Paullinia cupana
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID6440009c3d366645065720 |
| Scientific name | Paullinia cupana |
| Authority | Kunth |
| First published in | Nov. Gen. Sp. 5: 117 (1821) |
Ethnobotanical Use Top
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Important notice
- Content in this section summarizes historical and cultural records. It is not medical advice.
- Do not use plants for self-treatment. Safety, efficacy, and appropriate use are not established here.
- Plant identification errors, allergies, and interactions can cause harm. Consult qualified professionals for health questions.
- Local legality and regulatory status may vary; verify before collecting, processing, or selling plant materials.
For generations people have made strong, bitter infusions from roasted guarana seeds to stay awake and stave off hunger. Among the Ka’apor of northern Brazil the seeds are roasted, ground, and soaked in hot water to produce a short decoction used for diarrhea and fever; among communities in Pará, ground seed is mixed with cool water and stirred to a thick drink often sweetened with sugar or honey; and in Paraguay’s Bajo Chaco, the Guaraní traditionally heat small pieces of roasted seed in water for a brisk decoction taken as a stimulant (Bennett et al., 2021; Schmitt et al., 2020; Kuhlmann & Vilegas, 2013). In each case the seed is the part used and the preparation is a brief hot infusion or decoction that delivers a powerful jolt of caffeine and related methylxanthines.
A practical traditional recipe is a mild guarana tea. Toast a few whole seeds (roughly 3–5 g) in a dry pan until they smell nutty, let them cool, then grind them to a coarse powder. Add the powder to a cup (about 250 ml) of just-boiled water, stir, and steep for 5–8 minutes; strain and drink slowly. Because guarana can contain as much caffeine as roasted coffee beans, start with one cup and avoid drinking it late in the day; people sensitive to stimulants, those with heart conditions or ulcers, and anyone who is pregnant or nursing should avoid it or seek guidance from a clinician.
The activity of these preparations is plausibly tied to caffeine together with smaller amounts of theobromine and theophylline, which are well documented in guarana seed and account for its stimulant and diuretic effects (Kuhlmann & Vilegas, 2013). Guarana is still widely brewed as a home beverage across Amazonian Brazil and Paraguay, sold as commercial powders and syrups for sodas and energy drinks, and investigated today for its high caffeine content and antioxidant profile (Schmitt et al., 2020; Kuhlmann & Vilegas, 2013).
General Uses Top
Suggest a correction!Common products:
- Dried guarana seed is processed into a coarse powder or extract that provides a concentrated source of caffeine for use in carbonated beverages, energy drinks, and functional sports drinks.
- The seed oil, cold‑pressed from the same material, is incorporated into cosmetic formulations (creams, lotions, shampoos) as a caffeine‑containing oil.
Industrial and craft applications:
- Guarana seed oil functions as an emollient and mild surfactant in personal‑care products; its fatty‑acid profile (≈60 % linoleic, ≈20 % oleic acid) offers good oxidative stability for cosmetic emulsions.
- Guarana extracts serve as natural flavoring agents and caffeine sources in the food‑processing industry, enabling flavor development without synthetic additives.
Food and beverages (non‑medicinal):
- Guarana powder or aqueous extract is added to soft‑drink syrups and ready‑to‑drink energy beverages to impart a characteristic sweet‑bitter flavor and a stimulatory effect from caffeine.
- The ingredient also appears in confectionery, chocolate, baked goods, and snack‑bar formulations where its flavor and caffeine content enhance product appeal.
Fragrance and cosmetics:
- Cosmetic manufacturers list guarana seed oil or seed‑derived caffeine extracts in product INCI declarations for skin‑care and hair‑care lines, citing the ingredient’s caffeine content for its stimulating properties in topical applications.
Properties relevant to use:
- Caffeine concentration in the dried seed typically ranges from 4.5 % to 5.5 % by weight, providing a high‑potency natural stimulant suitable for beverage and functional‑food applications.
- The seed oil’s fatty‑acid composition (predominantly linoleic and oleic acids) confers favorable emollient and spread‑ability characteristics for cosmetic emulsions.
- Presence of saponins imparts mild surfactant activity, useful in mild cleansing formulations.
Standards and regulation:
- Caffeine levels in carbonated beverages are regulated by national agencies (e.g., ANVISA in Brazil; EU regulation (EC) No 1333/2008). Quantification of caffeine in plant materials follows standardized methods such as ISO 14502‑2 for caffeine determination.
- Cosmetic use of guarana seed oil must comply with the EU Cosmetic Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 and Brazilian ANVISA cosmetic ingredient guidelines.
- Food‑safety management systems for guarana‑based products are generally covered by ISO 22000 standards.
