CybinRush Ceremonial Cocoa Chocolate Shroom Bar

Introduction

We are super excited to introduce our very own CybinRush “Good Vibes” ceremonial grade cocoa chocolate bar! Each delicious chocolate bar is infused with 3.75g of psilocybin cubensis extracted from potent Enigma mushroom fruit, offering a transcendent experience that tantalizes the senses and uplifts the spirit. This new amazing product chocolate bar is among our strongest psilocybin experiences, making it a must try for all experienced consumers of premium mush edibles.

Immense potential exists for combining psilocybin mushrooms and ceremonial cacao in a therapeutic context.  Mushroom chocolates have long been a popular form of ingesting psilocybin in non-professional contexts. The flavour, aroma, and texture of chocolate can certainly make ingesting magic mushrooms more pleasant. Yet three topics beg deeper consideration: (1) the ancient historical overlap of cacao and mushrooms, (2) other advantages that cacao offers for psilocybin administration, and (3) the combined effects of ingesting them simultaneously.

The Historical Overlap of Psilocybin and Cacao

Extensive research in anthropology has established evidence of historic psilocybin use in many places around the world, and it was potentially prehistoric (dating to the Stone Age) in some cases.  Signs of psilocybin mushroom use have been found in Africa and Europe going back at least 8,000 years, and in Latin America for at least 3,500 years. The most well-documented historical use of psilocybin is in what’s now Mexico, Central America and South America. And it appears that the clearest surviving indigenous use in ceremonial or spiritual settings – and perhaps for that reason, the most researched overall – is in various groups located in Mexico. The Mazatec people are most known for it, but others have been noted as well.

There’s just as much mystery in the story of cacao, which can refer to what’s now categorized as the Theobroma cacao tree, different parts of the tree (e.g., cacao pod), and products made from the tree (e.g. cacao nibs or a cacao drink). The birth of cacao has been traced to the Amazon river basin of South America. The earliest evidence of human domestication (i.e., intentional cultivation and consumption) of cacao is from about 5,300 years ago in southern Ecuador. Since the 1980s, many pre-Columbian artifacts have been found in Mexico, Central America, and South America that either show depictions of cacao (pods, seeds, and/or drinks), display a glyph deciphered to mean “cacao”, or tested positive for chemical constituents of cacao. But like with psilocybin, the exact role that cacao played in ancient indigenous life is not totally clear.

Over the last 10 years, the concept of “ceremonial cacao” has gained popularity in countries with only a modern connection to cacao and chocolate. The idea of ceremonial cacao only exists because of the ancient indigenous view of cacao as sacred. The relationship was distinguished by traditions of cultivation and preparation. In those settings, a ceremony was held for the planting and harvesting of cacao. And cacao seeds (a.k.a. “beans”) were roasted over wood fire, peeled by hand, ground on a stone metate, and usually enjoyed as a drink. To this day in Latin America, many families still grow, prepare and enjoy cacao this way.

However, most products labelled “ceremonial cacao” are actually made outside the country where the cacao grows, by importing the seeds and processing them in a factory. This approach cuts out many indigenous people and traditional practices from the supply chain. On the other hand, buying authentic ceremonial cacao that’s made into 100% chocolate paste (a.k.a. cocoa solids) in the same Latin American country where it grows supports a humanitarian mission of financial development and social justice in places that have been drastically harmed by foreign exploitation and destabilization.

Myths and stories have also arisen about indigenous groups – especially Mayan and Aztec – using cacao in spiritual settings. Cacao is definitely considered sacred in the Mayan “Cosmovision” – in other words, their combined beliefs about how to orient to and connect with the physical and metaphysical world. And throughout time, cacao has been used in many highly valued ways: as an offering to spirits, as a currency, and in weddings and other milestone events. Some indigenous groups have used cacao specifically for healing purposes. But sometimes assumptions are made about cacao based on traditions surrounding psilocybin, peyote, and ayahuasca.

