Guarana
What is Guarana for?
Guarana is a plant named for the Guarani tribe in the Amazon, who used the seeds to brew a drink. Today, guarana seeds are still used as medicine.
Guarana is used for weight loss, to enhance athletic performance, as a stimulant, and to reduce mental and physical fatigue. It is a frequent addition to energy and weight loss products.
Some people also use guarana to treat low blood pressure and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and to prevent malaria and dysentery. It is also used to enhance sexual desire, to increase urine flow, and as an astringent.
Other uses include treatment of ongoing diarrhea, fever, heart problems, headache, joint pain, backache, and heat stress.
In food manufacturing, guarana has been used as a flavoring ingredient in beverages and candy.
What is Guarana Possibly Effective for?
• Weight loss. Guarana might promote weight loss when used in combination with mate and damiana. There is also developing evidence that a specific combination product containing guarana, ephedra, and 17 other vitamins, minerals, and supplements (Metabolife-356) might help reduce weight by approximately 2.7 kg over eight weeks when used with a low-fat diet and exercise. But more evidence is needed to rate guarana for this use.
• Malaria.
• Diarrhea.
• Fever.
• Headaches.
• Heart problems.
• Improvement of exercise endurance.
• Improvement of short-term, high-intensity performance and power.
• Increased mental alertness.
• Increasing blood pressure in people who have low blood pressure.
• Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).
• Joint pain.
• Fluid retention.
