GUARANA

'Guarana' (Brazilian name 'guaraná') (, or ), ''Paullinia cupana'' (syn. ''P. crysan, P. sorbilis''), is a climbing plant in the Sapindaceae family, native to the Amazon basin. While guarana features large leaves and clusters of flowers, it is best known for its fruit, which is about the size of a coffee berry. Each fruit contains about one seed, which contains approximately three times more caffeine than coffee beans.^[1] Caffeine is a stimulant of the central nervous system, cardiac muscle, as well as the respiratory system.^[2]
The guarana fruit's color ranges from orange to red and contains black seeds which are partly covered by white arils. The color contrast when the fruit has been split open has been likened to eyeballs; this has formed the basis of a myth.^[3]

Contents

History and culture

Uses

Beverages

Other uses

Effects

Composition

Guaranine and caffeine

See also

External resources

Footnotes

History and culture

The word ''guarana'' comes from the Portuguese ''guaraná,'' which has its origins in the Sateré-Mawé language word ''warana''.^[4]
Guarana plays an important role in Tupi and Guaraní Brazilian culture. According to a myth dating back to the Sateré-Maué tribe, guarana's domestication originated with a deity killing a beloved village child. In order to console the villagers, a more benevolent god plucked the left eye from the child and planted it in the forest, resulting in the wild variety of guarana. The god then plucked the right eye from the child and planted it in the village, giving rise to domesticated guarana.^[5]
The Guarinís would make this tea by shelling and washing the seeds, followed by pounding them into a fine powder. The powder is kneaded into a dough and then shaped into cylinders. This product is known as guarana bread or Brazilian cocoa, which would be grated and then immersed into hot water along with sugar.
This plant was introduced to western civilization in the 17th century following its discovery by Father Felip Betendorf. By 1958, guarana was commercialized.

Uses

Guarana is used in soft drinks (such as Bawls), where it is sweetened and then carbonated. It is also used in pure form in energy shots such as SuddenRush Guarana. Additionally, it is used as an ingredient in herbal tea and made into capsules. Oftentimes, guarana is marketed as a unique source of energy, distinct from caffeine; this is to take advantage of the fact that not many consumers are aware that caffeine is found in a wide variety of plants.
In general, South America obtains most of its caffeine from guarana.^[6]

Beverages

Guaraná soft drinks are very popular in Brazil.

Brazil, which consumes the third-most amount of soft drinks in the world,^[7] produces several brands of soft drink from guarana extract. In fact, sales of guarana drinks in Brazil are even greater than that of cola drinks.^[8] They claim that the consumption of guarana does not result in associated with the consumption of coffee. However this may be a placebo effect or result from the presence of additional substances.

Other uses

Guarana Seed Powder

Studies involving guarana show benefits to cognitive function.^[9] These studies have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration or any similar government agencies. In the United States, guarana holds a GRAS-status, i.e. ''generally regarded as safe''.[3]
The Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics published a study in June 2001 showing an average 11.2 pound weight loss in a group taking a mixture of yerba mate, guarana, and damiana, compared to an average 1 pound loss in a placebo group after 45 days.^[10]
Although side-effects of guarana are rare, drugs.com recommends, "When considering the use of herbal supplements, consultation with a primary health care professional is advisable. Additionally, consultation with a practitioner trained in the uses of herbal/health supplements may be beneficial, and coordination of treatment among all health care providers involved may be advantageous". Drugs.com also advises not to mix guarana with ephedrine.^[11]

Effects

A study in Brazil of guarana extract showed an aggregation decrease in rabbit platelets of up to 37% below control values and a decrease of platelet thromboxane formation from arachidonic acid of up to 78% below control values, again in rabbits. ^[12] It is not known if such platelet action has any effect in heart attack or ischemic stroke risk reduction.^[13] The science is very preliminary and at best 'hypothesis generating' and needs to be expanded in order to show actual clinical benefit in humans, if any.
A 1997 study of guarana's effects on the physical activity of rats showed increased memory retention and physical endurance when compared with a placebo.^[14]
Other studies have shown antioxidant, antibacterial, and fat cell reduction (when combined with conjugated linoleic acid) properties in guarana ^[15]

Composition

Guarana seeds consist of mostly reddish vegetable fiber and resin with a small amount of oil and water. Guarana contains different amounts of caffeine, theobromine, theophylline, and other alkaloids, compared to coffee, tea, mate, or cocoa. Cf Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases'' [5].