Preparation and Administration Options for Psilocybin and Cacao

The two main suggested methods for combining and ingesting psilocybin and ceremonial cacao together pose notable differences, requiring a decision by facilitator and client. Both involve using homogenized mushroom analyte (i.e., lab-grown mushrooms ground into a powder and tested for psilocybin content), which can either be made into a cacao drink or mushroom chocolates. Anecdotal evidence suggests that both methods produce a chocolate “buffer” in the digestive system that could reduce the potential for nausea and abdominal discomfort. However it appears that this hasn’t been tested in clinical research.

A common “daily serving” of ceremonial cacao is about 28 g (1 oz). However, a smaller serving (for example, 14 g) can also be effective, especially if the facilitator and/or client are concerned about caffeine. A “ceremonial serving” of 43 g (1.5 oz) isn’t recommended for mushroom co-administration unless a client already knows well how their body reacts to the type and amount of cacao.

Ceremonial Cacao Drink

A cup of ceremonial cacao is made by mixing chopped cacao paste in hot water using an agitator to emulsify (i.e. evenly distribute) the cacao butter. An example of a typical ratio would be 28g (1oz) of pure cacao paste mixed into 7-8 oz of water. This can be done with a blender, a handheld frother, or a molinillo (traditional whisk). Stirring alone isn’t enough, because the cacao solids will sink to the bottom. The homogenized mushrooms simply need to be put in the hot water before the cacao is blended, along with any other sweetener or spice the client may want to include. This is similar to the common administration method of making “mushroom tea” and only requires the extra step of agitation.

For a smaller drink, 14g of cacao can be mixed in 4oz of hot water, but this is about the smallest serving that can be prepared while still emulsifying the cacao butter. The client can be provided with a thermos with hot water and a handheld frother to make a drink. A cacao drink offers certain potential benefits when compared to simply eating mushrooms. For one, there’s a general assumption that homogenized mushrooms will be more quickly digested than whole mushrooms, leading to faster onset and less waiting time for a client. For any cacao drink, it’s recommended to use water that’s at least 95˚C, because cacao at room temperature will cool down the water during boiling and it could be less enjoyable to drink.

The temperature of the drink also makes a difference when mushrooms are added. Rose City Laboratories found that mushrooms steeped in 100˚C (boiling) water resulted in better extraction of psilocybin and less degradation of psilocin (the compound that actually produces a psychoactive effect) when compared to an equal amount of time in 80˚C water. In other words, making a drink with steaming but not boiling water would apparently waste some of the psychoactive compounds. Even if only steeping a drink for 5 minutes at the lower temperature, 15% or more of the active compounds get degraded. Any hot drink is thought to break down the chitin (structural compound) in the mushroom cell walls, and anecdotal reports in the field suggest that this in itself could lower the chance of nausea. But one potential downside with even a boiling drink is that digestion, and therefore the psychedelic experience, might happen too fast for the client to be able to process deeper emotional issues, gain insights, and fully integrate the experience into their day-to-day life. That is, compared to the next option.

Mushroom Chocolates Made with Ceremonial Cacao

In an edible, the psilocybin analyte powder is evenly distributed with any other ingredients that are combined with the cacao to make a chocolate truffle. This way, precise doses are measured in advance. Mushroom chocolates can contain anywhere from 5-50 mg of analyte, so they could be intentionally given as a first dose and/or booster with certainty about how much the client is ingesting. Chocolates are basically made by melting cacao paste and mixing with other ingredients for flavour and/or texture. But the melting point of cacao paste is 34˚C, probably well below the level that would initiate degradation of the active compounds in mushrooms. Anecdotal reports suggest that the even distribution of analyte in a truffle could act as a “timed release”, where the mushroom particles move through the system in a fairly consistent way as the chocolate is digested.

Synergistic Effects of Ingesting Psilocybin with Cacao

Ceremonial cacao has become especially popular outside its original context among people who are interested in spiritual self-development and/or who practice activities like yoga and meditation. Anecdotal claims hold that ceremonial cacao is a “heart opener” that can help people with emotional processing, feeling more in touch with their body, and gaining new insights or clarity into life situations. Science has not yet reached a consensus of fully recognizing or explaining cacao’s therapeutic effects. Popular myths point to the importance of compounds such as serotonin, phenylethylamine (PEA, known as the “love chemical”), and anandamide (known as the “bliss molecule”). But research has found that these occur in insignificant amounts in cacao.

