| an aqueous extract of guaraná (paullinia cupana) decreases platelet thromboxane synthesis. | the effects of an aqueous extract of guaraná (paullinia cupana) on rabbit platelet aggregation and thromboxane synthesis were examined. the guaraná extract (100 mg/ml) and fractions separated by tlc (origin and xanthines) decreased platelet aggregation (37, 27 and 31% of control values, respectively) and platelet thromboxane formation from [14c]-arachidonic acid (78, 70 and 50% of control values, respectively). the decreased thromboxane synthesis could be responsible, at least in part, for the a ... | 1991 | 1823256 |
| a novel property of an aqueous guaraná extract (paullinia cupana): inhibition of platelet aggregation in vitro and in vivo. | aqueous extracts of guaraná were studied in terms of effects on the aggregation of human and rabbit platelets. guaraná extracts have anti-aggregatory and de-aggregatory actions on platelet aggregation induced by adp or arachidonate but not by collagen. the active material was shown to be water soluble and heat resistant and appeared to be different from salicylates, nicotinic acid or known xanthines. guaraná extracts inhibited platelet aggregation in rabbits following either intravenous or oral ... | 1988 | 3228635 |
| genotoxic and mutagenic effects of guarana (paullinia cupana) in prokaryotic organisms. | aqueous extracts of paullinia cupana (guarana), a species that belongs to the sapindaceae family, were analyzed for the presence of genotoxic activities in bacterial cells. the extracts of guarana were genotoxic as assessed by lysogenic induction in escherichia coli and they were also able to induce mutagenesis in salmonella typhimurium. addition of s9 microsomal fraction, catalase, superoxide dismutase or thiourea counteracted the genotoxic activity of guarana, suggesting that oxygen reactive s ... | 1994 | 7513067 |
| studies on the essential oil from guarana. | the essential oil from guarana [paullinia cupana h.b.k. var. sorbilis (mart.) ducke] was analysed. nine components were identified, namely (2) methylbenzenes, (1) cyclic monoterpene and (2) cyclic sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, (2) methoxyphenylpropenes and (2) alkylphenol derivatives. the alleged psychoactivity of the essential oil is presumably due to the identified constituents estragole and anethole. any contribution of aminated metabolites of estragole/anethole to the alleged psychoactivity of ... | 1996 | 8765992 |
| pharmacological activity of guarana (paullinia cupana mart.) in laboratory animals. | mice that ingested a suspension of guarana (paullinia cupana, sapindaceae) in a dose of 0.3 mg/ml showed a significant increase in physical capacity when subjected to a stressful situation such as forced swimming after 100 and 200 days of treatment. such an effect, however, was not obtained with a concentration of 3.0 mg/ml, nor with the ingestion of a suspension of ginseng 5.0 mg/ml, nor of a solution of caffeine 0.1 mg/ml. guarana, both after a single (3.0 and 30 mg/kg) or chronic administrati ... | 1997 | 9080343 |
| evaluation of the toxicity of guarana with in vitro bioassays. | a natural stimulant, paullinia cupana, commonly called guarana, was tested for its ability to induce in vitro toxicity in chinese hamster ovary (cho) cells and bacterial cells (photobacterium phosphoreum). the cytotoxic effects of aqueous guarana extracts were evaluated by three endpoint systems: neutral red (nr) uptake assay, total protein content [kenacid blue (kb)] assay, and tetrazolium (mtt) assay. the microtox test was also used. results indicated that the lowest concentration of guarana t ... | 1998 | 9570905 |
| guarana (paullinia cupana): toxic behavioral effects in laboratory animals and antioxidants activity in vitro. | the effects on toxic and behavioral levels of guarana (paullinia cupana) were assessed in rats and mice subsequent to acute and chronic administrations and were compared to those produced by ginseng (panax ginseng). experimental parameters included tests for antioxidant capacity in vitro and measured in vivo, toxicological screening, progress in weight, motor activity, death rate, and histopathological examination of the viscera. guarana showed an antioxidant effect because, even at low concentr ... | 1998 | 9582000 |
| weight loss and delayed gastric emptying following a south american herbal preparation in overweight patients. | obesity and overweight may soon affect more than half of the population in some regions of the world and are associated with diabetes, hypertension and other diseases that cause morbidity, mortality and high health-care expenditure. no one approach, whether dietetic management, medication, or commercial weight loss programme, can alone solve the problem--all potential treatments need to be investigated and exploited. among the herbal preparations known to non-western cultures are materials which ... | 2001 | 11424516 |
