Guarana

Guarana, from the seeds of a plant belonging to the genus Paullinia (natural order Sapindaceæ), from whose seeds Guarana Bread, a kind of food, is prepared by the Guaranis and other savages of Brazil. P. sorbilis is the species which yields the paste called Guarana bread. It is made in round or oblong cakes, which are regarded in all parts of Brazil as very efficacious in the cure of many disorders, and which contain, besides other substances, some of them nutritious, a considerable quantity of a substance supposed to be identical with theine or caffeine. It has been used medically in the United States and Europe. The Brazilians pound the Guarana bread, sometimes called 'Brazilian cocoa,' in water, sweeten it, and use it as a stomachic and febrifuge. It is also reputed aphrodisiac.—The genus Paullinia contains several species remarkable for their extremely poisonous properties. In the bark, leaves, and fruit of P. pinnata abounds a principle which slowly but surely causes death, and is employed for that purpose by the Brazilians; the dangerous Lechequana honey is obtained from P. australis; and from P. cupana, a native of the banks of the Orinoco, an intoxicating drink is procured.