Raw carob powder occupies a specific and well-defined role in the Primal Diet as a chocolate substitute, a flavoring agent and mineral-dense food that provides the sensory experience of chocolate without the toxic nerve irritants contained in chocolate. Aajonus documented its use across a wide range of preparations, from ice creams and fudges to puddings, gingerbread-style confections, and aphrodisiac formulas. He positioned it explicitly as a safe alternative to chocolate for those who crave the flavor profile of cocoa, noting that carob itself contains no addictive chemicals, while chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine.

Aajonus' earliest personal experience with raw carob, 38 years before his 2007 newsletter writings, involved eating it blended with raw carob pods (not powder, but the whole pod) combined with raw fat, eggs, and unheated honey. He craved this preparation intensely for approximately three months, a period he interpreted not as addiction (since carob has no addictive chemicals) but as the body's deep drive to obtain the raw fats, egg proteins, and honey enzymes in the formula, nutrients his body was severely deficient in. This craving resolved after approximately three months as deficiencies were corrected, and his skin, nerves, and entire body were measurably healthier afterward.

On the Primal Diet, carob powder functions primarily as: - A flavoring agent in chocolate-substitute preparations - A mineral source (high in pectin) - A component in ice creams, fudges, balls, puddings, and aphrodisiac formulas - A tool for satisfying cravings for starch and chocolate without introducing toxic compounds

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Aajonus explicitly identified raw carob powder as being full of pectin. This pectin property is biochemically significant and creates a specific interaction with fats: pectin draws up fats. Aajonus described this as a double-edged property, the carob pectin draws in available fats, which can then cause minerals to cake in the body, making them more difficult to digest and assimilate.

His precise words: "The carob is full of pectin and it just draws up the fats and then it causes the minerals to cake in your body. It's more difficult to digest. The carob powder draws some of the fats in and..."

This is why he specified that if carob powder is added to a preparation involving milk, cream must also be included, the cream provides enough fat that after the pectin of the carob has drawn up some of it, there remains sufficient fat left to properly digest the minerals. This is not a casual recommendation but a specific biochemical necessity in his framework.

Unlike chocolate (which contains caffeine and theobromine), carob contains no addictive chemicals. Aajonus used this fact directly in explaining why intense cravings for carob-based preparations are not addiction but are instead the body's drive to obtain the other ingredients in the formula, particularly the raw fats, egg proteins, and honey enzymes. The carob powder is the vehicle through which people access those nutrients in a palatably satisfying way.

In workshop context, Aajonus observed that someone with a liver problem, adipose tissue accumulation, and risk of intestinal and liver cancer could use a nut-and-carob-powder mixture to clean up that problem and satisfy cravings. The nut mixture with carob powder addresses an internal state of deficiency, specifically fatty tissue problems and liver dysfunction, while simultaneously satisfying the appetite for sweet/starchy/chocolate-like flavors.

From the 2007 newsletter: "Most people who crave raw chocolate to the point of wanting it daily are people who are very deficient in raw fats and the egg-proteins and honey enzymes help to digest those needed fats." While this statement was made in the context of chocolate cravings, Aajonus directly linked it to his own earlier experience with raw carob, stating that the craving for the carob formula was the same underlying drive. The carob-based preparations, because they are always combined with large quantities of raw fat, eggs, and honey, deliver the nutrients that people are actually deficient in.

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Commercial carob products, including carob powder used in products like "Carob Coconut Chews", are typically heated. In his analysis of a specific commercial product (Carob Coconut Chews), Aajonus identified the carob coating (made of carob powder, coconut butter, sesame oil, and honey) as having been heated between 220–350 degrees Fahrenheit. This renders the carob cooked, not raw.

Aajonus used the term "raw carob powder" throughout his recipes and protocols, distinguishing it from commercially heated carob preparations. The rawness of the powder is essential to its function in his framework, cooked carob would be subject to the same limitations as all cooked food (destroyed enzymes, altered nutrients, potential toxic byproducts from heat processing).

In his earliest personal use, Aajonus used raw carob pods, not powder, blended into the same formulas. He described beginning to eat "the same combination made with raw carob pods instead of raw cocoa beans" 38 years before his 2007 writings. This is worth noting: the pod form and the powder form are both referenced, though his recipes universally call for the powder in modern preparations. The pod represents the whole, unprocessed source material.

