Herbal Cacao Part 3: Build-Your-Own Cacao Tea

Use cacao to enhance the flavor of medicinal teas, making them more palatable and easier for you to get your daily dose of healing.

Why Build-Your-Own?

I love the profound medicinal properties of roots and bitter herbs, but sometimes, the path to wellness can be a tough one—especially when that path involves drinking a less-than-palatable water decoction. If you've ever struggled to get down your daily dose of a bitter tonic, this post is for you.

In parts one, Herbal Cacao: Revered Elixir of the Ancient World, and two, Herbal Cacao: The Heart-Centered Ritual, of our cacao series, we explored the rich herstory of cacao as an ancient healing medicine and its powerful potential as a grounding element in a daily wellness ritual. Now, let's bring these two concepts together.

Below is a simple, customizable recipe for a Build-Your-Own Cacao Tea that uses cacao's natural bitterness to complement and soften the intensity of other powerful herbs, ensuring you never have to choose between effective healing and delicious flavor.

The idea is that you start with a "base" tea, and build it into a delicious, warming cup of hot cacao. Included in the recipe are a few spices that help the body digest and assimilate nutrients from other herbs (and foods) more readily. For a daily tonic, I simply use green tea because I add green tea to most of my herbal teas. The friend that showed me this recipe used marshmallow root (which has a sweet and mild flavor profile) because she was dealing with gut issues. Find the herb that works best for you, and start building from there!

Build-Your-Own Cacao Tea Recipe

This recipe was inspired by a friend. I cannot remember exactly how she showed me how to make it, but below is what I do! Remember that the coconut oil or ghee (or addition of milk) adds fat to the tea that helps your body slow the metabolism of the sugar. Play around with different "base" teas. Bitter herbs and roots naturally blend with the bitterness of cacao, while other herbs like licorice or holy basil (tulsi) can help soften the bitterness of cacao.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of “base” tea (I use green tea - see below for other suggestions)

• 1 Tbsp of raw cacao powder

• 1 tsp coconut oil or ghee

• Pinch each of cayenne, turmeric, and black pepper

• 1 tsp of maple syrup

• Optional: milk to taste

  
  

Directions

1. First, brew your favorite cup of tea.

2. In a pan, combine the cup of tea with all of the other ingredients. Slowly heat the concoction and use a fork, whisk, or immersion blender to blend the mixture. Sit down, leave your cell phone as far away as possible, and enjoy!

Ingredients for my "Make-Your-Own" cacao recipe! Don't judge me for using Vermont Maple Syrup-unless you are a fellow NH-en. It was a gift!

Why I Love This Combination of Spices and Herbs

Turmeric and Black Pepper are Synergists: black pepper enhances the bioavailability of turmeric, which helps the body absorb curcumin (the active compound in turmeric) more effectively; it is important to note that black pepper does this with a whole list of herbs and foods (de la Forêt 41).

Properties (Key Actions) of the Supporting Herbs and Spices

• Turmeric acts as a pain reliever, blood mover, and immune-enhancing aid; it has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, and astringent qualities; and it can help with gut health; warming and drying

• Black Pepper has stimulating effects that make it useful for cold, flu, & mucous-like conditions; it stimulates circulation; has antimicrobial, antioxidant, carminative, and alterative properties; warming and drying

• Cayenne Pepper acts as an antimicrobial, antioxidant, immunostimulating and antifungal herb; can help reduce pain and quell blood flow; it is stimulating and can draw out mucous and other unwanted substances from the body; cayenne is a strong blood mover; stimulating, drying, and, for some, a HOT herb 

Gentle note: Cayenne Pepper should be matched energetically to each person. In this case, a person who is always hot or who has a hot-headed disposition might struggle with cayenne. A womyn transitioning through menopause might also struggle with cayenne.

Green Tea and Cayenne Peppers are Synergists: it is believed that cayenne pepper enhances the bioavailability of some of the constituents in green tea, notably helping the body break down fatty acids to produce energy, increasing resting metabolic rate, and helping to regulate how your blood flows through your body (Alkhatib et al.)

Freedom! I love that you can play around with the main cup of tea in this recipe! I use green tea because it keeps me alert, is high in antioxidants, and I love the taste. My friend used marshmallow root because she was addressing some gut issues at the time. Pick your... uh, medicine, not poison! This is also a great opportunity to use bitter herbs that are normally unpleasant to drink as tea. Cacao is also bitter and can work with the other ingredients to simultaneously complement and mask the bitter taste.

Bitter herbs that would do well in this blend:

• Dandelion Root (roasted)

• Chicory Root (roasted)

• Burdock Root

• ...so many others!

The genius of this "Build-Your-Own" method is that it starts with a simple "base" tea—allowing you to easily integrate highly beneficial, but often bitter, herbs into your routine. Whether you're seeking a daily tonic, gut support, or immune-boosting warmth, learn how to layer the richness of cacao with synergizing spices and herbs to craft your perfect, personalized cup of healing.

Contraindications

Cacao is overly stimulating for many and can aggravate anxious folks or those with trouble sleeping. Those sensitive to caffeine or overstimulation should consume with caution. High doses of cacao are not recommended for children under the age of 18, or elders who have trouble sleeping.

Ethical Sourcing: A Note on Intention

The production and processing of cacao is a dirty business. Much of the world’s cacao is farmed in western parts of Africa where child labor laws are lax and wages are as low as 80 cents/day. In other areas of the world where cacao is farmed (Central and South America and across Southeast Asia) large swaths of land, often tropical rainforests, are cleared in order to keep up with the demand for cacao. Deforestation causes huge losses in biodiversity. To lessen the impact of the production of the cacao bean on human rights and the environment, look for brands that are FairTrade and Rainforest Alliance certified. These efforts make a huge impact on the industry, as the push for sustainable chocolate motivates chocolate producers to pressure growers for ethically and environmentally favorable certified cacao beans that also emphasize fair human rights practices (Harper).

Disclaimer

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These recipes, methods, and resulting products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease and are for educational purposes only.. The Undercover Witch LLC recommends that you consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, or on any medications. 

References

Alkhatib, Ahmad, et al. “Acute effectiveness of a “fat-loss” product on substrate utilization, perception of hunger, mood state and rate of perceived exertion at rest and during exercise.” PubMed Central, 25 November 2015, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4660661/. Accessed 17 November 2025.

de la Forêt, Rosalee. Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods and Remedies That Heal. Hay House, 2017.

Harper, Davis. “The Dark Side of the Chocolate Industry.” Sierra, Sierra Club, 15 October 2017, https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/green-life/dark-side-chocolate-industry. Accessed 17 November 2025.