For the Kichwa people of the Ecuadorian Amazon, teatime traditions don't require delicate little bite-size sandwiches paired with porcelain cups. Their teatime begins at 3 p.m., when members of the indigenous community gather around a fire to brew guayusa tea; the drink is high in caffeine and has twice the antioxidant content of green tea.
The "super leaf" guayusa does more than provide the villagers with the energy they need to get through the day - it has recently become a sustainable source of income that will bring in a total of $400,000 this year for more than 3,000 families.
We asked Tyler Gage, co-founder of the Runa Foundation, a nonprofit that works with indigenous communities to protect the Amazon rainforest, to talk about guayusa and what the plant means to the Quechua and the world.
About 98% of the world's guayusa is found in Ecuador. It is native to a narrow strip of land in the upper Amazon River, just off the Andes Mountains. It is brewed the same way as tea, but it is not related to green or black tea. Guayusa brews a tea with about the same amount of caffeine as coffee. It is also high in polyphenols, the most common compounds we call antioxidants. It is also very high in chlorogenic acid, which is the hottest and most popular weight loss product and is good for the heart.
[Guayusa] is grown in what the Quechua call chacra, which is basically a forest farm. It uses no fertilizers, no chemicals, nothing. It allows for a sustainable flow of nutrients between species, just like a rainforest can be self-sustaining without human intervention. So it requires very low inputs and replicates the structure of a natural rainforest.
Guayusa extract powder is obtained from the leaves of the Guayusa (lexGuayusa) plant.It has attracted much attentionfor its high caffeine content and potential health benefits.First,let's learn about the Guayusa plant itself.Guayusa is anevergreen tree belonging to the Aquifoliaceae family.Guayusa leaves are oblong with a smooth surface and a distinctmidrib.These characteristic leaves are used to make Guayusa tea and extracts. The extracts contain high concentrationsof active ingredients such as caffeine and antioxidants.A natural stimulant, caffeine helps improve focus and alertnesswhile lowering weariness. Therefore,Guayusa also makes energy drinks and dietary supplements designed to providelong-lasting and precise energy.