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Aajonus explicitly analyzed a commercial carob product and found that the carob coating in the "Carob Coconut Chews" product had been heated between 220–350 degrees Fahrenheit. Every other ingredient in that product was also processed: - Coconuts: steamed between 160–220°F - Malted barley syrup: cooked between 375–450°F - Sesame seeds: hulled, containing enzyme retardants preventing protein digestion for up to 36 hours (unless combined with raw egg, honey, and butter/animal fat) - Raisins: usually heat-dried between 115–160°F - Honey: usually heated between 140–175°F - Soy flour: completely processed, chemically treated, heated between 240–470°F; promotes breast and uterine cancers - Natural vanilla: usually irradiated, solvent treated, heated between 190–220°F - Coconut butter: heated between 170–240°F - Sesame oil: heated between 170–210°F

The lesson Aajonus embedded in this analysis is that commercial carob powder products are virtually never raw. The buyer must verify the true processing state of the carob powder being used. Simply because something is labeled "carob" or "natural" does not mean it is unheated or enzyme-active.

Aajonus addressed the general issue of grinding/powdering processes in his broader work on superfoods, noting that when hard foods are ground into flour, machines reach temperatures of at least 176°F (80°C) through friction alone, destroying all enzymes and effectively cooking the material. This is his basis for skepticism toward all commercial powdered foods. Truly raw carob powder would need to have been processed in a manner that does not generate this level of friction heat.

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Aajonus was unequivocal: raw carob powder must always be paired with substantial raw fat. This is not a preference, it is a biochemical necessity in his framework, stemming directly from carob's high pectin content.

The specific reasoning: carob's pectin draws up the available fats in a preparation. If there is insufficient fat, the minerals in the preparation (or the accompanying food, such as milk) will cake in the body and become difficult to digest. The fat buffer ensures that after the pectin has drawn in some fat for its own digestive process, enough fat remains to properly facilitate mineral digestion.

In milk preparations specifically: If someone wants to add carob powder to raw milk (for a form of chocolate milk), Aajonus specified that raw cream must also be added. He said: "It's better that they have cream in it if they are going to do that... Because the carob is full of pectin and it just draws up the fats and then it causes the minerals to cake in your body. It's more difficult to digest." The cream provides the additional fat buffer so that after the carob pectin reacts with some fat, the milk's own minerals can still be properly digested.

In all other preparations: Every single recipe Aajonus gave containing raw carob powder includes raw fat in substantial quantities, raw butter, raw cream, peanut oil, or coconut cream. This is not coincidental. It reflects the consistent application of this biochemical principle.

The formula ratio for chocolate substitutes: The general ratio Aajonus specified for chocolate-substitute preparations is 4 parts raw fat to 1 part unheated honey, with carob powder added to this fat-dominant base. This ensures the pectin has ample fat to draw upon without depleting the fat needed for mineral digestion.

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No topical applications of raw carob powder are documented in the source passages. All uses are internal/culinary.

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The quantities Aajonus documented across all his carob powder recipes span a wide range depending on the formula:

• 1/2 teaspoon, in a simple ginger-egg-cream-honey blend to create gingerbread ice cream flavor (workshop mention, informal use)
• 1 teaspoon, in the nut pudding treat formula (1/2 cup nuts with butter/cream/oil, 1 egg, 1–2 tbsp honey)
• 1 tablespoon, in the Gingerbread Balls recipe; in the aphrodisiac formula; in the Mint Chocolate Substitute recipe (1½ tablespoons); in the Pecan Fudge recipe (2 tablespoons); in the peanut butter chocolate substitute (2 heaping tablespoons)
• 1–3 ounces, in the full gingerbread ice cream (2 quarts), alongside 1 pint raw milk, 1 pint raw cream, 2 eggs, 4 oz honey, and 2" ginger root

The range from 1/2 teaspoon to 3 ounces reflects the scale of the preparation and the intended effect. Smaller amounts are used in single-serving puddings and flavor additions; larger amounts are used in ice creams and preparations intended to carry a stronger chocolate-substitute flavor profile.

Aajonus explicitly stated regarding chocolate-substitute preparations: "Unlike chocolate, those mixtures have no ill side effects." This was said in direct contrast to chocolate, which he considered toxic. Carob powder itself has no addictive chemicals, no caffeine, no theobromine. In his framework, the primary safety consideration with raw carob powder is not the carob itself but ensuring adequate fat is always present in the preparation (see Required Pairing section).

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All recipes containing raw carob powder that Aajonus documented are presented below with full detail.

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Core ratio: 4 parts raw fat to 1 part unheated honey, with raw carob powder added.

