The Love of Nature – Herbal Aphrodisiacs

Aloha everyone!

One of the many perks that comes along with running a kava farm on a beautiful, vibrant island paradise is that I never have to worry about what sorts of Valentine’s Day gifts I should give out. For whatever reason (perhaps because the warmth of the tropical environment promotes growth, connection and love in all things), most of the products that we provide at Kona Kava Farm are aphrodisiacs in some sense of the word. And what could be a better Valentine’s Day present than a selection of lovely and strong aphrodisiacs that will also help to make body and mind healthy and happy?

The best part about plant aphrodisiacs is that they don’t necessarily have to be directly involved in romance. When I was younger, if I was without a partner on Valentine’s Day it felt very sad to me – like I was missing out on something special that everyone else was experiencing. However, I came to realize that, as commercialized as it is, Valentine’s Day is essentially about love, and love can take many beautiful forms. So, I started to use the day as a reason to create and give tokens of my love to ALL of the important people in my life!

In honor of this celebration of love, I’d like to talk about a few of the wonderful aphrodisiacs that we grow and/or offer on Kona Kava Farm. The best thing about these products is that they are all great for the body, they can create a powerful romantic charge if you are with a partner, and they can also create a wonderful overflowing of platonic love and connection between friends and family. So, no matter where you are in your life, you can enjoy the wonderful benefits of these medicines!

First, of course, I want to talk about my beloved ‘awa.  Kava kava is often known as the ‘anti-shyness’ herb, and for good reason!  It is very relaxing, and can put one into a comfortable state in which it is easy to overcome social fears and to initiate conversation and connection with anyone, be it a lover, a friend, or a family member. Incidentally, kava can also increase sexual potency and the intensity of a sexual experience if taken in slightly larger quantities. No matter how you choose to spend Valentine’s Day, kava can certainly assist you in making it that much more enjoyable!

Secondly, we have Theobroma cacao, the tree that chocolate comes from! Theobroma means “God’s Food”, and Cacao is a word borrowed from the Mayan language referring to the tree, its fruit, and the beverage prepared from that fruit. Cacao beans, and chocolate with a high cacao content (70% or above) has extraordinary nutritional properties. Chocolate contains both serotonin and phenethylamine, mood-lifting hormones that are naturally created by the brain. When we eat chocolate, normal levels of both are increased, creating a feeling of excitement, energy, and a lovely loving feeling. So, naturally, when cacao beans were first brought to Europe, they were used almost exclusively in making love potions! Chocolate isn’t just given as a gift on Valentine’s Day because of good advertising – good quality chocolate really is an aphrodisiac and will create plenty of loving, positive feelings for you to share with your lovers and loved ones!

Finally, we are proud to be able to offer real organic maca, imported directly from Peru! Maca root is an ancient adaptogen and aphrodisiac that was treasured by the Incans. Maca is a superfood, meaning that it provides high concentrations of essential nutrients. Maca is rich in vitamins, minerals, amino acids, sterols and alkaloids that are essential to creating sustained energy and good health. Maca root is wonderful for balancing out the hormones, creating a more stable sexual system. It provides wonderful long-lasting energy and makes it easier to adapt to new or stressful situations. Finally, maca is a known aphrodisiac, and will support both sexual drive and experience if you choose to use it in this way!

So, now that I’ve discussed a few of the wonderful aphrodisiacs that we offer at Kona Kava Farm, I’d like to share with you the recipe that I will be preparing this Valentine’s Day to give as gifts to my friends and family! I was inspired to make these chocolates by Donna Gonzales-Vera, a blogger who created these beautiful kava chocolates using our dried kava root powder!! Thank you for the inspiration, Donna! I don’t have chocolate molds, and I wanted to add in another little aphrodisiac boost to my chocolates, so my recipe is slightly different, but if you want to create beautiful, gourmet kava chocolate gems, I highly suggest checking out Donna’s blog.

Ingredients

About two cups of raw almonds ground in a food processor or put in a plastic bag and smashed with a rolling pin. You can use any type of nut you like here!

4 Tablespoons Kava Root Powder

1 Tablespoon Maca Root Powder

1 lb good quality dark chocolate – I used the Organic Vegan Chocolate chips that we craft here at the farm from 87.5% Organic Cocoa powder, Cocoa liquor, Cocoa butter, soy lecithin and Stevia. You can also try our Organic Vegan ‘Sun’ Chips for an extra hit of maca! You can use other types of chocolate, as well, but if you want to experience the medicinal and aphrodisiac effects of the chocolate, make sure it’s over 70% Cacao

Toasted coconut for sprinkling

Grind the almonds and measure out the kava and maca powder. Put a few inches of water in a pot and put a steel or glass bowl on top to create a double-boiler. Bring the water to a boil and then simmer. Put the chocolate in the top of the double boiler and gently allow it to melt on low heat.

When the chocolate is melted, allow it to cool slightly. Then add the nuts, kava powder and maca powder, and mix together.

If you have chocolate molds, now is the time to use them. I don’t, so I just lined a tray with waxed paper and dropped tablespoons of the chocolate mixture on to the tray. I then sprinkled the chocolates with the toasted coconut and let them cool until firm.

And that’s that! These chocolates will definitely provide a great aphrodisiac or feel-good sensation to anyone who eats them!  They’re the perfect way to spread love this Valentine’s Day.

If you have any other great ideas for Valentine’s Day chocolates, kava treats, or anything like that, please leave a comment and let me know! Enjoy spreading love to everyone you know this month!

Aloha no,
Makaira

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