GUARANÁ
Botanical name:
Paullinia cupana (var. sorbilis)
Alternative names:
Waraná, cupana, Brazilian cocoa, guaraná
Main indications:
tiredness
mental alertness
Short characteristics:
Guaraná is Paullinia cupana, an Amazonian liana grown for a roasted caffeine seed. Schimpl 2013 puts seed caffeine often in the 4–6% range. That is a lot of caffeine per gram of seed. It is not a law that says “four times coffee,” and this page will not print that as a constant.
Sateré-Mawé and Baré people made a food-and-trade seed of it, not a sex tonic. Kennedy 2004 is a real human cognitive trial (75 mg extract, about 9 mg caffeine). Torres 2022 says the human file is still thin. Obesity and libido as proven uses are dropped.
Used in Corazón del Puma. Related: guayusa, maca. This site sells nothing.
The usual way of use:
Dose by caffeine content, not by a fixed spoon. Follow the maker’s milligrams and watch how you sleep.
This site sells nothing.
WARNING: Stimulant. Pregnancy, heart rhythm, insomnia. Do not stack with guayusa or coffee on a guess. Do not treat “four times coffee” as a law.
Composition
Caffeine plus catechins and tannins in the seed. Theobromine rides along. Standardization of shop powders is uneven.
Traditional use
Amazonian roasted seed for work and alertness. Formula: Corazón del Puma. Related: guayusa, maca.
Precautions
Caffeine cautions. Not a weight-loss or libido drug. Not a cardiovascular treatment.
Opened studies
Schimpl et al. (2013). Guaraná seed caffeine and ethnopharmacology. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. Seeds up to about 6% caffeine. PMID 23981847 · doi:10.1016/j.jep.2013.08.023.
Kennedy et al. (2004). Guaraná extract and cognitive performance in humans. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior. 75 mg extract ≈ 9 mg caffeine. PMID 15582012 · doi:10.1016/j.pbb.2004.07.014.
Torres et al. (2022). Guaraná as food and supplement: a comprehensive review. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. Human data still thin. PMID 34755935 · doi:10.1111/1541-4337.12862.