Journal
EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
Volume 7, Issue 3, Pages 279-282Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/ecam/nem162
Keywords
Amazonia; aphrodisiac; ethnopharmacology; guarana; medical history; Paullinia cupana; xanthines
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Guarana (Paullinia cupana H.B.K., Sapindaceae) is a rainforest vine that was domesticated in the Amazon for its caffeine-rich fruits. Guarana has long been used as a tonic and to treat various disorders in Brazil and abroad and became a national soda in Brazil about a century ago. In the last two decades or so, guarana has emerged as a key ingredient in various 'sports' and energy drinks as well as concoctions that allegedly boost one's libido. For some time, guarana's high caffeine content was thought to be a detriment because of health concerns about excessive intake of caffeine-rich drinks. But it is precisely this quality, and the fact that it has a mysterious name and comes from an exotic land, that has propelled guarana into a global beverage.
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