What do chocolate and cannabis have in common?

At first glance, cannabis and chocolate seem to have little in common. And yet.

A study published Research conducted in the 1990s shows that chocolate has chemical compounds similar to cannabis. It is said to contain lipids that are chemically similar to anandamide, an endogenous cannabinoid neurotransmitter found in the human body. The study suggests that these compounds in chocolate act on the same receptors as cannabis and that chocolate affects the brain in the same way as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Even though anandamide is present in small amounts in cocoa, this helps explain why some people feel good when they eat chocolate.

The Chocolate-Cannabis Blend

Claire McKenzie, manager of the chocolate shop E’Claire Chocolates in Seattle, where she sells cannabis and chocolate truffles, explains: «There’s a parallel between chocolate and cannabis. Cacao is a plant, just like cannabis. When THC, anandamide, and cannabidiol (CBD) »When they interact, you get a feeling of excitement and a high. Since cannabis tends to enhance the taste and texture of food, chocolate’s antioxidant properties and minerals show that the only thing that can make it even better is cannabis."

Others were right on the money, such as the High Chocolatier which sells delicious cannabis-infused chocolate bars.

Did you know? In 17th-century Mexico, new laws had significantly reduced the availability of chocolate because nuns were said to have become hysterical after eating it. At the time, quite a few doctors had concluded that chocolate played a major role in this hysteria as well as in other societal ills.

Love also plays an important role

This is what is revealed in this study from 2015, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This study shows that the’oxytocin, a chemical compound more commonly known as the «pleasure hormone,» also triggers the release of anandamide. In other words, the endocannabinoid system also plays a role in the sensations associated with romantic relationships.

Love, chocolate, and THC produce different effects. However, they all act in part on the same receptors in the human body and thus contribute to various feelings of euphoria.

Mehdi Bautier