This book examines the long-standing association between chocolate and medicine from ancient times to the modern era. Beginning with the use of cacao among Mesoamerican peoples for healing purposes, the authors trace the transport of chocolate to Europe and its evolving reputation as a medicinal and nutritional substance. Drawing on historical evidence and recent bioscience research, they explore how chocolate has been regarded as a therapeutic agent, the tension between classifying it as food or medicine, and contemporary scientific findings on its potential health benefits.