guayusa

[gwahy-yoo-suh, wahy-]

noun

1. a tree, Ilex guayusa , native to the rainforest in the upper Amazon river basin.

2. the leaves of this tree, containing caffeine, theobromine, theophylline, and other compounds, prepared as a tea and used as a stimulant.

Word History and Origins

Origin of guayusa¹

First recorded in 1850–55; from Spanish, likely from a Jívaro language

Example Sentences

London-based Three Spirit makes non-alcoholic drinks with more than 60 ingredients, including guayusa and schisandra, an Asian berry, that it says mimic the sense of relaxation and social lubrication that drinkers get from beer, wine and spirits.

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Multiple companies are making non-alcoholic spirits and beers infused with ingredients like guayusa, a leaf containing caffeine and antioxidants.

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For those nights when dinner is the prelude to a party, Three Spirit Livener, a tongue-tinglingly spicy watermelon and pomegranate spirit, will let you shake off that four course food coma; the ginseng, guayusa, and natural caffeine combo packs quite a punch.

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Under the guidance of local shamans, families wake up before dawn each day and gather to drink a stimulating guayusa tea to induce vomiting, which they believe has a purifying effect.

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Garden of Flavor, a maker of cold-pressed juices, has a line of Energy Elixirs, which contain probiotics and guayusa leaf, a cousin of yerba mate.

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