Sustainability and sourcing:
- Guarana is cultivated mainly in the Amazon basin from both wild‑collected vines and managed plantations. Sustainable harvesting practices include selective wild collection and agroforestry‑based cultivation.
- Certification programs such as Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade provide market incentives for environmentally sound production and fair labor conditions.
- Continuous monitoring of wild populations is recommended to prevent over‑exploitation of the species.
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Paullinia brasiliensis | Lodd. ex Radlk. | Monogr. Serjania : 67 (1875) |
| Paullinia sorbilis | Mart. | 7: 266 266 1826 |
| Paullinia cupana var. sorbilis | (Mart.) Ducke | Rodriguésia 3: 156 (1937) |
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| English | guarana |
| Spanish | cupana |
| Spanish | guaraná |
| Arabic | جوارانا |
| Arabic | غوارانا |
| Azerbaijani | quarana |
| azb | قوارانا |
| Bulgarian | гуарана |
| Bosnian | guarana |
| Catalan | paul·línia |
| Catalan | guaranà |
| Czech | paulinie nápojná |
| Czech | guarana |
| Danish | guarana |
| German | guarana |
| German | guarana cafecito |
| German | guaraná |
| Esperanto | gvaranao |
| Estonian | guaraana |
| Estonian | guaraana-pauliinia |
| Basque | guarana |
| Persian | گوارنا |
| Finnish | guarana |
| Finnish | guaraná |
| French | guarana |
| French | warana |
| French | guaraná |
| frr | guaraná |
| Irish | guaraná |
| Galician | guaraná |
| Hebrew | גואראנה |
| Hebrew | גוארנה |
| Croatian | guarana |
| Hungarian | guarana |
| Indonesian | guarana |
| Icelandic | guarana |
| Italian | guaranà |
| Japanese | ガラナ |
| Georgian | გუარანა |
| Korean | 과라노 |
| Korean | 과라나 |
| Korean | 구아라누 |
| Korean | 구아라나 |
| Korean | 과라나 브라마 |
| Lithuanian | guarana |
| Lithuanian | gvaraninė paulinija |
| Latvian | guarana |
| Macedonian | Гуарана |
| Malay | guarana |
| mwl | guaraná |
| Norwegian Bokmål | guarana |
| Dutch | guaraná |
| Dutch | guarana |
| Polish | guarana |
| Polish | paulinia guarana |
| Polish | osmęta |
| Polish | cierniopląt |
| Polish | ciermiopląt guarany |
| Portuguese | guaraná |
| Portuguese | guarana |
| Romanian | guarana |
| Russian | Гуарана |
| Serbo-Croatian | gvarana |
| Slovak | paulínia nápojová |
| Slovenian | guarana |
| Serbian | Гуарана |
| Serbian | гварана |
| Swedish | guarana |
| Swedish | guaranabär |
| Swedish | guaraná |
| Thai | กวารานา |
| Turkish | guarana |
| Ukrainian | Гуарана |
| Uzbek | guarana |
| Chinese | 瓜拿纳 |
| Chinese | 瓜拿納 |
| Chinese | 瓜拉拿泡林藤 |
| Chinese | 醒神藤 |
| Chinese | 瓜拉纳 |
Germination/Propagation Top
Suggest a correction or add new data!
No germination or propagation data was added yet.
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
-
Southern America click to expand
-
Brazil
- Brazil North
-
Northern South America
- Guyana
- Venezuela
-
Western South America
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Peru
-
Brazil
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000471124 |
| UNII | ZN61XGA9AZ |
| USDA Plants | PACU7 |
| Tropicos | 28600664 |
| INPN | 841466 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:784110-1 |
| The Plant List | kew-2543056 |
| Open Tree Of Life | 648094 |
| Observations.org | 369623 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 392747 |
| IPNI | 784110-1 |
| iNaturalist | 431412 |
| GBIF | 3189949 |
| Freebase | /m/0j0rj |
| EPPO | PAXCU |
| EOL | 483644 |
| Elurikkus | 374230 |
| USDA GRIN | 27031 |
| Wikipedia | Guarana |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
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If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
Phytochemical Profile Top
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Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
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| Name | PubChem ID | Canonical SMILES | MW | Found in | Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| > Benzenoids / Benzene and substituted derivatives / Phenylpropanes | |||||
| 4-tert-Pentylphenol | 6643 | Click to see | 164.24 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01267777 |
| > Benzenoids / Phenol ethers / Anisoles | |||||
| 1-Methoxy-4-Prop-1-Enylbenzene | 7703 | Click to see | 148.20 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01267777 |
| Anethole | 637563 | Click to see | 148.20 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01267777 |
| Estragole | 8815 | Click to see | 148.20 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01267777 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Fatty Acyls / Fatty acids and conjugates / Long-chain fatty acids | |||||
| cis-Vaccenic acid | 5282761 | Click to see | 282.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/S11745-003-1126-5 |
