China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Functional Foods
Published in Datta Sourya, Debasis Bagchi, Extreme and Rare Sports, 2019
Kamesh Venkatakrishnan, Chin-Kun Wang
Guarana is the extract from the fruits/berries of the Amazon plant called Paullinia cupana, which belongs to the Sapindaceae family, and is used in folk medicine for treating dysentery, fever, headache, rheumatism and sexual dysfunction (Hamerski et al., 2013). Guaranine is the major compound, also called caffeine, which acts as CNS/PNS stimulant (Burke et al., 2011). Guaranine is the only plant with high contents of caffeine (4–6%), twice the amount of coffee beans. Owing to the high content of caffeine, guarana is the primary natural stimulant for most energy or sports drinks (Kennedy et al., 2008). Other than its stimulant property, it also exhibits other biological functions such as anti-fatigue, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory as well as neuroprotective (Kennedy et al., 2004). In addition, it contains theobromine and theophylline, which also act as CNS stimulant and lipolytic properties (Weckerle et al., 2003). Studies have indicated that guarana supplemented with multivitamins and mineral contributed to better athletic and cognitive performance (Scholey et al., 2013; Veasey et al., 2015). Overall, guarana is used to enhance physical and mental functions owing to its lipolytic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-fatigue properties.
Catalog of Herbs
Published in James A. Duke, Handbook of Medicinal Herbs, 2018
Indians in South America also made an alcoholic beverage from the seeds along with cassava and water. Guaraná contains guaranine, an alklaoid similar to theine of tea and caffeine of coffee; about 2.5 to 5% caffeine and 5 to 25% tannin, as catechutannic acid. An 800-mg tablet of Zoom® is said to contain circa 60 mg caffeine.37 Adenine, catechin, choline, guanine, hypoxanthine, mucilage, resin, saponins, 8.5% tannin, theobromine, theophylline, timbonine, and xanthine are reported, in addition to the caffeine.29
Guarana
Published in Linda M. Castell, Samantha J. Stear (Nottingham), Louise M. Burke, Nutritional Supplements in Sport, Exercise and Health, 2015
Guarana (Paullinia cupana), a climbing plant in the maple family, native to the Amazon basin and especially common in Brazil, contains a high amount of guaranine, a chemical substance with the same characteristics as caffeine (Schimpl et al., 2013; Smith and Atroch, 2007). Guaranine, a synonym for caffeine, is defined only as the caffeine chemical in guarana and is identical to the caffeine chemical derived from other sources (e.g. coffee, tea, yerba maté). Guarana features large leaves, clusters of flowers and a fruit similar in size to the coffee bean. As a dietary supplement, guarana is a useful caffeine source with the guarana seeds containing more caffeine than the seeds of any other plant in the world (2–7.5%), and greater than the 1–2% of caffeine found in coffee beans (Smith and Atroch, 2007). Figure 22 contains a partial listing of some of the main chemicals found in guarana seeds.
Guarana (Paullinia cupana Mart.) protects against amyloid-β toxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans through heat shock protein response activation
Published in Nutritional Neuroscience, 2020
Daniele Coradini Zamberlan, Leticia Priscilla Arantes, Marina Lopes Machado, Tassia Limana da Silveira, Aline Franzen da Silva, Ivana Beatrice Mânica da Cruz, Claudia Pinto Figueiredo, Félix Alexandre Antunes Soares
Paullinia cupana MART, known popularly as guarana, is a Brazilian plant endemic to the Amazon region. Its seeds are rich in methylxanthines, such as, caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline, as well as tannins, saponins, catechins, epicatechins, proanthocyanidols, and other trace compounds. Ingesting guarana has been associated with beneficial effects, such as protecting against methylmercury toxicity,8 stimulation of the central nervous system,9 improved memory,10 anticancer,11 antioxidant and anti-aging.12 Despite that guarana has been extensively used as a folk medicine for its beneficial effects on delaying age, little is known about the effects of these compounds in whole organisms or the molecular mechanisms underlying their effects.
Nutraceutical Potential of Diet Drinks: A Critical Review on Components, Health Effects, and Consumer Safety
Published in Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2020
Shareen Banga, Vikas Kumar, Sheenam Suri, Manisha Kaushal, Rasane Prasad, Sawinder Kaur
Guarana (Paullinia cupana): Gaurana is a plant native to the central Amazon basin and approximately 195 species of Paullinia are distributed in the American tropics and subtropics (118). Soft drink industries utilize the roasted seed extracts to produce nonalcoholic carbonated beverages. It is consumed as a dietary supplement, as it aids in weight loss (119) by increasing metabolism as well as suppressing appetite, energy boosting (120), improving fitness (121) and sexual performance (122), and increasing cognitive performance (123) and is used as antidepressant (124). The stimulant properties of guarana drinks are reportedly due to caffeine. It contains about twice the concentration of caffeine as found in coffee beans, as 1 gm of guarana is equivalent to 40 mg of caffeine (125). Guarana seeds are a richer source of epicatechin which has potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects (66). Overdose of guarana results in irritability, insomnia, anxiety, restlessness, muscle twitching, nausea, rapid heartbeat, and diuresis (107). However, Onakpoya et al. (126) have reported no adverse reaction when a herbal mixture containing 25 ml of guarana was administered twice daily (Table 4).
Lipotoxicity-associated inflammation is prevented by guarana (Paullinia cupana) in a model of hyperlipidemia
Published in Drug and Chemical Toxicology, 2021
Jader B. Ruchel, Viviane M. Bernardes, Josiane B. S. Braun, Alessandra G. Manzoni, Daniela F. Passos, Lívia G. Castilhos, Fátima H. Abdalla, Juliana S. de Oliveira, Cinthia M. de Andrade, Emerson A. Casali, Ivana B. M. da Cruz, Daniela B. R. Leal
Traditionally known for its stimulant effects, guarana (Paullinia cupana) is a shrub, mainly occurring in the Amazon region. Guarana has a caffeine content three times greater than coffee and is completely uptaken by the gastrointestinal tract (Andrews et al.2007). Guarana plant is consumed as a medicinal plant by the indigenous populations which prompted its use as a natural supplement in a form of powder extracted from the seeds. Many health benefits have been described for the powder over the last decades, including anti-obesity, hypolipemiant, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant (Schimpl et al.2013), being thereby considered cardioprotective.