Guarana (Portuguese guaraná) (ɡu̯a.ra.'na, [ɡu̯a.ɾa.'na] or [ɡu̯a.'ɹa.na]), Paullinia cupana (syn. P. crysan, P. sorbilis), is a climbing plant in the Sapindaceae family, native to the Amazon basin and especially common in Brazil. While guarana features large leaves and clusters of flowers, it is best known for its fruit, which is about the size of a coffee berry. Each fruit harbors one seed which contains approximately five times as much caffeine as coffee beans. Bennett Alan Weinberg, and Bonnie K.Bealer, The World of Caffeine: The Science and Culture of the World's Most Popular Drug (New York: Routledge, 2001) 259-60 This plant, as is generally the case with caffeine, evolved such a concentration because caffeine is poisonous to and repels pests that would otherwise eat or damage the berries. The guarana fruit's color ranges from brown to red and contains black seeds which are partly covered by white arils. The color contrast when the fruit has been split open has been likened to eyeballs; this has formed the basis of a myth. (more)
Type: bio species
Genres: biology, health, cooking, science, business
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Caffeine:
Caffeine is a bitter white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a psychoactive stimulant drug and a mild diuretic (speeds up urine production) in humans and other animals. Caffeine was discovered by a German chemist, Friedrich Ferdinand Runge,
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Yerba mate:
Yerba mate / Erva-mate * , Ilex paraguariensis, is a species of holly (family Aquifoliaceae) native to subtropical South America in Argentina, eastern Paraguay, western Uruguay and southern Brazil. The yerba mate plant is a shrub or small tree growin
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Xanthine:
Xanthine ( ), (3,7-dihydro-purine-2,6-dione), is a purine base found in most body tissues and fluids and in other organisms.
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Theobromine:
Theobromine, also known as xantheose, is a bitter alkaloid of the cacao plant, found in chocolate. It is in the methylxanthine class of chemical compounds, which also includes the similar compounds theophylline and caffeine. Despite its name, the com
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Superfruit:
Superfruit, a marketing term first used in the food and beverage industry in 2005, refers to a fruit having exceptional nutrient richness and antioxidant quality with appealing taste. To date, superfruits have been developed mainly as juices, but beg
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Brazil:
Brazil (Brasil), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (República Federativa do Brasil) , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democr
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Portuguese language:
Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain) and northern Portugal from the Latin spoken by romanized Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula (namely the Gallaeci, the Lusitanians, the Cel
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Protein:
Proteins are large organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of adjacent amino acid residues. The sequence of amino acids in a protein is defined by a g
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Seed:
A seed (in some plants, referred to as a kernel) is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fert
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Tea:
Tea is an infusion made by steeping processed leaves, buds, or twigs of the tea bush, Camellia sinensis, in hot water for several minutes, after which it is then drunk. The processing can include oxidation, heating, drying, and the addition of other
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