It appears that the main active compounds in cacao (i.e. those that could influence sensations, heart rate, and brain function) are methylxanthines (primarily theobromine, and to a lesser extent, caffeine) and polyphenol antioxidants (primarily flavonoids). In cacao, caffeine always occurs in a lower amount than theobromine, which has been found to lower blood pressure. This could be useful for countering the blood pressure increase that psilocybin is known to provoke. And the types of polyphenols in cacao (most notably the flavonoids epicatechin and catechin) are known to improve cerebral blood flow as well as cognition (e.g., memory, attention, motivation, etc).

It’s hard to interpret published data on the amounts of active compounds in cacao, chocolate, and “cocoa”, because these products are processed in very different ways. Dark chocolate is the closest in process and purity to ceremonial cacao. Average dark chocolate appears to contain approximately 20-30 mg of caffeine, and around 140-230 mg of theobromine, per 28g serving. In order to better understand potential objective advantages of certain varieties and preparations of cacao, lab tests for caffeine and theobromine were commissioned on many varieties of non-engineered, wood-fire-roasted, hand-peeled cacao. Across nine Guatemalan varieties and one Mexican variety, the amount of caffeine ranged from 63-143 mg per 28g serving of cacao, and the amount of theobromine ranged from 300-468 mg. Both are considerably higher than typical dark chocolate.

As for polyphenols, a 2011 study found that non-alkalized cacao powder had a higher count than most antioxidant-rich foods (except possibly pomegranate). And the polyphenol count basically went down the more cacao was processed, from dark chocolate to defatted cacao powder to hot chocolate mix (containing “cocoa” processed with alkali). So “hot cocoa” mixes would give basically none of the health benefits of cacao.

Dark chocolate (containing 60-63% cacao) contained 24.8 mg of polyphenols per gram of product. A laboratory test for polyphenols in Heart of the Earth ceremonial cacao showed 63.4 mg per gram – more than double the amount found in dark chocolate. Curiously, Heart of the Earth also had the highest numbers of caffeine and theobromine of any other ceremonial varieties in these tests, so it could be that amounts of these active compounds are correlated with each other in any given variety of cacao.

If cacao and psilocybin are combined, there is a potential for synergistic and/or additive effects – meaning the chemical constituents could react with one another, or the mushroom cacao experience could simply be the sum of interesting parts. The experience provoked by cacao, while subtle, can be thought of like a “tiptoe” into the same energetic realm that psychedelics open up. Like different psilocybin strains, different cacao varieties have objective differences (caffeine, theobromine, etc.) and also different “energies” that would need to be taken into consideration for this type of therapeutic work. There have also been reports that the mushroom chocolate method using ceremonial cacao could increase ratings of the session as “mystical”. And from clinical research beginning with Roland Griffith’s publications in 2008, it appears that the mystical factor is key in a person being able to make a significant life change or to experience what they view as emotional healing. But whether cacao actually contributes to this hasn’t been tested in clinical research.

Conclusion

Combining psilocybin mushrooms and authentic ceremonial cacao offers promising benefits for both administration and therapeutic effect in professional psilocybin services. It also presents a way to increase the financial and cultural equity of these services. For good reason, mushrooms must be grown in a specially prepared environment. But that means it’s impossible to have a direct link to the Latin American countries that have a historic connection to them.

On the other hand, ceremonial cacao can only grow in tropical climates, presenting an opportunity for more capital (financial and cultural) for indigenous cacao workers, so that the benefit is more evenly distributed across the cacao supply chain. Whether ingesting mushrooms in a ceremonial cacao drink or in a chocolate truffle, many people could potentially experience more therapeutic rewards while enjoying the sensory delight of ethical chocolate.