THE GUARANA OF BRAZIL. 253 



Brazilians. As is to be supposed, it requires both care and accuracy in the 

 process of formation, and it is so highly prized in the Brazilian settlements 

 as to obtain its weight in silver when exported thither. It commands a 

 price ranging from 4s. to 20s. per ounce. 



Guarana is prepared from the seeds of an inga — one of the Mimosacce. 

 Like all the mimosa species it is a low-spreading bushy tree. The fruit is 

 gathered when it is ripe, and the seeds roasted in the legumes intact. They 

 are then taken out, and, after being powdered between stones or mallets, 

 are mixed into a thick paste with water, which is moulded into flat bricks 

 or cakes, and, when dried — which process is accomplished with the heat of 

 the sun — it is ready for use. In this form it will keep good for any length 

 of time, and is always ready when required. In this state it is used for 

 making a drink or beverage, which is prepared by scraping a table- 

 spoonful of powder from the cake, and mixing it with a pint of boiling 

 water. It is made not only for " home use," but also for wholesale con- 

 sumption. 



It has properties, when taken internally, analogous to tea and coffee, 

 producing on the system a stimulating effect. It arouses the intellect, and 

 prevents sleep. It is highly tonic and febrifuge, and is esteemed by many 

 to have properties equal to quinine, especially in cases of intermittent 

 fevers. 



We believe it is only to be obtained in this country on very rare occasions, 

 but it is probable that it will one day become a cheap and useful article, 

 both of diet and medicine, in the homesteads of Britain. — Chemist and 

 Druggist. 



[Guarana is obtained from the seeds of Paullinia Sorlilis. The shape in 

 which we have met with it is in round rolls. It contains a bitter principle, 

 identical with theine. The Brazilians regard the Guarana bread as sto- 

 machic, febrifuge, and aphrodisiac. It is sold all over the country as a 

 necessary for travellers, and a cure for dysentery and many diseases. This 

 substance attracted a good deal of attention amongst the medical profession 

 at Paris, where it is prescribed as a tonic and astringent in cases of nervous 

 headache. According to the analyses of Dr. Stenhouse, F.R.S. (Pharm. 

 Journ., vol. 16, p. 212), guarana is the richest known source of theine, as 

 the following per-centages will show : — Guarana, 5'07 per cent, of theine ; 

 good black tea, 2*13 ; various samples of coffee beans, from 0*8 to 1 per 

 cent. ; dried coffee leaves from Sumatra, T26 ; Paraguay tea (Ilex Para- 

 guayensis), 1"2 per cent. In addition to theine, guarana contains a colour- 

 ing matter, apparently analogous to the tannin in cinchona bark, and 

 also a fatty matter which, like the fat of chocolate, does not appear to 

 become rancid by keeping]. — Editor. 



