Guarana Seed P.E.

Specifications

Guarana P.E.

The word guarana comes from the guaraná, which has its origins in the word for the plant, warana.

Guarana plays an important role in and Brazilian culture. According to a myth dating back to the Sateré-Maué tribe, guarana's domestication originated with a killing a beloved village child. In order to console the villagers, a more benevolent god plucked the left eye from the child and planted it in the forest, resulting in the wild variety of guarana. The god then plucked the right eye from the child and planted it in the village, giving rise to domesticated guarana.

The Guaranís would make a by shelling and washing the seeds, followed by pounding them into a fine powder. The powder is kneaded into a dough and then shaped into cylinders. This product is known as guarana bread or Brazilia coke, which would be grated and then immersed into hot water along with sugar.

This plant was introduced to in the following its discovery by Father Felip Betendorf. By 1958, guarana was commercialized.

^Uses

Guarana is used in sweetened or carbonated and , an ingredient of or contained in capsules. Generally, obtains most of its caffeine from guarana.

[] Beverages

, which is the third-largest consumer of soft drinks in the world,produces several soft drink brands from guarana extract. Exceeding Brazilian sales of drinks,guarana-containing beverages may cause associated with drinking .

[] Cognitive effects

As guarana is rich in caffeine, it is of interest for its potential effects on . In , guarana increased memory retention and physical endurance when compared with a .

A 2007 human pilot studyassessed acute behavioral effects to four doses (37.5 mg, 75 mg, 150 mg and 300 mg) of guarana extract. Memory, alertness and mood were increased by the two lower doses, confirming previous results of cognitive improvement following 75 mg guarana.

[] Other uses and side-effects

In the United States, guarana has the status of being .

Preliminary research has shown guarana may affect how quickly the body perceives itself to be full. One study showed an average 11.2 pound (5.1 kilogram) weight loss in a group taking a mixture of , guarana, and , compared to an average one pound loss in a placebo group after 45 days.Although inconclusive about specific effects due only to guarana, this study differs from another showing no effect on body weight of a formula containing guarana.

Guarana extract reduced aggregation of rabbit by up to 37 percent below control values and decreased platelet formation from by 78 percent below control values.It is not known if such platelet action has any effect on the risk of or .

Other laboratory studies showed and effects, and also cell reduction in mice (when combined with ) from chronic intake of guarana.

From anecdotal evidence of excessive consumption of energy drinks, guarana may contribute (alone or in combination with caffeine and ) to onset of in some people.