| the relaxation of isolated rabbit corpus cavernosum by the herbal medicine catuama and its constituents. | the effects of the brazilian herbal medicine catuama and each of its plant constituents (paullinia cupana, trichilia catigua, zingiber officinalis and ptychopetalum olacoides) were investigated on rabbit corpus cavernosum (rbcc) using a bioassay cascade. catuama caused short-lived and dose-dependent relaxations (11% +/- 7%, 26% +/- 5% and 82% +/- 9%, at doses of 1, 3 and 10 mg, respectively). neither the nitric oxide synthesis inhibitor n(omega)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-name; 10 microm) ... | 2001 | 11507734 |
| effect of extract of medicinal plants on the labeling of blood elements with technetium-99m and on the morphology of red blood cells: i--a study with paullinia cupana. | drugs can alter the labeling and the morphology of red blood cells. as paullinia cupana is used in popular medicine, we evaluated its influence on the labeling process using technetium-99m (tc-99m). blood was incubated with p. cupana, stannous chloride and tc-99m. samples were centrifuged and plasma (p) and blood cells (bc) were separated and precipitated with trichloroacetic acid. soluble (sf) and insoluble fractions (if) were isolated. the morphology of the blood cells was evaluated under an o ... | 2002 | 12234573 |
| guarana (paullinia cupana mart.) offers protection against gastric lesions induced by ethanol and indomethacin in rats. | the effects of guarana (paullinia cupana) extract were analyzed in rats on acute gastric lesions induced by ethanol and indomethacin and were compared to those produced by caffeine, a methylxanthine. guarana (50 and 100 mg/kg p.o.) pretreated animals showed a significant reduction in the severity of gastric lesions induced by absolute ethanol in a manner similar to caffeine (20 and 30 mg/kg p.o.). against indomethacin-induced gastric ulceration, guarana at a higher dose offered significant prote ... | 2003 | 14669256 |
| cadmium, mercury and lead in medicinal herbs in brazil. | samples of herbal medicine used in brazil were analyzed, after nitric digestion, for the content of cadmium, mercury and lead, by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. fifteen samples of ginkgo biloba (ginkgo biloba), 13 of celastraceae (maytenus ilicifolia), 14 of cascara buckthorn (rhamnus purshiana), 13 of eggplant (solanum melongena), 15 of horse chestnut (aesculus hippocastanum), 13 of brazilian ginseng (pffafia glomerata), 17 of centella asiatic (hydrocotyle asiatica), 13 of guarana (paulli ... | 2004 | 15019183 |
| improved cognitive performance in human volunteers following administration of guarana (paullinia cupana) extract: comparison and interaction with panax ginseng. | extracts from the plant guarana (paullinia cupana) feature as putatively stimulating ingredients in a number of foods, drinks and dietary/herbal supplements. to date, little research in humans has examined the potential psychoactive effects of these extracts. extracts of panax ginseng, which are often sold in combination with guarana, contain similar potentially active components, and have been shown to modulate cognitive performance. in this double-blind, counterbalanced, placebo-controlled stu ... | 2004 | 15582012 |
| clinical toxicology study of an herbal medicinal extract of paullinia cupana, trichilia catigua, ptychopetalum olacoides and zingiber officinale (catuama) in healthy volunteers. | in brazil, a herbal medicinal extract named catuama containing a mixture of paullinia cupana (guarana; sapindaceae), trichilia catigua (catuaba; meliaceae), ptychopetalum olacoides (muirapuama; olacaceae) and zingiber officinale (ginger; zingiberaceae) is used as a body stimulant, energetic, tonic and aphrodisiac. the present study investigated the chronic administration of 25 ml catuama twice a day during 28 days for any toxic effect on healthy human volunteers of both sexes. no severe adverse ... | 2005 | 15798997 |
| adverse events of herbal food supplements for body weight reduction: systematic review. | herbal weight-loss supplements are marketed with claims of effectiveness. our earlier systematic review identified data from double-blind, randomized controlled trials for a number of herbal supplements. the aim of this systematic review was to assess all clinical evidence of adverse events of herbal food supplements for body weight reduction for which effectiveness data from rigorous clinical trials exist. we assessed ephedra sinica, garcinia cambogia, paullinia cupana, guar gum, plantago psyll ... | 2005 | 15836459 |
| chemopreventive effects of paullinia cupana mart var. sorbilis, the guaraná, on mouse hepatocarcinogenesis. | guaraná (paullinia cupana) is originally from amazon, brazil. its effects on mouse hepatocarcinogenesis have been investigated in this study. mice were treated with n-nitrosodiethylamine (den), received three different doses of p. cupana added to commercial food, and euthanized after 25 weeks. gross lesions were quantified, and preneoplastic lesions (pnl) were histologically measured. cellular proliferation was evaluated by immunobloting for the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (pcna). the inc ... | 2006 | 15885883 |
| antibacterial and antioxidant activities of ethanol extract from paullinia cupana mart. | the antibacterial and antioxidant activity of the ethanol extract from paullinia cupana var. sorbilis mart. (sapindaceae) seeds, commonly called guarana, was assessed towards selected bacteria as well as in different antioxidant models. the extract, at a concentration between 16 and 128 microg/ml, showed a significant antibacterial effect expressed as minimum inhibitory concentration (mic) against both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. in particular, pseudomonas aeruginosa (mic=16 microg ... | 2005 | 16040216 |
| acute effects of guarana (paullinia cupana mart.) on mouse behaviour in forced swimming and open field tests. | guarana, a herbal extract from the seeds of paullinia cupana mart. has been evaluated in comparison with caffeine on mouse behaviour in forced swimming and open field tests. guarana (25 and 50 mg/kg, p.o.) and caffeine (10 and 20 mg/kg, p.o.) each significantly reduced the duration of immobility in the forced swimming test suggesting an antidepressant-like effect in mice. at these doses, neither substance affected ambulation in the open field test. however, a high dose of guarana (100 mg/kg) and ... | 2005 | 16106397 |
| lipid metabolism in trained rats: effect of guarana (paullinia cupana mart.) supplementation. | guarana is widely consumed by athletes, either in supplements or in soft drinks, under the belief that it presents ergogenic and "fat burning" effects. we examined the effect of guarana supplementation (14 days) upon aspects of lipid metabolism in sedentary (c) and trained rats (t). | 2005 | 16182414 |
| protective effects of guarana (paullinia cupana mart. var. sorbilis) against den-induced dna damage on mouse liver. | guarana (paullinia cupana mart. var. sorbilis) is a plant originally from brazil, which is rich in tannins. some tannins are known to present protective effects against dna damage. this study was performed to investigate the anti-genotoxic/cytotoxic properties of guarana in hepatocytes of mice injected with n-nitrosodiethylamine (den). the protective effect of guarana was evaluated both by comet assay and dna smear fragmentation technique in two month-old female balb/c mice. these were treated p ... | 2006 | 16406177 |
| in vitro transdermal delivery of caffeine, theobromine, theophylline and catechin from extract of guarana, paullinia cupana. | extracts of guarana (paullinia cupana) feature as putatively stimulating ingredients in a number of foods, drinks and dietary/herbal supplements. the objective of this work was to investigate in vitro the transdermal delivery of the major pharmacologically active compounds contained in guarana extract. saturated solutions of guarana were prepared in polyethylene glycol 400 (peg400), propylene glycol (pg) and h(2)o at 32 degrees c. guarana extract was also formulated in duro-tak 2287 transdermal ... | 2006 | 16600539 |
| brazilian plants as possible adaptogens: an ethnopharmacological survey of books edited in brazil. | in a survey, from brazilian books, we searched plants that are in popular use for purposes resembling those of an adaptogen. this study focused on 24 books by authors from diverse regions in the country, resulting in a total of 1317 citations of uses related to a possible adaptogen effect from approximately 766 plants. only species native to brazil, cited in at least four books, were selected, resulting a total of 33 species, belonging to 24 families. of these, four species have been studied pre ... | 2007 | 17030478 |
| availability of weight-loss supplements: results of an audit of retail outlets in a southeastern city. | the sale of nonprescription weight-loss products accounts for millions of dollars spent by americans trying to lose weight, yet there is little evidence for effectiveness and there are multiple safety concerns. the purpose of this study was to determine what products, and ingredients within products, were available at retail outlets in a metropolitan area. a purposive sampling strategy identified 73 retail outlets. an audit form was used to collect information from product labels. the audit iden ... | 2006 | 17126636 |
| effect of a commercial extract of paullinia cupana (guarana) on the binding of 99mtc-dmsa on blood constituents: an in vivo study. | we studied the influence of a commercial extract of paullinia cupana (guarana) on the binding of technetium-99m-dimercaptosuccinic acid ((99m)tc-dmsa) on blood constituents. plasma (p) and blood cells (bc) from wistar rats (control and treated) were separated. p and bc were precipitated with trichloroacetic acid (tca) or ammonium sulphate (as) and soluble (sf) and insoluble fractions (if) isolated. the percentage of incorporated radioactivity (%ati) in each fraction was determined. the treatment ... | 2007 | 17350271 |