Version 1, Raw Butter Base: - 1/2 cup unsalted raw butter, placed in small canning jar, lid tight, immersed in bowl of hot water to melt (water no hotter than hand can stand for 4 seconds without burning) - After mostly melted: 2–3 tablespoons unheated honey - 1–2 tablespoons raw carob powder - Mix until even consistency - May be refrigerated to harden, or eaten warm by itself or on bananas topped with crushed raw nuts

Version 2, Coconut Cream Base: - Juice the meat of fresh coconut, rendering a coconut cream - Use the coconut cream in place of the butter in the recipe above - Otherwise same quantities and method

Version 3, Peanut Butter Chocolate Substitute: - 1 cup unsalted raw butter (room temperature, soft) - 1/2 cup raw peanuts or other soft nut, blend alone until nuts become flour - 4 tablespoons unheated honey - 1 whole raw egg - 2 heaping tablespoons raw carob powder - Blend all ingredients together until dark and rich-looking - May be refrigerated or eaten soft

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• 1 pint raw milk
• 1 pint raw cream
• 2 raw eggs
• Two-inch section of fresh ginger root, sliced into thin circular slices (peeled or not)
• 4 ounces unheated honey
• 1–3 ounces raw carob powder

Instructions: Blend milk, eggs, honey, ginger, and carob powder together. Then stir in cream and pour into ice cream maker. Aajonus described this as a "toxin-absorbing raw ice cream" that "tastes a lot like gingerbread eaten with ice cream."

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Blenderize all ingredients in a 12-ounce jar on medium speed for 10 seconds. Pour into ice cream maker and churn until firm.

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• 3 tablespoons unsalted raw butter
• 1 tablespoon unheated honey
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
• 1 tablespoon raw carob powder
• 2½ ounces raw walnut or pecan halves, pine or hazel nuts, or sunflower seeds

Instructions: 1. Warm butter and ginger in a 4-ounce jar, capped and immersed in a bowl of mildly hot water. 2. Blenderize nuts in an 8-ounce jar on high speed until they are flour (or pulse-blend to make chunky). 3. When butter melts, add honey and blenderize for 5 seconds. 4. Add nuts and carob powder and stir for 60 seconds. 5. Put on plate and let stand for 2 hours until it firms. 6. Form into balls. 7. To harden more, refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Alternative 1: Make chewier by using honeycomb. Alternative 2: Stir in 1 teaspoon soft fresh bee pollen. Alternative 3: Finely grate coconut meat and roll balls in grated coconut.

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• 7 tablespoons soft unsalted raw butter
• 1 raw egg
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves
• 2 tablespoons unheated honey
• 1½ tablespoons raw carob powder
• 2 drops organic vanilla extract

Instructions: Blenderize all ingredients together in an 8-ounce jar on medium speed for 30–40 seconds. Refrigerate to harden for 2 hours. (To preserve nutrients in eggs, it is best not to refrigerate for more than 4 hours.)

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• 2 ounces pecan halves
• 4 tablespoons unsalted raw butter
• 1 raw egg
• 3 tablespoons unheated honey
• 2 tablespoons raw carob powder
• 1 drop organic vanilla extract

Instructions: 1. Blenderize pecans in an 8-ounce jar on high speed until they are flour. 2. Place the rest of ingredients in jar, stir, and blenderize on medium speed until smooth. 3. Place in a small bowl and refrigerate to harden for 2 hours. (To preserve nutrients in eggs, best not to refrigerate more than 4 hours.)

Alternative 1 (Chunky): Place all ingredients except 1 ounce pecans in jar and blend until smooth. Crush 1 ounce pecans into bits and stir into mixture. Refrigerate to harden for 2 hours.

Alternative 2: Substitute walnuts, pine, or hazelnuts for pecans.

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• 1/2 cup nuts, walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, or macadamia (non-kiln-dried in shell only; otherwise avoid macadamia)
• Blend nuts into powder first
• Raw butter (primary fat) OR raw cream (secondary) OR peanut oil (tertiary)
• 1 raw egg (definitively included)
• 1–2 tablespoons unheated honey
• 1 teaspoon raw carob powder

Blend together. Consume as a pudding. No ill effects noted. Does not promote nerve tissue detoxification in the same way as other preparations. (Note: Peanut oil is good for the liver but was specifically excluded from one patient's version of this formula.)

