Guarana is a native
species of South America and has stimulating properties when taken orally.
The active ingredient in guarana
was formerly called guaranine (tetramethylxanthine), but was later found to be caffeine. Guarana has the same stimulatory
effect as caffeine and is often used for energy, weight loss.
The applicable part of guarana
is the seed, which contains 2.5-7% caffeine, compared to 1-2% in coffee.
Guarana is generally regarded
as safe when not combined with other stimulatory agents, such as ephedra.
Guarana is also used to enhance
athletic performance and to reduce fatigue. It has been used in the past as a, diuretic, astringent, and to prevent malaria
and dysentery, diarrhea, fever, headache, and rheumatism.
Guarana also has been used as
a flavoring agent in beverages and candy.
Expert Opinion and Folkloric Precedent:
Included in the United
States Pharmacopia from 1880 through 1910, guarana was historically prescribed as a nerve tonic, diuretic, aphrodisiac, and
for the treatment of headache, rheumatism, lumbago, diarrhea and dysentery. Although there is no scientific evidence that
guarana itself increases mental alertness, its relationship to caffeine makes it probable that it would possess the same effects.
It is proposed that the stimulatory effect of guarana is more gradual and sustained than caffeine due to the caffeine-tannin
complex. However, no difference was found in a dissolution study between equivalent doses of caffeine and guarana.
