Guayusa - Whole Leaf - Unique variety 100 grams : Ilex guayusa

Ilex guayusa, commonly known as "guayusa" or "wayusa" (prounced "why-you-suh"), is an Amazonian tree of the holly genus, native to the Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest. “The Jivaro say guayusa is so habituating that before it is offered to a visitor, she is warned that once she drinks it, she will ever after return to the Ecuadorian Jungle” - Michael Harner Biological descriptions Three species of hollies yield caffeine. The best known is yerba maté, Ilex paraguariensis, the national drink of Argentina. A second is known in the Carolinas as yaupon holly, or the Black Drink, Ilex vomitoria, the only caffeine plant native to North America. The third and by far the most mysterious is Ilex guayusa. A tall tree native to the eastern montaña of Ecuador and Peru, yet sporadic in distribution, it has been collected only rarely by botanists is known almost exclusively as a cultivated plant. According to Harvard ethnobotanist Tim Plowman, it has never been found in flower. As a testament to guayusa's revered status throughout South America, a 1,500-year-old bundle of guayusa leaves was found by famous Harvard Ethnobotanist Richard Evans Schultes in a medicine man's tomb high in the Bolivian Andes, far beyond the natural range of the plant. [edit] Uses In addition to drinking cups of guayusa like many Americans drink coffee, indigenous hunters will drink guayusa to sharpen their instincts and call it the “Night Watchman" because it helps them stay alert and awake all night. For many Ecuadorian indigenous people, the morning drinking of guayusa is a social ritual. The leaves are boiled to produce a tea; due to the high caffeine content, the same leaves are often used multiple times, sometimes for several days. Fresh leaves are used as well as dried leaves, which are dried in rolls and strung together as a wreath resembling a Hawaiian lei. [edit] Chemical constituents In addition to caffeine, guayusa also contains guanidine, a proven antihyperglycemic and antihypertensive compound that stabilizes blood sugar levels and relaxes the body. Functioning as a balanced stimulant, the Kichwa also say that guayusa promotes restful sleep and good dreams. Unlike coffee, it is said to be good for excessive acidity and other problems in the stomach and bile. It is both energizing and relaxing at the same time and develops mental strength. The plant can "contain more than 2.0% caffeine"[1], but most reports claim it has approximately 1.57% caffeine by dry weight.