| effect of lyophilized extracts from guaraná seeds [paullinia cupana var. sorbilis (mart.) ducke] on behavioral profiles in rats. | the aim of the present study was to investigate the pharmacological properties of the crude lyophilized extract (ebpc) of paullinia cupana seeds (guaraná) and the semi-purified extracts (epa and epb) after acute or chronic administration by the oral route in rats. anxiolytic-like, antidepressant-like and motor stimulant effects were evaluated using the plus maze (pmt), forced swimming (fst) and open field (oft) tests, respectively. acute or chronic administration of ebpc (3.0, 30.0 or 60.0 mg/kg ... | 2007 | 17397119 |
| the herbal drug catuama reverts and prevents ventricular fibrillation in the isolated rabbit heart. | catuama, an herbal drug very popular in brazil, was tested on the reversion and prevention of ventricular fibrillation (vf) in the isolated rabbit heart. | 2007 | 17888942 |
| antioxidant capacity and in vitro prevention of dental plaque formation by extracts and condensed tannins of paullinia cupana. | chemical evaluation of the semi-purified fraction from the seeds of guaraná, paullinia cupana h.b.k. var. sorbilis (mart.) ducke, yielded the following compounds: caffeine, catechin, epicatechin, ent-epicatechin, and procyanidins b1, b2, b3, b4, a2, and c1. measurement of the antioxidant activity by reduction of the dpph radical confirmed the anti-radical properties of the aqueous (aqe) and crude (ebpc) extracts and semi-purified (epa and epb) fractions. the epa fraction showed radical-scavengin ... | 2007 | 17960098 |
| paullinia cupana mart var. sorbilis, guaraná, reduces cell proliferation and increases apoptosis of b16/f10 melanoma lung metastases in mice. | we showed that guaraná (paullinia cupana mart var. sorbilis) had a chemopreventive effect on mouse hepatocarcinogenesis and reduced diethylnitrosamine-induced dna damage. in the present experiment, we evaluated the effects of guaraná in an experimental metastasis model. cultured b16/f10 melanoma cells (5 x 10(5) cells/animal) were injected into the tail vein of mice on the 7th day of guaraná treatment (2.0 mg p. cupana/g body weight, per gavage) and the animals were treated with guaraná daily up ... | 2008 | 18392453 |
| acute and subchronic toxicological evaluation of the semipurified extract of seeds of guaraná (paullinia cupana) in rodents. | we evaluated the toxicity of a semipurified extract (epa fraction, containing caffeine and several flavan-3-ols and proanthocyanidins) of seeds of the native amazon plant paullinia cupana (guaraná) in rodents. acute toxicity was tested in male swiss mice, which received different doses orally (or) and intraperitoneally (ip); control groups received water. these tests produced acute mortality, with ld(50) of 1.825 g/kg (or) and 0.827 g/kg (ip), and a significant weight decrease in lungs of mice r ... | 2010 | 20398723 |
| protective effect of guaraná (paullinia cupana var. sorbilis) pre-treatment on cadmium-induced damages in adult wistar testis. | guaraná (paullinia cupana) is an amazonian plant. its antioxidant potential was demonstrated to be due to the high polyphenol concentration. on the other hand, one of the mechanisms underlying cadmium-induced cellular damage is free radical mediated, resulting in increased oxidative processes. this study investigated p. cupana's potential to attenuate cadmium-induced damages in wistar rat testis. adult male wistar rats were either pre-treated with 2 mg/g body weight (bw) of powdered p. cupana se ... | 2011 | 20495888 |
| paullinia cupana mart. var. sorbilis, guarana, increases survival of ehrlich ascites carcinoma (eac) bearing mice by decreasing cyclin-d1 expression and inducing a g0/g1 cell cycle arrest in eac cells. | the objective of this work is to report the antiproliferative effect of p. cupana treatment in ehrlich ascites carcinoma (eac)-bearing animals. female mice were treated with three doses of powdered p. cupana (100, 1000 and 2000 mg/kg) for 7 days, injected with 10(5) eac cells and treated up to day 21. in addition, a survival experiment was carried out with the same protocol. p. cupana decreased the ascites volume (p = 0.0120), cell number (p = 0.0004) and hemorrhage (p = 0.0054). this occurred t ... | 2011 | 20564499 |
| a novel dietary supplement containing multiple phytochemicals and vitamins elevates hepatorenal and cardiac antioxidant enzymes in the absence of significant serum chemistry and genomic changes. | a novel dietary supplement composed of three well-known phytochemicals, namely, salvia officinalis (sage) extract, camellia sinensis (oolong tea) extract, and paullinia cupana (guarana) extract, and two prominent vitamins (thiamine and niacin) was designed to provide nutritional support by enhancing metabolism and maintaining healthy weight and energy. the present study evaluated the safety of this dietary supplement (stg; s=sage; t=tea; g=guarana) and assessed changes in target organ antioxidan ... | 2010 | 20716937 |
