Guarana is one of the most common supplement in the world today, thanks to its alleged health benefits that may help improve various aspects of health.
So are you intrigued by this herb’s potential health effects. Of course you are! That’s the reason why you are reading this post.
And you are in the right place! Read on and I will detail every facts about guarana and see if this herbal supplement can be a great addition to your daily diet.
What is Guarana?
Guarana is a plant based from the Guarani tribe in the Amazon. It is scientifically known as Paullinia Cupana, type of climbing plant where its seeds are used to make medicinal drugs.
Based on the image above, guarana fruit is about the size of a raspberry and resembles the human eye with a red shell acting like a hood clothing.
Amazonian tribe in Brazil have used this herb as a medicinal beverage as they believe it provides therapeutic effects. But it is also widely used as an energy drink while others turn this herb into powder.
How does Guarana Work?
People use this herb for improving athletic performance, brain function, increasing energy, weight loss, as an aphrodisiac (1) and many others.
This is the reason why dozens of supplements contain this herb either as their main formula or a supporting agent. The very first impressive health property of guarana is being a potent stimulant.
Stimulants affects the central nervous system, heart and muscles, which triggers sudden increase in physical and mental performance, energy boost and metabolic increase.
Guarana contains different stimulants – caffeine, theobromine and theophylline, all of which are beneficial to health. This herb is also packed with antioxidants (2) such as catechins (mostly found in green tea), saponins and tannins.
Antioxidants help your body to fight off chronic diseases and prevents cellular damage by strengthening your overall immune system.
With these health properties, guarana assures to provide you many benefits. So lets dive into the the alleged benefits and see if these claims are true.
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Guarana Health Properties
Known as a powerful stimulant, guarana is widely used as an energy booster in athletes and lifters around the globe. And due to this very same reason, it is also marketed as a potent weight loss aid.
And of course, we can’t deny that it can also promote health-enhancing effects due to its antioxidant content.
Here are the list of its health benefits and learn if this herb is ideal for you or not.
Delays Aging
This is a no-brainer as guarana is packed with antioxidants, which may provide some measures of anti-aging properties (3) especially if taken in natural sources (like fruits such as guarana) and not from supplements.
Antioxidants helps increase longevity and improve overall health status. Vitamins A, E and C are known to promote healthy skin which helps keep you look young and vibrant.
Though guarana doesn’t have these vitamins, you can still get the same effect with catechins, saponins and tannins.
Improve Cardiovascular Health
Did you know that heart disease is still the number one cause of death in the world? Yes, heart-related diseases are still responsible for 1 out of four deaths worldwide, which is higher than the total human casualties of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
And if you are looking for ways on how to reduce your risk of heart disease, then look no further as guarana is one of the best fruits to take for your heart.
According to this study (4), this herb appears to improve blood flow and can help prevent blood clots in the arteries.
Aside from improving blood flow and preventing blood clots, guarana is also proven to help lower LDL cholesterol levels (5), which is quite important as cholesterol build-up cause artery health issues.
Anti-Cancer Properties
If guarana can help delay aging, then you bet it can also help prevent cancer due to its antioxidants.
Experts believe that xanthines is the reason why this herb has anti-cancer properties. Xanthines are compounds that works similar to stimulants theobromine and caffeine (6).
Animal lab tests showed that guarana helps protect against DNA damage, stops cancer cell growth and even kills cancer cells (7).
Elevates Cognitive Function
There are substantial evidence that shows guarana’s positive effect on memory, focus, thinking speed and overall brain function. It was even proven to provide additional stimulation over caffeine (8).
This isn’t surprising because this herb has plenty of stimulants to offer, which is known and proven to affect the brain and sometimes, even human behavior (9). That’s why stimulants like caffeine isn’t just make you awake and energized, it also helps you alert and focus.
Relieves Diarrhea and Helps Treat Constipation
Local Amazonian tribes use this herb to help treat gastro-related issues such as diarrhea and constipation. Known as a natural stomach tonic, guarana’s antioxidant tannins have reportedly the culprit of its anti-diarrhea properties.
Tannins or tannic acid, are water-soluble polyphenols (antioxidant) that is known for its astringent properties. And tannin-rich foods are known to have antimicrobial property, where fungi, yeasts, bacteria and viruses were inhibited by this potent antioxidant.
So guarana which contains tannic acid, can provide you with that defense mechanism against microbial infections such as diarrhea or constipation (10).
This same reason was suggested for this herb’s potential anti-microbial effect (11).
Anti-Obesity Properties
Okay, guarana has always been in the weight loss conversation all these years because of course of its antioxidants and powerful stimulating properties.
With caffeine, theobromine and many others known chemicals that affects weight, there is no reason why you should not take this herb as one of your slimming supplement.
After all, it will surely give you that energy and metabolism boost in case your expectations for this herb were not met.
However, there are no concrete studies that proved its weight loss effectiveness. Guarana failed to provide weight loss on its own, but has been successful to trigger weight reduction if combined with other compounds or herbs.
Clinical laboratory studies showed successful weight loss results from a guarana and ma huang (ephedra) supplementation (12), while a combination of yerba mate, damiana and guarana triggers significant gastric emptying (13).
One such notable supplement that contain guarana, yerba mate and damiana in a single formula is Zotrim, a popular and proven effective appetite suppressant.
Improves Athletic Performance
This herb isn’t just known for its anti-obesity properties, many people are also taking this supplement for improving their athletic performance.
Again, this isn’t a surprise as this herb is packed with antioxidants and powerful stimulants, which are known to instantly increase your energy levels and improves exercise tolerance.
One of the reason why you need to take guarana to help improve your physical performance is its caffeine content According to this study (14), caffeine supplementation has been shown to enhance various aspects of exercise performance especially on aerobic endurance training such as high intensity interval training.
Other known health benefits (but some are not completely proven) of guarana include:
- Fatigue reduction
- Pain relief
- Age-related eye diseases
- Erectile dysfunction
- Low blood pressure
- Menstrual cramps
- Rheumatoid arthritis
Does Guarana Have Side Effects?
The question now is, does this herb trigger nasty side effects?
Good thing about this herb though packed with stimulants, is not that harmful to most people. It can trigger side effects of course because of its stimulating properties, but generally safe to most people.
This research study (15) shows that guarana provides less toxicity if taken in moderate doses. You will start to feel its harmful effects if you take this herb in high doses and in long term.
Some of the notable adverse effects of this herb include:
- Heart palpitations
- Headaches
- Seizures
- Anxiety
- Shakiness
- Nervousness
- Upset stomach
- Insomnia
So it is up to you to decide whether guarana is good for you or not. After all, you know your body well if you are allergic to stimulants or not.
I suggest you consult your doctor first before you take any products that contain this herb.
Bottom Line
That’s it, I hope you learned a lot from this article about guarana’s possible benefits for your health.
As mentioned above, this herb provides dozens of health benefits with little to worry about side effects. There are hundreds or even thousands of products that contain this herb online.
So best choose the best product or supplement that can truly benefit your health, especially if you want to lose weight or build muscle mass.
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References:
Guarana’s Journey from Regional Tonic to Aphrodisiac and Global Energy Drink
by: Nigel Smith
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18955289/
Anti-Aging and Antioxidant Potential of Paullinia Cupana Var. Sorbilis: Findings in Caenorhabditis Elegans Indicate a New Utilization for Roasted Seeds of Guarana
by: Herbenya Peixoto, Mariana Roxo, Teresa Rohrig, Elke Richling, Xiaojuan Wang, and Michael Wink
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5622396/
Effects of Antioxidant Supplementation on the Aging Process
by: Domenico Fusco, Giuseppe Colloca, Maria Rita Lo Monaco, and Matteo Cesari
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2685276/
Studies on the Nature of Anti-Plateket Aggregatory Factors in the Seeds of the Amazonian Herb Guarana (Paullinia Cupana)
by: M T Ravi Subbiah, and R Yunker
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18791978/
Guarana (Paullinia Cupana Kunth) Effects on LDL Oxidation in Elderly People: A In Vitro and In Vivo Study
by: Rafael De Lima Portella, Romula Pillon Barcelos, Edovando Jose Flores Da Rosa, Euler Esteves Ribeiro, Ivana Beatrice Manica Da Cruz, Leila Suleiman, and Felix Alexandre Antunes Soares
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3599679/
Evaluation of Anti-Cancer Effects and Enhanced Doxurubicin Cytotoxicity of Xanthine Derivatives Using Canine Hemangiosarcoma Cell Lines
by: Tomoki Motegi, Masaaki Katayama, Yuji Uzuka, and Yasuhiko Okamura
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23871419/
Guarana a Caffeine-Rich Food Increases Oxaliplatin Sensitivity of Colorectal HT – 29 Cells By Apoptosis Pathway Modulation
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16406177/
Guarana Provides Additional Stimulation over Caffeine Alone in the Planarian Model
by: Dimitrios Moustakas, Michael Mezzio, Branden R Rodriguez, Mic Andrew Constable, Margaret E Mulligan, and Evelyn B Voura
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4399916/
How Stimulants Affect the Brain and Behavior
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64328/
Tannins and Human Health: A Review
by: K T Chung, T Y Wong, C I Wei, Y W Huang, Y Lin
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9759559/
Antioxidant Capacity and In Vitro Prevention of Dental Plaque Formation by Extracts and Condensed Tannins of Paullinia Cupana
https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/12/8/1950/htm
An Herbal Supplement Containing Ma Huang-Guarana for Weight Loss: A Randomized, Double-Bling Trial
by: C N Boozer, J A Nasser, S B Heymsfield, V Wang, G Chen, and J L Solomon
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11319627/
The Positive Effects of Yerba Mate (Ilex Paraguariensis) in Obesity
by: Alessandra Gambero and Marcelo K Ribeiro
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4344557/
International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Caffeine and Exercise Performance
https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-020-00383-4
Acute and Subchronic Toxicological Evaluation of the Semipurified Extract of Seeds of Guarana (Paullinia Cupana) in Rodents
by: T M Antonelli-Ushirobira, E N Kaneshima, M Gabriel, E A Audi, L C Marques, and J C P Mello
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20398723/
Image Credits:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flickr_-_ggallice_-_Guaran%C3%A1_(1).jpg
Geoff Gallice from Gainesville, FL, USA, CC BY 2.0
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Guaran%C3%A1_(Paullinia_cupana)_fruits_(29055398276).jpg
Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE, CC BY-SA 2.0
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Guaran%C3%A1_02.jpg
AnitaFortis, CC BY-SA 3.0
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