9 Impressive Health Benefits of Guayusa You Didn't Know | Herbal Goodness
Guayusa is one of the trees that has its roots in the Amazon Forest. Ecuador is a major supplier of Guayusa. In fact, Ecuador natives have been eating and drinking Guayusa leaf products and Guayusa tea for decades. The tea is so loved that people in the Amazon drink the tea daily.
Exploring the History of Guayusa Amazon
It's almost like a morning ritual in parts of the world. For example, Ecuador's Jivaro tribe drank Guayusa tea early in the morning. They told stories while they enjoyed the Guayusa leaf tea.1 It was the Jivaro who referred to the Guayusa plant as "night Watchman". The name "night Watchman" stuck because the Jivaro discovered that the plant helped them to stay awake.
As someone who cares about her health, you may have heard the Guayusa Amazon plant referred to as Ilex Guayusa. Some people love Guayusa, whether they eat its dried leaves, one of the ways that Herbal Goodness, manufactures and offers Guayusa. Other people love drinking a cup of Guayusa leaf tea in the morning or afternoon.
Although Guayusa has more caffeine than green tea, it has less caffeine than coffee. Even more, Guayusa caffeine offers a gentle, relaxing feeling instead of the jittery, uneasy feeling that you might get from coffee. It's the amino acid, L-theanine that provides this calm, relaxing experience.
Early Beneficiaries of Organic Guayusa
Before we get to the 9 health benefits of Guayusa leaves, let's explore how the Guayusa plant came to be discovered and used by so many people around the world. To begin, Ecuador's Kichwa people seemed to receive the answer to their prayer to receive a plant that would "teach them to dream".2
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After consuming the Guayusa plant, Ecuador natives believed that the plant was a link to the dream world. It was as if drinking the tea opened them to different experiences. Before long, the plant was being consumed by more people. In 2008, few people outside Ecuador were drinking Guayusa tea or eating the Guayusa leaf. Now, the annual Guayusa leaves production is at about one million pounds.2
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Organic Health Benefits of Guayusa
That's a big uptick, and for good reason. Check out these 9 health benefits of Guayusa leaves:
- Natural energy - The Guayusa plant is a natural energy booster. Because the plant has less caffeine than coffee, it may offer a safer start to your day.
- Dream support - Drinking the tea or eating the leaves could help you to remember your dreams.
- Antioxidant - Helps to remove harmful oxidants from the body.
- Mood booster - Theobromine in the plant helps to boost mood.
- Alertness - The combination of theobromine and caffeine in the plant can help you to stay alert.
- Blood Sugar - Guayusa could help to stabilize blood sugar, especially if one consumes the plant for 30 days or longer.
- Weight Loss - Because Guayusa has helped people to curb their appetite, eating or drinking the leaves could help you to lose weight.
- Coffee Alternative - A big plus that comes with drinking Guayusa leaf tea is the reduced amount of caffeine that you consume versus the amount of caffeine that you get while drinking coffee.
- Concentration - A specific brain support benefit associated with Guayusa is concentration.
- As an added benefit, you also get zinc, vitamin D, vitamin C, potassium and calcium with the guayusa leaf.
Related: 9 Impressive Health Benefits of Guayusa You Didn't Know
It's not every day that you come across a purely natural product like the Guayusa plant that offers so many amazing benefits. As a time-saver, you could get Guayusa leaf liquid extract. Additionally, you could snack on dried Guayusa leaves.
Where to Get Organic Guayusa Leaves?
References:
- Fox News. Guayusa: The New Tea In Town. Updated October 27, 2015. Accessed February 28, 2020.
- National Geographic. Ecuador's "Superleaf" Tea: Could It Replace Your Afternoon Coffee. Emma Weissmann. Published July 4, 2014. Accessed February 28, 2020.