« Back to products list Common Name: Guarana
Botanical Name: Paullinia Cupana
Growing Area: Brazil, Paraguay

General Info:
Guarana is important in the culture of the Guarani Indians in Brazil, where they grind the seeds and prepare them as a drink.

The evergreen Guaraná is a creeping shrub that can grow as long as 40 feet, supporting itself on the mighty trees that grow in the Amazon basin. It is grown mainly in Brazil. Guarana has large leaves and small, bright red fruits that grow in clusters. When ripe, the fruits split down the middle and expose white coverings and black seeds, resembling eyes.

Guarani legend has it that the Guarana plant actually originated when a village child was killed by a serpent god; another god, as a consolation, planted that child's eyeballs and thus grew both wild and domesticated Guarana for the good of the people.

Many indigenous tribal communities are now being supported through the harvest of Guarana.

Nutrients & Applications:
Guarana seeds hold as much as 4-8% natural caffeine. This natural caffeine in Guarana is released slowly, thus sustaining the desired effects. Guarana also contains trace amounts of theobromine and theophylline, and large amounts of flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, terpenes, and tannins.

Guarana has been used traditionally to enhance mental sharpness, mood, and memory, and to increase energy and stamina. It may also help support the cardiovascular system and help maintain normal body temperature. Guarana is frequently used to help maintain healthy body weight when used in conjunction with a good diet and exercise.