Chocolate has a secret life.

One where, instead of being formed into industrial bars, women combine it by hand with local herbs to make drinks. One where it is a healer, not a creator of addiction. One where it’s revered - held so sacred that it’s used in ceremony and as currency, not bought for a few pennies, wrapper discarded. One where it’s bitter, potent and intense, not sweet and sickly. And one where nobody feels guilt when they imbibe it.

There’s no-one more qualified to open the door to this world than Marcos Patchett, author of the 700-page The Secret Life of Chocolate. This book, which covers everything you could possibly want to know about cacao - including how it was ancestrally used, it’s pharmacology and it’s mythology - will completely change your view of cacao.

“There’s a lifetime’s worth of research in this book.”

Come join us as we dive into a cacao-flavoured world!

The run-down:

1:52 About the book

7:20 Why Marcos wrote the book

12:19 The effect of imbibing extracted plant compounds v. the whole plant

15:10 How cacao was originally drunk and how chocolate is eaten in the West now

20:25 The book-writing high point

26:40 Alison, Andrea and Marcos talk about their relationships with chocolate

34:00 Chocolate and disordered eating

36:58 Cacao’s medicinal effects

44:00 How chocolate’s effects are mediated by the eater’s intention

59.40 The cultural side of cacao's history

1:07:25 Self-medicating with chocolate as part of disordered eating

1.10:25 Practical steps to start eating chocolate ancestrally/authentically

“It blew my mind to realise I’ve been blocking benefits of chocolate by feeling guilt” Alison

*Due to equipment failure, this episode does not have as good audio quality as normal. But it's totally listenable and wonderful content!*

If you want to buy your own copy of the book, Marcos is offering a 20% discount. Use the code CHOC20 on the publishers website:

For those in the US: https://bit.ly/3dVRX1d

For rest of world: https://www.aeonbooks.co.uk

“The modern research suggests quite strongly that cacao is protective against heart disease and stroke and type 2 diabetes.” Marcos

Resources mentioned:

Our 6 Books We Love episode

Jonathan Ott - The Cacahuatl Eater

Susana Trilling - Seasons of my Heart

Mama Coca

“Only eating the chocolate mindfully produced a positive increase in mood” Marcos

Where to find Marcos and his work:

Marcos’ book’s website: https://thesecretlifeofchocolate.com/

Marcos’ Instagram: