Health Benefits

A truly balanced stimulant, guayusa contains a diverse profile of both energizing and healthful compounds. This natural mix offers benefits for the whole body – an attentive mind, a peaceful body, and an awakened spirit.



Health Benefits of Drinking Guayusa*:


  • Boosts Metabolism
  • Traditionally used to support weight loss programs
  • Aids digestion1
  • Traditionally used to balance blood sugar and support diabetics2
  • Boosts Physical Energy
  • Increased mental clarity and alertness

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.


Balanced Energy

Guayusa does contain caffeine – more than other teas but less than coffee. One cup of guayusa offers 90 mg of caffeine. Interestingly, guayusa also contains other stimulants in the same family as caffeine, known as methylxanthine alkaloids. Theophylline is a clarifying and uplifting compound also found in green tea. Theobromine is the stimulant found in dark chocolate that offers that pleasant whole body feeling many are familiar with. Theobromine is known to offer a settled and bodily energy. Guayusa’s unique mix of caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine is what gives the balanced energy effect without any jitters, crash, or jolted buzz.


  


Check out the amazing benefits of caffeine in an article featured in the New York Times.



Packed Full of Nutrients and Antioxidants:

Guayusa contains 50% more antioxidants than green tea and is full of polyphenols, flavonoids, and saponins. These compounds in guayusa offer a range of holistic health benefits from calming the nervous system to cardiovascular health.




 Some of the many compounds found in guayusa are:
 

·       Polyphenols: Recent studies in respected US labs have confirmed that 1 cup of guayusa has 30% more polyphenols than a cup of green tea. Scientific studies have confirmed polyphenols' anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties, as well as their ability to boost the immune system and promote a healthy heart.

·       Saponins: Studies have illustrated the beneficial effects on blood cholesterol levels, cancer, bone health, and stimulation of the immune system.

·       Theanine: an amino acid compound that has been studied for its calming effects on the nervous system and for its ability to protect and restore the brain.


o   All 15 Essential Amino Acids, including relatively high amounts of:

§  Leucine – the most important amino acid for muscle protein synthesis and body builders.

o   Important Minerals

§  Potassium

§  Magnesium

§  Calcium

§  Zinc

§  Chromium

o   Key Vitamins:

§  Vitamin D

§  Vitamin C

 

If you are a health care practitioner or customer interested in health science and would like more detailed information about scientific studies on guayusa and current research findings, please email info@runa.org for more information.


What are Antioxidants?

Antioxidants are substances that scavenge free radicals -- damaging compounds in the body that alter cells, tamper with DNA (genetic material), and even cause cell death. Free radicals occur naturally in the body, but environmental toxins (including ultraviolet rays from the sun, radiation, cigarette smoke, and air pollution) also give rise to these damaging particles. Many scientists believe that free radicals contribute to the aging process as well as the development of a number of health problems, including cancer and heart disease. Antioxidants such as polyphenols in guayusa can neutralize free radicals and may reduce or even help prevent some of the damage they cause.


Traditional Uses

The indigenous Kichwa people say guayusa is so enlivening that before it is offered to a visitor, she is warned that once she drinks it, she will ever after return to the Ecuadorian Jungle. The indigenous communities that have consumed guayusa in the Amazon for thousands of years cite many health benefits of their sacred tea. Many women say that it relieves many symptoms of menopause, and is helpful for the liver and stomach because it calms these organs. Farmers say that it helps sooth and reduce body aches and pains and offers balance and strength to pregnant women. On a spiritual level, the community Rukus (elders) also say that guayusa helps them remember their dreams, protects against insect and snake bites, and spiritually connects them to the forces of nature. The Rukus say that people who drink guayusa have “mental strength and courage,” and that guayusa helps them conquer their fears more easily.


1 Duke, James A. (2008) Dukes handbook of medicinal plants of Latin America. Taylor & Francis. 
2 Swanston-Flatt SK, Day C, Flatt PR, Gould BJ & Bailey CJ. (1989) Glycemic effects of traditional European plant treatments fordiabetes: studies in normal and streptozotocin diabetic mice.