Health Benefits Of Cocoa butter
Cocoa butter, also called theobroma oil, is a pale-yellow, pure, edible vegetable fat extracted from the cocoa bean. To obtain cocoa butter, cocoa beans are fermented, roasted, and then separated from their hulls. About 54% – 58% of the residue is cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is usually deodorized to remove its strong and undesirable taste. Cocoa butter is used to make chocolate, biscuits, and baked goods. It is also used in manufacturing some pharmaceuticals, ointments, and toiletries. Cocoa butter adds flavor, scent, and smoothness to these products. It has a mild chocolate flavor and aroma.
It contains a large proportion of minerals including calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, manganese, copper and iron, all of which are in a highly bio-available form that render them more effective than commercial vitamin supplements. Not only that, though, it also contains tryptophan, involved in the formation of serotonin, the 'feel good' neurotransmitter, and also dopamine and phenylethylamine, all good substances. It is brain food as well as food for your skin.
Cocoa Butter contains a number of different antioxidants that can kill off a wide range of different free radicals that destroy your skin cells and lead to premature aging. This makes it an ideal skin care product. Free radicals destroy cells. They are organic molecules responsible for aging, tissue damage, and possibly some diseases. These molecules are very unstable, therefore they look to bond with other molecules, destroying their vigor and perpetuating the detrimental process. They do this through a process known as oxidation, which antioxidants can prevent. Cocoa Butter contains Vitamin E, which is a strong antioxidant - the strongest of all the antioxidant vitamins in fact, and can easily kill off hydrogen peroxide and any other oxidizing agent. Cocoa butter contains no petroleum, preservatives or harsh chemicals. It is from the Theobroma cacao tree.
Cocoa butter is is a delicious and nourishing butter that will keep skin extremely supple, moisturized and revitalized thus cocoa Butter is a great ingredient for soap making. Cocoa butter is one of the most stable fats known and contains high concentrations of the anti-aging polyphenol antioxidants that help to alleviate the signs of aging. It is solid at room temperature, but melts at about 76-78 degrees. It melts in contact with the skin, or when placed in a tub of hot water. It makes a wonderful addition to body balms and bath products because of its smooth texture and is a nice massage medium too.
Cocoa butter is often recommended for treatment of skin conditions such as eczema and dermatitis. It helps to heal/prevent scar tissue and stretch marks as it improves skin elasticity. In addition, cocoa butter contains cocoa mass polyphenol (CMP), a substance that inhibits the production of the immuno globulin IgE. IgE is known to aggravate symptoms of dermatitis and asthma. Recent research suggests that massaging the skin with cocoa butter may help relieve stress, boost the immune system, and even prevent cancer. This is because of CMP prevalent in cocoa butter in large quantities
Remedies
1. Stretch Marks: Cocoa butter is widely used as a treatment for pregnancy stretch marks. With its A, B1, B2, B3, C, E, vitamins, it is excellent moisturizer for skin health.
2. Heart Health: A 2006 study in the American Heart Association journal "Circulation: Heart Failure," reported that middle-aged and elderly women who regularly ate a small amount of chocolate had a 32 percent lower risk of heart failure. Although scientists are not sure why, it could be from its oleic acid or its cocoa mass polyphenol (CMP), which may protect against heart disease.
3. Immune System Health: Preliminary research indicates that CMP (cocoa mass polyphenol) actually helps suppress excessive T-cell activity in the immune system, which could lead to possible treatment in immune system conditions such as psoriasis, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome.
4. Skin Health: Cocoa butter has often been recommended for treatment of skin conditions such as eczema and dermatitis. Cocoa butter, when applied topically, creates a barrier between sensitive skin and the environment and helps retain needed moisture. In addition, cocoa butter contains cocoa mass polyphenol (CMP), a substance that inhibits the production of the immuno globulin IgE. IgE is known to aggravate symptoms of both dermatitis and eczema.
5. May Help Prevent Cancer: Cocoa butter, like chocolate, contains a lot of CMP. It has been reported that CMP inhibits the growth of cancerous cells and tumors by inhibiting the oxidation of LDL cholesterol and the production of inflammatory cells.
