Guarana's therapeutic uses
Guarana is a plant native to the Amazon rainforest, known for its stimulant properties primarily due to its caffeine content. Traditionally, it has been utilized for various therapeutic purposes, including enhancing mental function, combating fatigue, and providing pain relief for conditions such as headaches and menstrual cramps. Some studies suggest that guarana may help improve cognitive performance and sports performance, particularly when combined with other substances like vitamins or ginseng, while its potential role in weight loss has been highlighted in clinical trials, albeit some of these studies raised safety concerns.
In addition to its stimulant effects, guarana is recognized for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which may help protect against conditions caused by free radicals. However, users should be cautious of side effects such as insomnia, anxiety, and potential heart rhythm disturbances, which can be exacerbated by excessive caffeine consumption. Special care is advised for certain populations, including children, pregnant women, and individuals with heart issues. Overall, while guarana is associated with several health benefits, its consumption should be approached with mindfulness regarding dosage and possible interactions with medications.
Guarana's therapeutic uses
- DEFINITION: Natural plant product used to treat specific health conditions.
- PRINCIPAL PROPOSED USES: Enhancing mental function, fatigue
- OTHER PROPOSED USES: Sports performance enhancement, weight loss, pain relief, cognitive function, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory
Overview
Guarana, an herb from the Amazon rainforest, has a long history of being used as a stimulant beverage. It has also been used to treat arthritis, diarrhea, and headaches.
Therapeutic Dosages
A typical dose of guarana supplies 50 milligrams (mg) of caffeine, about half the amount in a cup of strong coffee. However, a 1998 analysis of products on the market indicated that many guarana products contain a different amount of guarana than advertised.
Therapeutic Uses
Like tea, coffee, and chocolate, guarana contains alkaloids in the caffeine family, such as theobromine and theophylline. Caffeine is known to reduce pain, treat migraine headaches, and fight fatigue. In addition, it may, under certain circumstances, enhance sports performance, improve mental function, and modestly aid weight loss.
Most of the proposed uses of guarana fall in line with the effects of caffeine. For example, in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 129 healthy young adults, the one-time use of guarana plus vitamins and minerals improved mental function. It reduced mental fatigue among those undergoing a battery of cognitive tests. In another double-blind, placebo-controlled study, the use of guarana alone or guarana plus ginseng appeared to improve mental function (though the study suffered from some design problems). In two other studies, no benefits were seen.
Another double-blind, placebo-controlled study tested the effects of guarana plus ephedra on weight loss. In this trial, sixty-seven overweight people were given either a placebo or a combination of guarana and ephedra for eight weeks. The results showed significantly greater weight loss in the treated group than in the placebo group. However, ephedra is an unsafe substance.
A potential issue comes from the addition of ingredients such as guarana to sports or performance drinks. Although they may be listed as separate ingredients, they all have essentially the same effect as caffeine. A consumer may, therefore, be subjected to unhealthy and excessive dosages. A recommendation is to simply increase the intake of water. This may help decrease the fatigue a person can experience from dehydration without ingesting excessive amounts of caffeine or potentially harmful combinations of chemicals.
In the twenty-first century, the study of guarana continued. A 2023 study found guarana increased memory and attention, and it improved mood in study participants. Other proposed therapeutic uses for guarana are based on its anti-inflammatory properties. Guarana may provide pain relief for conditions such as headaches and menstrual cramps. Its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties may also protect again free radicals, which can lead to long-term health conditions.
Safety Issues
The side effects of guarana would be expected to be similar to those of tea or coffee, such as heartburn, gastritis, insomnia, anxiety, and heart arrhythmias (benign palpitations or more serious disturbances of heart rhythm). These can manifest themselves in higher heart rates and blood pressure. In addition, guarana, like caffeine, can become addictive. Combination products containing guarana and ephedra would be expected to present additional risk. In the 2020s, many energy drinks marketed to adolescents and young adults continue to contain guarana, although its inclusion as an ingredient has declined overall. The amount added to various drinks varies widely, and it is recommended that consumers read all labels before consuming. Finally, all drug interactions that can occur with caffeine would be expected to occur with guarana as well. Young children, pregnant or nursing women, and people with heart disease should not use guarana.
Important Interactions
For people taking monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors while simultaneously using guarana, the caffeine in guarana could cause dangerous drug interactions. The stimulant effects of guarana might be amplified if one used it while simultaneously taking stimulant drugs, such as Ritalin. Guarana might also interfere with the action of drugs taken to prevent heart arrhythmias or to treat insomnia or anxiety.
Bibliography
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Cannon, M. E., et al. "Caffeine-Induced Cardiac Arrhythmia: An Unrecognised Danger of Healthfood Products." Medical Journal of Australia, vol. 174, 2001, pp. 520-521.
"Guarana." National Library of Medicine. 28 Jan. 2023, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK589113/#. Accessed 23 Sept. 2024.
"Guarana Oral Dosage Forms." Cleveland Clinic, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/drugs/18727-guarana-oral-dosage-forms. Accessed 23 Sept. 2024.
"Guarana Risks and Side Effects." Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials, 17 July 2023, health.clevelandclinic.org/guarana. Accessed 23 Sept. 2024.
Kennedy, D. O., et al. "Improved Cognitive Performance and Mental Fatigue Following a Multi-vitamin and Mineral Supplement with Added Guarana (Paullinia cupana)." Appetite 50, nos. 2/3, 2008, pp. 506-13.
"Rethink Your Energy Drink: Beware of Extreme Caffeine." Mayo Clinic Health System, 11 Mar. 2019, www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/rethink-your-energy-drink. Accessed 23 Sept. 2024.
Torres, E. A. F. S., et al. "Effects of the Consumption of Guarana on Human Health: A Narrative Review." Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, vol. 21, 2022, pp. 272-295, doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12862. Accessed 23 Sept. 2024.