Guarana is a name that has become extremely familiar in the mainstream consumer world as a caffeine substitute in an ever widening list of "energy drinks". A native evergreen sprawling shrub like vine of the Amazon region, the guarana tree produces red berries that have been used like coffee in its native Brazil for centuries.
The Guarana plant is a climbing woody vine from the maple family, Sapindaceae, native to the Amazon basin and especially common in Brazil. In Brazil it is widely employed to flavour carbonated soft drinks. Guarana features large leaves and clusters of flowers, and is best known for its fruit, which is about the size of a coffee berry. Each fruit harbours one seed which contains approximately five times as much caffeine as coffee beans.
Guarana Fruit
When ripe the fruit partially opens and at this stage the seeds are harvested, to prevent them from falling on the ground, then roasted, dried and grounded into a powder. As with other plants producing caffeine, the high concentration of caffeine is a defensive toxin that repels pathogens from the berry and its seeds.
Native Indians still consider the effects of guarana to be supernatural in nature. The seeds of the berry are dried, roasted and then brewed to make a drink that is at first bitter and slightly astringent, then sweet.
Approved Health Benefits of Guarana Powder *
Micronutrients in Guarana Powder contribute to:
tiny energy-yielding metabolism
tiny normal psychological function
tiny nervous system support
tiny promotion of the cardiovascular health
* These approved health benefits are based on the detailed nutritional composition of the product we supply. These health
benefits may not be applicable to similar products from other suppliers.