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When someone wants to add carob powder to raw milk to make a form of chocolate milk, the formula requires cream as well:

• Raw milk (base)
• Raw carob powder (for flavor/minerals)
• Raw cream (mandatory addition to buffer the pectin-fat interaction)

The cream is added not for taste but because the carob's pectin will draw up the fat in the preparation, and without cream there will be insufficient fat remaining to properly digest the minerals. The cream satisfies the carob's fat draw so the milk can perform its normal function.

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Aajonus described a version he taught to those who wanted a fudge-like preparation:

• Powdered walnuts or pecans
• Blended with honey and butter
• A couple drops of vanilla extract
• Raw carob powder

When refrigerated until hard, described as "really delicious, it's like fudge." This was kept on the counter for spreading (without refrigeration for up to 10 days when packed for backpacking in Hawaii, though specific details of the backpacking preparation involved a large quantity stored in a jar).

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The simplified, non-frozen version mentioned in workshop: - Ginger-egg-cream-honey blend (the base mix without ice cream maker) - Add 1/2 teaspoon raw carob powder - Stir or blend in - Consume immediately, described as tasting like "gingerbread ice cream" without needing to be frozen

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• 2 ounces cold-pressed-below-96°F peanut oil
• 1 raw fertile egg
• 1 tablespoon raw carob powder
• 1/8–1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Given for low sexual hormone production, in the context of increasing hormone production and sexual appetite.

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From the Early Training transcript (Tape 6, Side A):

The exchange established: - Carob powder can be added to raw milk "for chocolate milk" - But cream must be added alongside it - Because carob is full of pectin, draws up fats, causes minerals to cake without sufficient fat - The cream satisfies the carob's fat draw, allowing the milk's minerals to be properly digested

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Aajonus referenced the use of raw carob pods, the whole, unprocessed pod form, as distinct from the powder. His earliest (38-years-prior) personal formula used raw carob pods blended with raw fat (butter with some cream), egg proteins, and unheated honey. This was in lieu of raw cocoa beans, which he later experimented with. The pod form predates the powder form in his personal dietary history and was the basis for his original intense cravings and deficiency-resolution experience. No recipes in the modern recipe books call for raw carob pods specifically, they all use the powder, but the pods are the unprocessed source material from which the powder is derived, and Aajonus' direct personal experience was with the pod form.

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In his 2007 Primal Diet newsletter (quoted in multiple sources), Aajonus documented that 38 years before writing (approximately 1969), he began eating raw carob pods combined with raw fat, raw egg, and unheated honey. He craved this preparation intensely, "to the point that someone could have called it an addiction." He documented this personal experience as a multi-month arc: approximately 3 months of intense, repeated consumption before the craving subsided. During and after this period, his "skin, nerves and entire body were much healthier."

His analysis of this period: since carob has no addictive chemicals, the craving could not have been addiction in the conventional sense. Instead, his body was deeply deficient in: - Raw fats (from the butter and cream) - Egg proteins - Digestive enzymes from honey

The carob was the vehicle through which his body was accessing and demanding these nutrients. Once the deficiencies were sufficiently satisfied through approximately 3 months of intensive consumption, the craving resolved naturally.

In his December 2001 response analyzing "Carob Coconut Chews" (a commercially marketed product), Aajonus provided a line-by-line breakdown proving that every ingredient, including the carob coating, was heated, processed, or chemically treated:

• Carob coating (carob powder, coconut butter, sesame oil, honey): heated between 220–350°F
• This product was being consumed or considered by someone in the Primal Diet community, and Aajonus used it as a case study in why commercial "natural" products claiming to be raw or health-giving are virtually never what they claim to be

This analysis is part of a broader pattern in Aajonus' work: demonstrating that industrial food processing applies heat at every stage, including to ingredients like carob that appear to be naturally shelf-stable and therefore untouched. The heating of carob powder to 220–350°F destroys all enzymes and, in his framework, renders it a cooked food with all the associated problems of cooked plant matter.

Aajonus used the carob-vs-chocolate distinction as a teaching tool for understanding what makes a food safe or unsafe to crave. His framework: - Chocolate = contains caffeine and theobromine (toxic nerve irritants); cravings are partly chemically driven by these addictive compounds; even in raw form requires caution and limited consumption - Raw carob powder = no addictive chemicals; no nerve irritants; cravings for carob-based preparations are the body's honest signal of deficiency in fat, protein, and enzymes; safe for regular consumption when properly combined with raw fat

This distinction was important enough that he revisited it across multiple publications (newsletter, Benefits of Eggs and Cheese compilation, early training transcripts) and in both personal narrative and general dietary guidance.

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