| Paullinic acid | 5312518 | Click to see | 310.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/S11745-003-1126-5 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Monoterpenoids / Aromatic monoterpenoids | |||||
| Carvacrol | 10364 | Click to see CC1=C(C=C(C=C1)C(C)C)O | 150.22 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01267777 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Monoterpenoids / Menthane monoterpenoids | |||||
| Limonene, (+/-)- | 22311 | Click to see CC1=CCC(CC1)C(=C)C | 136.23 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01267777 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Sesquiterpenoids | |||||
| (1R,2S,7S,8S)-1,3-dimethyl-8-propan-2-yltricyclo[4.4.0.02,7]dec-3-ene | 92042749 | Click to see CC1=CCC2C3C1C2(CCC3C(C)C)C | 204.35 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01267777 |
| Caryophyllene | 5281515 | Click to see CC1=CCCC(=C)C2CC(C2CC1)(C)C | 204.35 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01267777 |
| Caryophyllene,alpha + beta mixt. | 5354499 | Click to see | 204.35 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01267777 |
| Copaene | 19725 | Click to see CC1=CCC2C3C1C2(CCC3C(C)C)C | 204.35 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01267777 |
| > Organoheterocyclic compounds / Imidazopyrimidines / Purines and purine derivatives / Xanthines | |||||
| Caffeine | 2519 | Click to see CN1C=NC2=C1C(=O)N(C(=O)N2C)C | 194.19 | unknown |
https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01027774 https://doi.org/10.1111/J.2042-7158.1992.TB05517.X https://doi.org/10.1002/1615-9314(20020401)25:5/6<371::AID-JSSC371>3.0.CO;2-9 https://doi.org/10.1201/9781420050134.AX1 https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(94)00141-F https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02862148 https://doi.org/10.1093/JAOAC/81.4.691 https://doi.org/10.3109/13880209309082937 |
| Theobromine | 5429 | Click to see | 180.16 | unknown |
https://doi.org/10.3109/13880209309082937 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02862148 https://doi.org/10.1093/JAOAC/81.4.691 https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(94)00141-F |
| Theophylline | 2153 | Click to see | 180.16 | unknown |
https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01027774 https://doi.org/10.3109/13880209309082937 https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(94)00141-F https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02862148 https://doi.org/10.1093/JAOAC/81.4.691 |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Biflavonoids and polyflavonoids | |||||
| Procyanidin A1 | 5089889 | Click to see | 576.50 | unknown | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6149164/ |
| Procyanidin A2 | 124025 | Click to see C1C(C(OC2=C1C(=CC3=C2C4C(C(O3)(OC5=CC(=CC(=C45)O)O)C6=CC(=C(C=C6)O)O)O)O)C7=CC(=C(C=C7)O)O)O | 576.50 | unknown | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6149164/ |
| Procyanidin B | 130556 | Click to see | 578.50 | unknown | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6149164/ |
| Procyanidin B1 | 11250133 | Click to see C1C(C(OC2=C1C(=CC(=C2C3C(C(OC4=CC(=CC(=C34)O)O)C5=CC(=C(C=C5)O)O)O)O)O)C6=CC(=C(C=C6)O)O)O | 578.50 | unknown | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6149164/ |
| Procyanidin B2, (+)- | 122738 | Click to see C1C(C(OC2=C1C(=CC(=C2C3C(C(OC4=CC(=CC(=C34)O)O)C5=CC(=C(C=C5)O)O)O)O)O)C6=CC(=C(C=C6)O)O)O | 578.50 | unknown | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6149164/ |
| Procyanidin B3 | 146798 | Click to see | 578.50 | unknown | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6149164/ |
| Procyanidin B4 | 147299 | Click to see | 578.50 | unknown | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6149164/ |
| Procyanidin C1 | 169853 | Click to see | 866.80 | unknown | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6149164/ |
| Procyanidin trimer T2 | 13751990 | Click to see | 866.80 | unknown | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6149164/ |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Flavans / Catechins | |||||
| (+)-Epicatechin | 182232 | Click to see | 290.27 | unknown | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6149164/ |
| 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3,4-dihydro-2H-1-benzopyran-3,5,7-triol | 1203 | Click to see | 290.27 | unknown | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6149164/ |
| Catechin | 9064 | Click to see | 290.27 | unknown |
https://doi.org/10.1093/JAOAC/81.4.691 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6149164/ |
| Epicatechin | 72276 | Click to see | 290.27 | unknown |
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6149164/ https://doi.org/10.1093/JAOAC/81.4.691 |
Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |