Introduction
to Guarana (Paullinia
cupana)
Guarana is a large climbing
woody-shrub native to Brazil. The cultivation of it dates to pre-Columbian
times. The first Indian inhabitants of the Amazon domesticated the Guaraná
plant. Botanists actually believe that the current plants, even those found
in dense forests, are the remains of indigenous cultivation in the past. The
Maués and Andira tribes from the lower Amazon are some of the first people
to grow Guarana.
The name Guarana was derived from the
Guaranis, South American Indians who used the preparation in various foods,
much in the same way we use chocolate. Seeds from Guarana are shelled and
dry-roasted, coarsely powdered, mixed with water and/or cassava, and kneaded
into a paste. The paste is then shaped into cylindrical masses and dried.
These resultant "sticks", which have little smell and have an astringent,
bitter taste (like chocolate without its oiliness), are then grated into
water. Today, Brazil's soft drink industries use the same preparation, with
the addition of carbonation. The powder is widely available and can be mixed
with water or fruit juice and some sugar. In Europe, Guarana was first
marketed as an alternative medicinal plant from the Amazon, beneficial to
the overall health.
Guarana contains
guaranine, a compound almost identical to caffeine. It also contains large
amounts of theophylline, theobromine, and tannic acid, and is also rich in
saponins. The fact that Guarana seed is fatty means that even ground into a
powder, it is not readily water soluble. Therefore the body does not quickly
absorb it. The guaranine is released slowly, over as much as 6 hours time,
so the energy boost that is experienced from Guarana is not like that of
coffee with its sudden rush and quick drop-off. Rather, it continues to
escalate over hours. Whereas caffeine provides a short lived energy burst
that overheats and excites the body, guaranine has a cooling action that
revitalizes and relaxes. This is because Guarana contains other components
that modify the activity of this substance. The end result is more
beneficial to the body than tea or coffee, but Guarana can still cause
caffeine like side effects if you have too much. Theobromine and
theophylline are two constituents of Guarana that some chocoholics may
recognize. Theophylline is a stronger stimulant than even caffeine, but it
is present in Guarana in smaller amounts than caffeine. Theobromine is the
stimulant/euphoriant so craved by chocoholics; with theobromine,
theophylline, and caffeine present, it is not difficult to see how the
popularity of Guarana has remained and grown since the 1600's.
In Africa it is used in
the treatment of dysentery and as a sexual stimulant. The Guaranis also used
Guarana as a preventative and curative for "bowel complaints". Guarana is
used also used for:
A good starting dose is
200 to 1000 milligrams Guarana (1/2 teaspoon of Guarana seed powder
is about 1300 milligrams). Guarana powder can be mixed with fruit juice,
punch or herbal tea. Daily oral intake should not exceed 3 grams of Guarana
powder. As with any caffeine-containing substance, too much can lead to
insomnia, nervousness, anxiety, headaches, high blood pressure and heart
palpitations. Guarana is not recommended for women who are pregnant or
lactating.
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Mazatec Garden describes the common
uses of many herbs. This is for informational purposes only, as we are not
advising or prescribing herbs for any specific medical condition or for any
specific use. Distribute this information freely.
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