In ancient times, in the dense forests of the Amazon, there was a small settlement. A married couple lived in it — kind and peaceful people, but they were childless. The Good Spirit took pity on them, and a boy was born to them — handsome and smiling, who helped everyone and was always friendly. The whole village loved him. However, the Evil Spirit envied the love that surrounded him and, turning into a poisonous snake, fatally bit him. Everyone grieved. Again, the Good Spirit came to the rescue. He planted the left eye of his beloved in the forest, and gave the right one to the parents and told them to bury it near the hut on their site. An amazing plant grew from it. Its fruits resembled the wide-open black eyes of the deceased, and its useful properties resembled his kind soul.
The beautiful legend of the South American Maué, Tupí and Guaraní tribes narrates how the amazing guarana plant appeared on their land. Not everything in it is fiction — there are real moments. The fruits do resemble human eyes so much that it becomes creepy to look at them. And thanks to its useful properties, the plant has steadily been ranking in the TOP-10 of superfoods. However, official medicine is in no hurry to rank it among medicinal plants. Why?
What is it?
Guarana is an evergreen vine, a shrub that wraps around trees. It can climb to a height of 10 meters. Its habitat is the Amazonian lowland in South America.
Description
It is distinguished by dark branches, large oblong leaves with carved edges and large reddish-white flowers that grow in whole clusters (inflorescences). In the third year, it begins to bear fruits the size of hazelnuts, which are covered with a thin light yellow or gray-greenish skin with a blood-red top. After ripening, it cracks open and exposes a seed (black or dark purple) the size of a large grape, which resembles an eye. It bears fruit in the winter months. After 5 years, up to 3 kg of the crop is harvested from one bush.
The fruits successfully rival coffee beans. They contain twice as much caffeine. Thus, the plant has protected itself from harmful microbes, since in such a high concentration, this substance becomes a toxin.
Seed processing
The fruits are harvested and soaked to separate the seeds from the flesh (otherwise it begins to ferment and quickly causes mold to appear). They are washed, dried and fried to peel them. The final stage is grinding into a fine powder. This is the extract that is added to dietary supplements and food products. The local population dilutes it with water or milk — the resulting drink is similar in taste and properties to coffee or cocoa.
Production
Guarana was first mentioned in the annals of the 16th century by Spanish writers. The Brazilian physician Luis Pereira Barret began to use the fruits in commercial purposes. In 1906, he launched the production of sparkling water on its basis, and then the famous brand of champagne “Guarana Champagne Antarctica”.
In the mid-20th century, the fruits began to be used in large volumes in the food industry. They are used to produce not only energy drinks, but also tea, chocolate, paste, candies, chewing gums. In Brazil, it is generally difficult to find a product that does not contain guarana extract, from breakfast cereals to toothpaste. This is the main source of caffeine in South America.
Today, guarana is most often promoted as a natural fat-burning supplement for weight loss and sports nutrition, with a psychostimulating and tonic effect. However, the degree of its effectiveness is questioned by many, including official medicine.
Origin of the name. It comes from Portuguese: “guarana” translated from the Maué language (the Amazonian people) means “fruit that resembles human eyes”.
Composition
The value of guarana lies in its seeds, which contain a large amount of caffeine. In some sources, it is called guaranine. It is identical in properties to caffeine from coffee beans. But here its content is twice as high: 20 mg per 100 g of the natural source.
However, the valuable properties of the plant are not only dictated by caffeine. The seeds also contain other useful biologically active substances:
- xanthine alkaloids (among them are theophylline and theobromine, which are natural cardiac stimulants);
- polyphenols (flavonoid antioxidants catechin and epicatechin);
- amides (derivatives of oxygen-containing acids);
- saponins;
- vitamins A, E and almost the entire group B (most of all thiamine, niacin and riboflavin);
- many minerals: zinc, magnesium, manganese, potassium, iron, sodium, phosphorus, calcium, copper;
- tannins.
It is a vegetable protein food with zero calories. Does not contain carbohydrates. Minimum amount of fat.
Interesting fact. Some South American tribes valued the beneficial properties of guarana so much that they used it as a means of payment.
Benefits
A large number of dietary supplements are produced on the basis of guarana seeds. Most often, they are promoted as energy drinks (in sports nutrition) and fat-burning agents (in dietetics). In addition to these basic properties, they are credited with many others that are beneficial to health.
For health
Guarana seeds have long been used by South American tribes to treat a variety of diseases. Today, some studies have partially confirmed the health benefits. But there are not enough experiments and tests to officially declare the plant medicinal and use it in pharmacology.
It is believed that guarana seed extract produces the following medicinal effects on the body:
- relieves various types of pain — from headaches to toothaches;
- lowers fever, easing the condition in case of fever;
- eliminates spasms;
- strengthens the immune system, reducing the risk of bacterial infections;
- relieves fatigue, increases efficiency;
- helps with arthritis, reducing inflammation in the joints;
- improves digestion, stopping diarrhea;
- cures a hangover;
- reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases: atherosclerosis, ischemia, heart attack;
- normalizes the condition in case of dysentery and neuralgia.
Improved cognitive abilities are another property that is often mentioned by manufacturers, users and even scientists. With regular use of the extract, memory improves, concentration increases and the learning process is optimized (the results are quite high).
Calming properties are often mentioned: supposedly the extract helps to relieve stress, improve sleep and strengthen the heart muscle. Although this is a rather controversial point. After all, the main effect of guarana is psychostimulating. And this means that, on the contrary, it activates the mental activity of the body, relieves fatigue, drowsiness and lethargy, increases efficiency and muscle tone, speeds up response reactions, sharpens hearing and vision.
For weight loss
Guarana is most often offered for weight loss — in the composition of fat-burning and appetite-suppressing supplements. Theoretically, the seed extract should contribute to weight loss, as it:
- has a tonic effect, promotes physical activity, which allows you to burn extra calories;
- improves digestion, increasing the absorption of beneficial nutrients and preventing the deposition of fats;
- has a fat-burning effect (thanks to caffeine);
- speeds up metabolism;
- reduces appetite, saving you from hunger while following a diet;
- prevents the appearance of new fat deposits.
