Guarana
Paullinia Cupana
Guaraná, botanical name Paullinia Cupana, is a soaps tree with large leaves and flowers from the Amazon. The fruit is a small round berry with a color changing between red and brown. Within these fruits are small black seeds with high caffeine concentration.
This berry has been known to the Amazon Indios for centuries.
GUARANA
They regard this berry as a gift from the gods and as the elixir of eternal youth.
With a caffeine content of up to 6 percent, Guaraná contains about three times as much caffeine as a comparable amount of coffee. The contained caffeine is thereby in a special form so that it can fully unfold its bioactive properties. The binding of the guarana caffeine to tannic acids leads to the delayed absorption into the body so that the effect begins only gradually.
The Guaraná seeds contain about 5% coffeine, 3% fatty oils, 9% tannic acid, 8% resin, 10% starch, 50% fiber, minerals (potassium, sodium, magnesium and calcium), some proteins, sugar and water.
Thanks to the alkaloid caffeine, Guaraná promotes concentration and performance. Caffeine, through several mechanisms of action, leads to an increased secretion of the hormones dopamine and adrenaline. This improves mental performance, mood, attention and concentration and learning skills.
Guaraná also contains other alkaloids such as theobromine or theophylline, which also have an invigorating effect and additionally increase the concentration-promoting effect of caffeine.
Guaraná not only increases the concentration but is also very healthy. The tannins contained are, besides the bitter taste, also responsible for many health-promoting effects of this plant. They contain catechins, which protect the body against free radicals as antioxidants. The saponins also contain anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Some saponins are even anticarcinogenic (anti-cancer). Like phytosterols, they also lower cholesterol levels.
Guaraná is used by the Amazon indios as an aphrodisiac and in cases of dyspnea, menstrual problems, digestive problems, body weakness, diarrhea and fever.