Deep in the damp ancient forests of the Amazon River basin, there settled a small settlement. It was inhabited by a kind and peaceful people – a husband and wife, who many years remained childless. Once, a good spirit took pity on them, and they had a son – a handsome and smiling boy, who was always ready to help anyone, distinguished by his hospitality. The whole village loved him. But one day an evil spirit, envious of the love of others, turned into a poisonous snake and mortally wounded the boy. Grief gripped the whole village. The good spirit came to the rescue again; he planted the boy’s left eye, which everyone loved so much, in the forest, and to his parents he gave his right, instructing to bury it near the house. From it grew an amazing plant. Its fruits resembled the wide open black eyes of the deceased boy, and their beneficial properties reminded everyone about his pure soul. This is the beautiful legend about the emergence on the ground of guarana plant which is passed down from generation to generation by South American tribes Maues, Tupis and Guaranis. However, not all of it is fiction – there are also real facts. Its fruits do look like human’s eyes so much that they can cause shivers on the skin. And the plant’s restorative qualities recently brought it to the top ten of superfoods. However, official medicine is in no hurry to recognize it as a medicinal plant. Why?
What is this?
Guarana is an evergreen climbing vine, a shrub that wraps around trees and can reach a height of 10 meters. It grows in the lowlands of the Amazonian selva in South America.
Description
Its distinctive features are dark branches, elongated large leaves with jagged edges, and large reddish-white flowers that form inflorescences. In the third year of life, it begins to bear fruit, which is the size of a hazelnut, with a thin skin of bright yellow or gray-green color with a blood-red blotch. When ripening, it cracks and exposes a seed (black or dark purple) the size of a grape, similar in shape to an eye. Its fruits are born in winter, and after 5 years, one bush can bring up to 3 kg of the crop.
Its fruits successfully compete with coffee beans. After all, they contain twice as much caffeine. It is how the plant is protected from disease-causing microbes, because in such a high concentration, this substance becomes a poison.
Seed processing
The fruits are harvested and soaked in order to separate the seeds from the pulp (otherwise it will begin to ferment, which contributes to the rapid development of mold). Seeds are washed, dried, and then roasted to remove the shell. The final stage is grinding it into a fine powder. This powder is an extract that is added to food and dietary supplements. The local population dilutes it with water or milk, and the resulting drink resembles coffee or cocoa in taste and aroma.
Production
The first mention of guarana can be found in Spanish chronicles of the XVI century. Brazilian physician Luis Pereira Barreto put the fruit into commercial use. In 1906, he launched the production of guarana soda, and then the famous brand of champagne “Guarana Champagne Antarctica”.
In the middle of the XX century, the fruits began to be used industrially in the food industry. Except for energy drinks, tea, chocolate, paste, caramel, candy and chewing gum are produced from it. In Brazil today, it is difficult to find a product that does not contain guarana extract, from breakfast cereals to toothpaste. In South America, it is the main source of caffeine.
Today, guarana is most often advertised as a natural fat burner for weight loss and a sports nutrition with a psychostimulating and restorative effect. However, its effectiveness, including official medicine, is questionable.
Origin of the name It comes from the Portuguese language: “guarana” in Maués (Indian Amazonian tribe) means “fruit resembling a human eye”.
Composition
Guarana’s value lies in its seeds, which contain a large amount of caffeine. Some sources call it guaranine. Its properties are identical to coffee bean caffeine. However, its content is twice as high: 20 mg per 100 g of a natural product.
However, the beneficial properties of the plant are determined not only by its caffeine content. The seeds also contain other useful bioactive substances:
- xanthine alkaloids (including theophylline and theobromine – natural heart stimulants);
- polyphenols (antioxidant flavonoids catechin and epicatechin);
- amides (oxygen-containing acid derivatives);
- saponins;
- vitamins A, E, and almost the entire group B (mainly, thiamine, niacin and riboflavin);
- a number of minerals: zinc, magnesium, manganese, potassium, iron, sodium, phosphorus, calcium, copper;
- tannins.
This is a protein plant product with zero calories. There are no carbohydrates in it. Its fat content is negligible.
Interesting fact. Some South American tribes valued the beneficial properties of guarana so much that they used it as a currency.
Benefits
Numerous dietary supplements are made from guarana seeds. Most often they are promoted as energy drinks (in sports nutrition) and fat burners (in dietetics). In addition to these main properties, he is credited with a number of other beneficial effects on the body.
For health
Guarana seeds were used by South American tribes since ancient times to treat various diseases. Today, several studies have partially confirmed its health-improving properties. However, there have not yet been enough experiments and tests to officially recognize the plant as medicinal and use it in pharmacology.
It is believed that guarana seed extract has a therapeutic effect on the body:
- relieves various types of pain – from a headache to a toothache;
- lowers body temperature, bringing relief during fever;
- relieves spasms;
- strengthens the immune system, reducing the risk of bacterial infections;
- relieves fatigue, increasing working capacity;
- helps with arthritis, reducing inflammation in the joints;
- improves digestion, stopping diarrhea;
- cures a hangover;
- reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases: atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, heart attack;
- improves the condition for dysentery and neuralgia.
Another property that manufacturers, buyers, and even scientists talk about is increased cognitive abilities. With regular use of the extract, memory improves, attention span increases, the learning process is optimized (the results can be quite noticeable).
The calming effect is also often mentioned: they say that the extract helps relieve stress, improves sleep and strengthens the heart muscle. Although this is a rather controversial issue. Indeed, the main effect of guarana is as a psychostimulant. 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, accelerates reflexes, improves hearing and vision.
For weight loss
Most often, guarana is used for weight loss – in dietary supplements that burn fat and reduce appetite. Theoretically, the seed extract should contribute to weight loss, because it:
- has a restorative effect, encourages physical activity, allowing you to burn extra calories;
- improves digestion, increases the absorption of beneficial nutrients and prevents fat accumulation;
- has a fat-burning effect (thanks to caffeine);
- accelerates metabolism;
- dulls the appetite, preventing the feeling of hunger during a diet;
- prevents the appearance of cellulite;
- relieves swelling, removing excess fluid from the body (has a mild diuretic effect);
- relieves psychological stress, preventing compulsive overeating;
- improves liver function, accelerating the process of cleansing the body from toxins and other harmful substances.
Thus, theoretically, guarana should be good at weight loss. In practice, the dietary supplements containing it really help
