New Research Shows Guarana Can Help Enhance Cognitive Function

As a refresher, guarana is a small, round berry that's native to Brazil, according to nutritional psychiatrist Uma Naidoo, M.D.

As Naidoo previously told mindbodygreen, guarana has been used for thousands of years by Indigenous communities in the Amazon2 for its naturally stimulating effects.

Traditionally, the powder of guarana seeds, in particular, is consumed in tea or mixed into beverages, Naidoo says, adding, "But in the modern market, it's largely available in energy [drinks] and soft drinks.

So for this study, researchers wanted to review the existing research on guarana seeds, particularly looking at how consumption of guarana seeds affected factors like cognition tests, performance time, accuracy, etc.

The team identified eight placebo-controlled studies that met the inclusion criteria, providing data on 328 participants. This review and meta-analysis showed that guarana ingestion resulted in faster performance during a variety of cognitive tasks—without affecting the accuracy—compared to those participants who took a placebo.

Not only has guarana been shown to improve cognition, but as a botanical ingredient, it also offers an impressive cocktail of native antioxidant compounds, including caffeine. Collectively, these bioactives are responsible for guarana's valuable whole-body benefits.

And if you want to feel those benefits yourself but you're wondering where to get it, you can find guarana seed as an extract in some nootropic supplements3, like capsules and tablets. You'll also want to look for the botanical genus and species Paullinia cupana on the label, along with the plant part (i.e., seed extract).