Chemicals in: ''Paullinia cupana''[6]

	plant part	ppm
Adenine	seed
Ash	seed	< 14,200
Caffeine	plant	< 25,000
Caffeine	seed	9,100 - 76,000
Catechutannic-acid	seed
Choline	seed
D-catechin	seed
Fat	seed	< 30,000
Guanine	seed
Guaranine	seed
Hypoxanthine	seed
Mucilage	seed
Protein	seed	< 98,600
Resin	seed	< 70,000
Saponin	seed
Starch	seed	50,000 - 60,000
Tannin	seed	50,000 - 120,000
Theobromine	seed	200 - 400
Theophylline	seed	0 - 2500
Timbonine	seed
Xanthine	seed

::(
★ ) ppm = parts per million
::tr = trace
Duke1992a: Duke, James A. 1992. ''Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants.'' Boca Raton, FL. CRC Press.

Guaranine and caffeine

The chemical "guaranine" is identical to caffeine derived from other sources, for example coffee, tea, and mate. Guaranine, theine, mateine are all official synonyms for caffeine. ^[16]

See also

List of beverages containing guarana

External resources

★ Guaraná Home Page

★ Raintree Tropical Plant Database: Guaraná

★ Duke's Database

★ USDA Database

Footnotes

1. Bennett Alan Weinberg, and Bonnie K.Bealer, The World of Caffeine: The Science and Culture of the World's Most Popular Drug (New York: Routledge, 2001) 259-60
2. Bennett Alan Weinberg, and Bonnie K.Bealer, The World of Caffeine: The Science and Culture of the World's Most Popular Drug (New York: Routledge, 2001) 280
3. Cultural History of Plants, Sir Ghillean Prance, Mark Nesbitt, , , Routledge, 2004,
4. [1]
5. Hans T. Beck, "10 Caffeine, Alcohol, and Sweeteners," Cultural History of Plants, ed. Sir Ghillean Prance and Mark Nesbitt (New York: Routledge, 2004) 179
6. Bennett Alan Weinberg, and Bonnie K.Bealer, The World of Caffeine: The Science and Culture of the World's Most Popular Drug (New York: Routledge, 2001) 230
7. Bennett Alan Weinberg, and Bonnie K. Bealer, The World of Caffeine: The Science and Culture of the World's Most Popular Drug (New York: Routledge, 2001) 192-3
8. [2]
9. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-dose evaluation of the acute behavioural effects of guarana in humans, Haskell, et al., , , J Psychopharmacol, 2006
10. Weight loss and delayed gastric emptying following a South American herbal preparation in overweight patients, Anderson, T and Foght, J, , , J Hum Nutr Diet, 2001
11. [4]
12. An aqueous extract of guarana (Paullinia cupana) decreases platelet thromboxane synthesis, Bydlowski SP, et al., , , Braz J Med Biol Res, 1991
13. Synthesis and biological properties of pinane-thromboxane A2, a selective inhibitor of coronary artery constriction, platelet aggregation, and thromboxane formation, Nicolaou, KC et al., , , Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 1979
14. Pharmacological activity of Guarana (Paullinia cupana Mart.) in laboratory animals, Espinola EB, et al., , , J Ethnopharmacol, 1997
15. The Decrease in Body Fat in Mice Fed Conjugated Linoleic Acid Is Due to Increases in Energy Expenditure and Energy Loss in the Excreta, Terpstra, et al., , , J Nutr, 2002
16. [7]