-extensionists are best advised to eat dark chocolate rather than the kinds
of calorie-rich confectionery popular in America. In the UK, chocolate bars laced with
cannabis are popular with many victims of multiple sclerosis. This brand of psychoactive
confectionery remains unlicensed.

Chocolate as we know it today dates to the inspired addition of triglyceride cocoa butter
by Swiss confectioner Rudolphe Lindt in 1879. The advantage of cocoa butter is that its
addition to chocolate sets a bar so that it will readily snap and then melt on the tongue.
Cocoa butter begins to soften at around 75 F; it melts at around 97 F. Today, chocolates
of every description are legal, unscheduled and readily available over the counter.

There are many different health benefits of chocolate that the average person may not be
aware of. Most people think that chocolate is just a fattening snack that's full of sugar, but
there are actually some scientific studies that suggesting it may also have some benefits.
Many scientific studies have suggested that chocolate can lower your blood pressure and
contribute too overall heart health.

One study discovered the fact that a substance found in chocolate aids the body in
processing nitric oxide which is a compound that is extremely important when it comes to
the overall health of the circulatory system. Another chocolate study done showed that
flavonoids found in cocoa prevent fat-like substances from clogging up in the blood
stream. These flavonoids ultimately prevent red blood plates from clotting up together
which reduces the risk of heart attack. This is one of the many different health benefits of
chocolate.

One interesting fact to note is that dark chocolate is significantly higher in flavonoids
than milk chocolate is. The reason for this is due to the fact that the way in which cocoa
and milk chocolate is processed removes most of the flavonoids that it contains.

One of the great health benefits of chocolate is that it will ultimately help you to lower
your blood pressure. However, that's no excuse for eating massive amounts of chocolate
on a daily basis. If you're going to eat chocolate to lower your blood pressure then try
having a few pieces of dark chocolate every day. However, you're going to have to cut
out some calories from other parts of your diet to prevent from becoming overweight.

Another one of the great health benefits of chocolate is that it contains many different
antioxidants. However, it is important to note that only dark chocolate contains these
antioxidants while milk chocolate does not. These antioxidants help to destroy free
radicals which can result in heart disease and other harmful diseases.