Guarana is a small nut-like seed that grows naturally high in the canopy of the Rainforest on lengthy vines that reach up from the forest floor. Nowadays the vine has been hybridised to a straggly bush and it is grown in plantations along the lower reaches of the Amazon, and down to the coasts of Bahia
The indigenous people of the Amazon rain forest have used crushed guaraná seed as a beverage and a medicine. Guaraná was used to treat diarrhea, decrease fatigue, reduce hunger, and to help arthritis. It also has a history of use in treating hangovers from alcohol abuse and headaches related to menstruation.
At the University of Cincinnatti in the United States a research project on Guarana found that Guarana has the ability to ‘thin the blood’, much as daily aspirin does, but without the deleterious side effects for the stomach and intestinal tract.
The herb guaraná contains caffeine and the closely related alkaloids theobromine and theophylline; these compounds may curb appetite and increase weight loss. Caffeine’s effects are well known and include central nervous system stimulation, increased metabolic rate, and a mild diuretic effect