| anxiolytic effects of a semipurified constituent of guaraná seeds on rats in the elevated t-maze test. | the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of chronic administration of a semi-purified extract (purified extract a--pea; 4, 8, or 16 mg/kg) of paullinia cupana (guaraná) seeds on rats submitted to the elevated t-maze (etm) model of generalized anxiety and panic disorders. the selective serotonin (5-ht) reuptake inhibitor (ssri) paroxetine (par; 3 mg/kg), was used as a positive control. to evaluate possible serotonergic and dopaminergic neurotransmission involvement in the action ... | 2011 | 20845263 |
| paullinia cupana mart. var. sorbilis protects human dopaminergic neuroblastoma sh-sy5y cell line against rotenone-induced cytotoxicity. | paullinia cupana mart. var. sorbilis, commonly known as guaraná, is a brazilian plant frequently cited for its antioxidant properties and different pharmacological activities on the central nervous system. the potential beneficial uses of guaraná in neurodegenerative disorders, such as in parkinson's disease (pd), the pathogenesis of which is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress, has not yet been assessed. therefore, the main aim of the present study was to evaluate if ... | 2010 | 21081703 |
| endophytic bacterial diversity in the phyllosphere of amazon paullinia cupana associated with asymptomatic and symptomatic anthracnose. | endophytes colonize an ecological niche similar to that of phytopathogens, which make them candidate for disease suppression. anthracnose is a disease caused by colletotrichum spp., a phytopathogen that can infect guarana (paullinia cupana), an important commercial crop in the brazilian amazon. we investigated the diversity of endophytic bacteria inhabiting the phyllosphere of asymptomatic and symptomatic anthracnose guarana plants. the pcr-denaturation gradient gel electrophoresis (pcr-dgge) fi ... | 2015 | 26090305 |
| in vitro effect of paullinia cupana (guaraná) on hydrophobicity, biofilm formation, and adhesion of candida albicans' to polystyrene, composites, and buccal epithelial cells. | in vitro evaluation of the effect of guaraná (guar) on cell surface hydrophobicity (csh), on biofilm formation, and on adhesion of c. albicans to polystyrene, to composite resins, and to buccal epithelial cells (bec). | 2015 | 25543106 |
| endophytic cultivable bacterial community obtained from the paullinia cupana seed in amazonas and bahia regions and its antagonistic effects against colletotrichum gloeosporioides. | guarana (paullinia cupana var. sorbilis) is a plant from the amazonas region with socio-economic importance. however, guarana production has been increasingly affected by unfavorable conditions resulting from anthracnose, caused by the colletotrichum fungal genus, which primarily affects mainly the amazonas region. the aim of the present study was to isolate bacterial endophytes from the seeds of guarana plants obtained from amazonas region and the northeast state of bahia, a region where this d ... | 2016 | 27343372 |
| production of recombinant caffeine synthase from guarana (paullinia cupana var. sorbilis) in escherichia coli. | caffeine synthase (cs) is a methyltransferase responsible for the last two steps of the caffeine biosynthesis pathway in plants. cs is able to convert 7-methylxanthine to theobromine (3,7-dimethylxanthine) and theobromine to caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine) using s-adenosyl-l-methionine as the methyl donor in both reactions. the production of a recombinant protein is an important tool for the characterization of enzymes, particularly when the enzyme has affinity for different substrates. guara ... | 2016 | 26843165 |
| in vitro and in vivo anti-malarial activity of plants from the brazilian amazon. | the anti-malarials quinine and artemisinin were isolated from traditionally used plants (cinchona spp. and artemisia annua, respectively). the synthetic quinoline anti-malarials (e.g. chloroquine) and semi-synthetic artemisinin derivatives (e.g. artesunate) were developed based on these natural products. malaria is endemic to the amazon region where plasmodium falciparum and plasmodium vivax drug-resistance is of concern. there is an urgent need for new anti-malarials. traditionally used amazoni ... | 2015 | 26682750 |
