• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Herbal Resource

Information on Medicinal Herbs & Functional Medicine

  • Home
  • Herbs List
  • Herbs by Health Condition
  • Latest Posts
  • Phytochemicals
  • Our Authors

Guarana – Health Benefits and Side Effects

Pin662
Share2
Share
Reddit
Flip
Tweet
Share
664 Shares

Botanical Name: Paullinia cupana.

Other Common Names: Guarana kletterstrauch, guaranastruik, quarana, quarane, cupana, Brazilian cocoa, uabano, uaranzeiro.

Habitat: The plant thrives in the lush Amazon rainforest. It requires tropical temperatures and plentiful rainfall to flourish.

Plant Description: Guarana is a creeping shrub that can grow to 12 meters in height.

The bright red fruit is round and grows in clusters. When ripe the fruit splits, revealing black seeds. The seeds are surrounded by white arils, giving them an “eyeball” appearance.

Plant Parts Used: The seed and the fruit of the guarana plant are used.

guarana plant
The Guarana Plant (Paullinia cupana)

Therapeutic Uses, Benefits and Claims of Guarana

Guarana’s use by South American native tribes predates the discovery of Brazil. These tribes recognized its stimulant effect and used it during times of fasting as well.

Traditionally, the native tribes of Brazil and the surrounding countries have used the herb to treat many ailments. Included in this list are diarrhea, hypertension, fever, migraine, neuralgia, and dysentery.

Guarana (Paullinia cupana)
Guarana (Paullinia cupana) – Illustration

Guarana has also been used to treat pain, overcome heat fatigue, combat premature aging and detoxify the blood. It has been found useful to control intestinal gas, obesity, dyspepsia, fatigue, and arteriosclerosis.

Guarana’s effect on the central nervous system, most specifically as a stimulant, has caught the attention of many athletes and dieters.

The metabolism boosting and energy producing effect make this a popular supplement with those trying to boost performance or losing weight by increased caloric burning.

It has a higher percentage of caffeine than the coffee or cacao beans. For this reason, it is often used in energy drinks and soft drinks. Some people even dry roast the seeds and produce a paste that can later be made into a drink or used in foods.

Guarana is also used as a cardiovascular health aid. It is used to tone, strengthen and balance the heart. It is also used to cleanse the blood and keep it from becoming “sticky” and forming clots.

Guarana has also found favor as a means for preventing heat stroke and other heat illnesses. It lowers body temperature and supports the body’s exchange of electrolytes.

The stimulant effect also helps with focus and mental acuity. Sharper focus and better control of mental faculties is a positive effect of the stimulation of the central nervous system.

It has also been shown to be an analgesic (pain-reliever), nervine (tone and calm nerves), and a neurasthenic (reduce nerve pain.)

These factors support its use as an herbal pain reliever.

Guarana is often added to herbal weight loss supplements to increase the thermogenesis and help control appetite.

Dosage and Administration

Guarana may be found in many herbal combinations or in capsule form by itself. In these forms, the manufacturer’s recommended dosage should always be followed.

For fresh preparation 1 to 2 grams of the fresh seed may be ground and added to 1 cup of water and boiled. This may be consumed 3 times per day.

Guarana Fruit
The Guarana Fruit

Potential Side Effects of Guarana

Anxiety, jitters, difficulty falling asleep, palpitations and increased blood pressure may all result from the use of this herb. Urinary frequency and dehydration may also be experienced.

Any person allergic to, or with previous adverse effects associated with, caffeine should avoid this supplement due to its high caffeine content. Pregnant women should avoid high doses.

The following two tabs change content below.
  • Bio
  • Latest Posts
Thordur Sturluson
My Facebook profileMy Google+ profile

Thordur Sturluson

Thor Sturluson has a BS in Biology, majoring in Botany, from the University of Maine and a masters degree in Zoology from the Open University in London. He's an experienced Biologist with a history of working in the environmental services industry. A trained scuba diver and researcher, Thor's has a keen interest in nature conservation and animal/plant protection. His work and botany passion has made The Herbal Resource what it is.
Thordur Sturluson
My Facebook profileMy Google+ profile

Latest posts by Thordur Sturluson (see all)

  • What is the Difference Between Hemp and Marijuana? - June 3, 2019
Pin662
Share2
Share
Reddit
Flip
Tweet
Share
664 Shares

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. YA1tJhi says

    August 1, 2019 at 6:26 pm

    7647 891138Hey! I merely wish to give an enormous thumbs up for the great info youve got here on this post. I will likely be coming back to your blog for much more soon. 763073

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

HSR Newsletter Sign-up

loader

Email Address*

Your e-mail address is only used to send you our newsletter and information about the activities of The Herbal Resource. You can always use the unsubscribe link included in the newsletter.

Footer

  • Newsletters
  • Deals
  • Ethical Foraging – Do’s and Don’ts
  • Write for Us
  • Partner, Advertising & Commercial Relationships
  • Affiliate Agreement
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Categories

  • Functional Medicine
  • Grow Your Own Herbs
  • Herbs – General
  • Herbs – Scientific Evidence
  • Herbs for Specific Ailments
  • Medicinal Herb Profiles
  • Phytochemicals
  • Poisonous Plants
  • Sponsored Posts
  • Uncategorized

Follow

Subscribe to notifications

Contact Information

Email: herb@herbal-supplement-resource.com

Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

The Herbal Resource is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program as well as with other affiliate partners.

An affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to their products and services.

Looking for Something?

© Copyright 2018 The Herbal Resource · All Rights Reserved!