2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43
Cocoa beans
Useful properties and application of cocoa beans, butter
Useful properties of cocoa beans
Cocoa beans are the seeds of the fruit of the cocoa tree. Chocolate is made from them. Due to the content of tannins, the seeds have an astringent, tart and bitter taste. They contain carbohydrates, proteins, fats, aromatic and coloring substances, organic acids. Minerals, alkaloids (caffeine and theobromine) are useful for consumption. The chemical composition of cocoa beans is very extensive, it contains anandamide, arginine, dopamine, epicatecin, histamine, magnesium, serotonin.
Tryptophan, phenylethylamine, polyphenol and tyramine have a very important effect on the human body.
Application of cocoa beans
In its raw form, the unique fruits are incredibly beneficial for the human body. They restore energy and hormonal balance, improve vision, increase efficiency, raise tone, and have an antidepressant effect. The beneficial substances of cocoa seeds increase the protective properties of the body, cocoa is introduced into the diet of physically weakened people who have suffered from acute respiratory infections and respiratory diseases. Peeled cocoa beans can be chewed, they are crispy, tender, and have a great taste.
Drinking cocoa eliminates apathy, normalizes the menstrual cycle, and rejuvenates. With prolonged but moderate use as a therapeutic agent, noticeable changes will occur to the skin, warts, papillomas will disappear, the skin will be cleansed and become young and tender. Raw cocoa fruits are a reliable protection against the development of cancerous tumors. The complex chemical composition of the fruit excites the nervous system, activates the functions of the heart and prevents the formation of blood clots.
Antioxidants can reduce the activity of free radicals in the cells of the human body, which is effective in protecting against viruses and infections. Polyphenols (antioxidants) break down fats and are a reliable prevention of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. It is the polyphenols that give the beans a tart astringent and specific bitter taste.
Cocoa butter
Cocoa butter is a fat obtained from the grains of the fruit of the chocolate tree with a pleasant cocoa smell and a whitish yellow color. At 16-18 degrees, the oil has a hard texture, pieces break off easily. In the heated form, the oil is transparent, its chemical composition includes oleic, stearic, lauric, palmitic, linoleic and arachidic acids, as well as tri-acid triglycerides. Oleic acid reduces blood cholesterol.
The substances methylxanthine and tannin have a healing and tonic effect, help with burns and various skin diseases, and stimulate the immune system. Cocoa butter rejuvenates the skin, leaving it fresh and beautiful. It is successfully used in the treatment of eczema, bronchi, eliminates cough.
Cough suppressant recipe: In a glass of hot milk, melt 0.5 teaspoon of cocoa butter. The drink should be cooled slightly and given to the patient to drink.
Cocoa butter for hemorrhoids: during an exacerbation of the disease, it is recommended to inject a piece of cocoa butter (about 1 teaspoon) into the rectum before each bowel movement.
Cocoa butter for thrush: add 2% tea tree oil to the heated cocoa butter, roll it into balls and let it harden. It is recommended to inject into the vagina once a day.
Cocoa butter for cervical erosion: mix cocoa butter with sea buckthorn oil (3: 1), use a tampon soaked in the mixture overnight for 14 days.
Cocoa butter for atherosclerosis: it is recommended to take 0.5 teaspoon of cocoa butter melted in a water bath twice a day, morning and evening, 15 minutes before meals. The tool eliminates cholesterol, reduces the number of cholesterol plaques on the walls of blood vessels, helps with itchy skin, relieves pain in burns, and is effective for eczema and fungal infections. It is also recommended for nipple healing in nursing mothers.
Cocoa bean extract
Cocoa bean extract is a brown fine powder, it is used to reduce blood pressure, nervous tension. It is mainly used to treat nephropathy, as a diuretic, relieve edema. Rheumatism, fever, cough, non-healing wounds are indications for the use of cocoa extract.
Cocoa bean extract is produced in pharmaceutical factories.
Cocoa beans for weight loss
Cocoa beans are very useful in the fight against excess weight. They are able to accelerate metabolic processes, and this occurs at the intercellular and intracellular levels. By improving the functions of the endocrine system, normalizing the fat balance, they reduce appetite, which leads to weight loss. A few cocoa beans, eaten on an empty stomach, give a feeling of fullness, such a breakfast can be called complete, since the body receives the substances necessary for health. 4–5 beans give strength, replenish energy reserves.
Magnesium affects the production of ATP, caffeine speeds up metabolism, the production of serotonin and endorphins - substances so necessary to maintain good physical shape.
Calorie content of cocoa beans
The energy value of cocoa beans is 565.3 kcal. On average, this is 16–28% of the daily value that is useful for the human body.
Cocoa bean tree
There are three types of cocoa beans: Trinitario, Criollo and Forastero. The seeds of Criollo trees are slightly colored and have a nutty smell. The seeds of the Forastero tree are dark brown, with a pungent odor, bitter taste and more fat. Plants of the Forastero species withstand harsh climatic conditions. Each species has its own individual chemical characteristics. The varieties are named after the countries where they are grown.
Also, cocoa beans are distinguished by quality characteristics. Consumer varieties have a tart, sour taste with bitterness. Noble varieties have a pleasant, pronounced taste.
How to grow cocoa beans
Cocoa beans grow in the subequatorial regions of South America and are successfully cultivated in many countries. Cocoa trees prefer a little darkened places, so coconut palms, banana, rubber and mango trees, as well as avocados are planted on the plantations next to them, which quite reliably protects cocoa from the wind. The height of the cocoa tree can reach 15 meters in height, but for the convenience of harvesting they are grown up to 6 meters.
The evergreen tree blooms and bears fruit all year round. Yellow-green or red (depending on the variety) fruits reach 30 cm in length, their weight is about 500 grams. The pulp of the fruit contains approximately 50 cocoa beans. The tree begins to produce a high yield at the age of 12 years. The culture is cultivated in Central America and Africa, Indonesia, Colombia, Malaysia and other regions.
Contraindications to the use of cocoa beans
Cocoa beans must be used with caution in diabetes mellitus, individual intolerance. They can cause allergic reactions. Do not give cocoa products to children under three years old. Cocoa is contraindicated in kidney disease, irritates the gastric mucosa and stimulates the production of gastric juice, so it should not be consumed by people with serious gastrointestinal diseases, especially in the acute stage.
The author of the article: Kuzmina Vera Valerievna | Endocrinologist, nutritionist
Education: Diploma of the Russian State Medical University named after NI Pirogov with a degree in General Medicine (2004). Residency at Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, diploma in Endocrinology (2006).