| an apple plus a brazil nut a day keeps the doctors away: antioxidant capacity of foods and their health benefits. | antioxidant-rich foods scavenge free radicals and other reactive species, decreasing the risk of different non-communicable chronic diseases. the objective of this study was to review the content of total antioxidant capacity of commonly foods comparing with experimental data and to explore the health benefits due to foods with moderate to high tac. the tac was analytically measured using the "total antioxidant capacity" (nx2332) test from randox® (uk) by spectrometry at 600 nm. brazil nut (bert ... | 2016 | 26572874 |
| widespread tannin intake via stimulants and masticatories, especially guarana, kola nut, betel vine, and accessories. | tannins are increasingly recognized as dietary carcinogens and as antinutrients interfering with the system's full use of protein. nevertheless, certain tannin-rich beverages, masticatories, and folk remedies, long utilized in african, asiatic, pacific, and latin american countries, are now appearing in north american sundry shops and grocery stores. these include guarana (paullinia cupana hbk.) from brazil, kola nut (cola nitida schott & endl. and c. acuminata schott & endl.) from west africa, ... | 1992 | 1417698 |
| adverse effects of plant food supplements and plants consumed as food: results from the poisons centres-based plantlibra study. | plant food supplements (pfs) are products of increasing popularity and wide-spread distribution. nevertheless, information about their risks is limited. to fill this gap, a poisons centres-based study was performed as part of the eu project plantlibra. multicentre retrospective review of data from selected european and brazilian poisons centres, involving human cases of adverse effects due to plants consumed as food or as ingredients of food supplements recorded between 2006 and 2010. ten poison ... | 2016 | 26948409 |
| adverse effects of plant food supplements self-reported by consumers in the plantlibra survey involving six european countries. | the use of food supplements containing botanicals is increasing in european markets. although intended to maintain the health status, several cases of adverse effects to plant food supplements (pfs) have been described. | 2016 | 26928206 |
| bioavailability of catechins from guaraná (paullinia cupana) and its effect on antioxidant enzymes and other oxidative stress markers in healthy human subjects. | we assessed the effects of guaraná (paullinia cupana) consumption on plasma catechins, erythrocyte antioxidant enzyme activity (superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase) and biomarkers of oxidative stress (ex vivo ldl oxidation, plasma total antioxidant status and orac, and lymphocyte single cell gel electrophoresis) in healthy overweight subjects. twelve participants completed a 15-day run-in period followed by a 15-day intervention with a daily intake of 3 g guaraná seed powde ... | 2016 | 27302304 |
| molecular and biochemical characterization of caffeine synthase and purine alkaloid concentration in guarana fruit. | guarana seeds have the highest caffeine concentration among plants accumulating purine alkaloids, but in contrast with coffee and tea, practically nothing is known about caffeine metabolism in this amazonian plant. in this study, the levels of purine alkaloids in tissues of five guarana cultivars were determined. theobromine was the main alkaloid that accumulated in leaves, stems, inflorescences and pericarps of fruit, while caffeine accumulated in the seeds and reached levels from 3.3% to 5.8%. ... | 2014 | 24856135 |
| guarana: revisiting a highly caffeinated plant from the amazon. | guarana (paullinia cupana kunth var. sorbilis (mart.) ducke) has been traditionally consumed by indigenous communities of the amazon region. it is valued mainly for its stimulant property because of its high content of caffeine, which can be up to 6% in the seeds. | 2013 | 23981847 |
| endophytic fungi from the amazonian plant paullinia cupana and from olea europaea isolated using cassava as an alternative starch media source. | endophytic fungi live inside plants, apparently do not cause any harm to their hosts and may play important roles in defense and growth promotion. fungal growth is a routine practice at microbiological laboratories, and the potato dextrose agar (pda) is the most frequently used medium because it is a rich source of starch. however, the production of potatoes in some regions of the world can be costly. aiming the development of a new medium source to tropical countries, in the present study, we u ... | 2013 | 25674409 |
| herbal remedies. how much do you know? | in this article the importance of knowledge about herbal remedies in general practice is discussed using guarana (paullinia cupana), st john's wort (hypericum perforatum), and gingko (ginkgo biloba) as examples. obtaining information about herbal remedies can be difficult. lack of clinical data about the use, safety, efficacy and general practitioner attitudes to herbal remedies creates research opportunities in this area of general practice. | 1998 | 9845997 |