The Mesoamerican population had over 150 documented applications of cocoa as medicine ranging from cardiac uses to snake bites and today a scientific literature search shows over 300 references to the use of cocoa in cardiac medicine. This book, for the first time, describes the topic of chocolate as medicine from a historical perspective but also explores the benefits of cocoa, its positive health effects and also why chocolate was thought to be bad for you. The book is written by a unique combination of a historian of science and a practicing scientist with expertise in cocoa and chocolate. It includes a historical perspective on the development of medicinal uses of cocoa, an introduction to the chemistry and physiology involved and ends with its suggestions for chocolates future uses in medicine. It will appeal to food scientists, cocoa researchers, ethnobotanists, historians and medical scientists as well as the lay people with an interest in this science. | Chocolate As Medicine by Philip K Wilson, Paperback | Indigo Chapters