Guarana extract

Scientific name: Paullinia cupana

Other names: Guarana, guarana kletterstrauch, guaranastruik, quarana, quarane, cupana, Brazilian cocoa, uabano, uaranzeiro

Family: Sapindaceae

Parts used: Seed

Main actions: stimulant, antioxidant, memory enhancer, nervine (balances/calms nerves), cardiotonic (tones, balances, strengthens the heart)

Paullinia cupana is a climbing plant in the family Sapindaceae, native to the Amazon basin and especially common in Brazil. Guaraná has large leaves and clusters of flowers, and is best known for the seeds from its fruits, which are about the size of a coffee bean.

Guarana seeds contain a high concentration of caffeine (2% to 8%), far higher than in coffee beans (1% to 3%). The seeds are also rich in other xanthine alkaloids such as theophylline and theobromine as well as catechins, epicatechins and procyanidins.

In traditional medicine, guarana was used as a stimulant, mild diuretic and as a tonic to increase wakefulness, quell hunger and thirst, and to treat headaches, dysmenorrhea and digestive disorders.

This is a powdered Guarana extract standardised to 22% caffeine by weight.