Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. open cacao pod full of cacao beans with an intact pod behind it on a bed of cacao beans - Atlantide Phototravel/Getty Images When ...

Cacao, the raw beans from which chocolate is made, has many health properties because of its plant compounds, known as flavonoids. These compounds can aid in blood pressure regulation, blood flow, and ...

When you hear "cacao," your mind probably jumps to decadent chocolate desserts or velvety cups of hot cocoa. But before cacao becomes the sweet treat we know and love, it starts as a tough little pod ...