Chocolate and the heart

A small study indicates that dark chocolate — but neither white nor milk chocolate — may help reduce blood pressure.

According to Chinese medicine, high blood pressure can be caused by an excess of either the Earth element or the Water element.

High blood pressure caused by excessive Water can be reduced by decreasing the Water element. This can be done by the Fire element.

Dark chocolate belongs to the Fire element because it is bitter. That is why white chocolate and milk chocolate don’t have the same effect.

In the case of high blood pressure caused by excessive Earth, however, dark chocolate is more likely to make the problem worse. This is because Fire increases the Earth element, which is already excessive to begin with, in this case.

The best way to determine whether high blood pressure is due to excessive Earth or excessive Water is to consult a Chinese medicine practitioner, but our cravings can also give us a good indication. People with excessive Earth tend to crave salty foods; people with excessive Water tend to crave sweets.

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