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Guayusa: A Healthy Energy Source

October 18, 2021

What is Guayusa?

Guayusa leaves are harvested from a type of holly tree native to the Amazon rainforest and are widely grown in Ecuador. The earliest uses⁵ of Guayusa dates back to the year 500 A.D. Guayusa has gained popularity in recent years and continues to be used for its amazing benefits. So, what can Guayusa do for you?    


Health Benefits

Guayusa leaves contain a compound called theobromine. This powerful compound has been shown to possibly stabilize mood, promote alertness, and concentration⁴. Like other plants, Guayusa contains catechins which are responsible for the high quantities of antioxidants. Antioxidants fight off free radicals, which can breed stress in the body. Antioxidants can serve the body to combat inflammatory responses¹, heart disease⁶, and the development of cancer, amongst other things².

What separates Guayusa from other caffeine sources is that its catechins allow the caffeine to be released slowly in the body, creating longer-lasting energy. A clinical study³ found that people who used Guayusa had less increase in the chemical epinephrine, which provokes an adrenaline response, in comparison to people who drank coffee. Lower levels of epinephrine means that caffeine from Guayusa offers a lower risk of side effects such as shakiness, anxiousness, and crashes that are typical of caffeine sources like coffee. Guayusa’s natural caffeine promotes greater mental clarity, rather than a short-lived caffeine buzz. It also contains a high amount of amino acids, more than in green tea. 

Uses

You may be wondering, what does Guayusa taste like? It has bright green leaves, giving it a fresh, herbal taste that is subtly sweet and less bitter than other similar tea leaves. It is used in its dried form for steeping or as a powder for blending.

  • Guayusa leaves can be steeped as a tea
  • Guayusa powder or extract can be added to smoothies and other drinks, along with oatmeal and smoothie bowls.
  • Guayusa can be used as an alternative to coffee and energy drinks, given its natural caffeine content


How does GOF use Guayusa?

Our founder, Lisa, discovered the unique power of Guayusa for herself after her son brought home the leaves in a crumpled paper bag from a service trip in Ecuador. He told her that they often steeped the leaves in the afternoon for an energized treat. Soon, Lisa began mixing it with her organic, cold-pressed juices that she was already making for Garden of Flavor. After a while, she decided that the rich components of Guayusa needed to be shared; she created Garden of Flavor’s Cold-Pressed Energy Elixirs—see the benefits for yourself by grabbing one today!

 

 

 

 

Sources

  1. Fan, Fei-Yan, et al. “Catechins and Their Therapeutic Benefits to Inflammatory Bowel Disease.”Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), MDPI, 19 Mar. 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6155401/.
  2. Higdon , J.V. “Tea Catechins and Polyphenols: Health Effects, Metabolism, and Antioxidant Functions.”Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2003, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12587987/.
  3. Krieger DR, Kalman DS, et al.. “The Safety, Pharmacokinetics, and Nervous System Effects of Two Natural Sources of Caffeine in Healthy Adult Males.”Clinical and Translational Science, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 20 June 2016, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27320048/.
  4. Mitchell ES, Slettenaar M, et al.. “Differential Contributions of Theobromine and Caffeine on Mood, Psychomotor Performance and Blood Pressure.”Physiology & Behavior, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 4 Aug. 2011, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21839757/.
  5. “Origin and History of Guayusa Tea: 🌿 Guayusa.org.”Guayusa, 22 Sept. 2021, https://guayusa.org/origin-history-guayusa/.
  6. Villacís-Chiriboga J;García-Ruiz A, et al., . “Changes in Phytochemical Composition, Bioactivity and in Vitro Digestibility of Guayusa Leaves (Ilex Guayusa Loes.) in Different Ripening Stages.”Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 24 Nov. 2017, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28906554/.