Guarana Seed Powder

Paullinia cupana

Format: Powder

Size: 1 oz package

Also Known as: Paullinia, Guarana Bread, Brazilian Cocoa, Uabano, Cupana

Farming Type: NA

Origin: Brazil

Guarana Seed is known to botanists as Paullinia cupana, and is part of a botanical family that includes the maple and the horse chestnut. Unlike its temperate relatives however, pure Guarana Seed is a natural herb produced from a climbing shrub native to Brazil's Amazon basin. Guarana features large leaves with clusters of flowers and has become most well know known for the seeds of its fruit. Guarana Seed is about the size of a coffee berry. Most notable about the Paullinia cupana seed is its use is that it contains about twice the caffeine found in coffee beans.

The common name for Paullinia cupana, "guarana," comes into English via Brazilian Portuguese from a word in the language of the Sateré-Mawé Indians. According to the tribe's own legends, the plant from which the wildcrafted herb was derived was the gift of a god, presented in compensation for the killing of a village child by one of the less compassionate deities.

Traditionally, the indigenous tribes mix dried Guarana Seed Powder with water and knead it into a dough to make a type of bread. Guarana Seed Powder has been known to Western civilization for well over 300 years, since a European missionary introduced it in the mid-1600s. Brazilian revelers use guarana powder to stay awake during Carnival, and Westerners have used it since 1775 as a stimulant and aphrodisiac. Guarana has painkilling properties on the level of aspirin, increases physical endurance and ability to withstand stress, and improves mental acuity. Its essential oils aid memory, which one would expect from a Mercury herb, but it is warming. It contains caffeine and other alkaloids like those in chocolate. Studies have shown that the stimulant properties of this plant are more effective when the whole seed is used rather than an extract. This herb is antibacterial and antioxidant

Guarana Seed Powder is among those herbs that are very strong stimulants; it is in fact a primary ingredient in a popular Brazilian soft drink. However, although the the FDA has labeled guarana herb as being safe for human consumption, studies on the effects of Brazilian guarana have not been verified. Use of such medicinal herbs and supplements should be undertaken under the guidance of a qualified herbalist or naturopathic doctor.

NOTE: Guarana seed contains caffeine and may cause nervousness, irritability, sleeplessness, and, occasionally, rapid heartbeat. Not recommended for use by children under 18 years of age.

In magick, Guarana is used in spells to strengthen endurance and to call attention to things unnoticed. It has also been used in hexing practice as a cursing aid. Ruled by Fire and Mercury this herb packs a punch!

For educational purposes only This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.