Guarana has anyone tried it?

clairibel

Hiya,

I just wondered if anyone has tried this supplement, i need it for an energy boost instead of caffiene. I gave up coffee then just couldn't cope with the energy slumps and went back to coffee but i would like something more natural if poss and need something to pick me up...does this stuff work?

I have seen some at holland and barrett but just don't want to waste my money if its no good, any feedback greatly recieved :T

RoseFairy

hi. I remember when i used to work in Holland & Barratt while juggling my studies and this was all the rage in the early to mid 90's (wowwhat a long time ago!) anyway, i used to take it then to give me that energy boost (studying and all that etc) and it really did work. you could also try a a B vit supplement - if you are stressed too. (sometimes a bit of marmite - if you like it, may be enough B vits. )

_Andy_

I use Siberian Ginseng and vit b - not all the time but in the run up to racing (as in running). Works well for me - I do each 3 times a day. Not tried guarana.

CAFCGirl

to be honest you need to cut back on the caffeine if its having that much of an effect on you when you dont have it. Your body is addicted and has to go through that come down phase.

You'd be better off working off that, increasing your water intake hugely, eating energy boosting foods and supplementing with something like vit b or guarana, rather than using guarana as a quick fix solution every day. Increasing your daily exercise will help to boost your energy levels as well.

As with most supplements so people's body's absorb them more readily than others.

_Andy_

Agreed. Plus if you do cut back or cut out caffeine, do it very very slowly - withdrawal is pretty nasty.

clairibel

Cheers for the replies, its mad because i only drink one cup of coffee a day sometimes two and i also make sure i drink loads of herbal tea's along with it and i exercise gently walking the dog

I've got an energy based illness and find without coffee i'm fit for nothing and although its artificial energy i know i have a young son, dog and hubbie i need to keep up with. but i also have read that coffee withdrawal can excaberate aches and pains and energy slumps, so if i use the guarana just to keep me on an even keel it may help a bit.

I do think maybe i need to up my b vits as i am a stresshead, i will just use the guarana when desperate for energy then :beer:

CAFCGirl

yeah withdrawal is an utter b**ch......

cut down by one cup a day for a week, then the next week every other day cut down by 2 cups, then by the third week cut down by 2 cups every day, repeat for the fourth week and then fifth week cut down by another cup..... thats generally a good level of cut down by gradually so you dont suffer too much but you really need to drink so much more water....more than the 2l recommended....

doing a further cleanse/detox for the body will help as well so like a hot salts bath, draw it out through the skin.... and be prepared for a lot more bathrooms trips

CAFCGirl

clairibel wrote: »

Cheers for the replies, its mad because i only drink one cup of coffee a day sometimes two and i also make sure i drink loads of herbal tea's along with it and i exercise gently walking the dog

I've got an energy based illness and find without coffee i'm fit for nothing and although its artificial energy i know i have a young son, dog and hubbie i need to keep up with. but i also have read that coffee withdrawal can excaberate aches and pains and energy slumps, so if i use the guarana just to keep me on an even keel it may help a bit.

I do think maybe i need to up my b vits as i am a stresshead, i will just use the guarana when desperate for energy then :beer:

Apologies for my last post, i thought you were on say 8 cups a day :eek:

You will go through a slump coming off coffee, theres no two ways about it really but there are ways of managing it, and cutting down the time it takes to rid your system of it.
What herbal teas are you drinking?
And whats your overall diet like?

terra_ferma

Back in the days... I had a Brazilian friend (male) who used Guarana to ehm... improve performance in a certain area....

He swore that to be fully effective you had to drink the powder, not take capsules.
It was unsoluble, just floating on top of the water, and disgusting!
As you can imagine this fade did not last long for me...

But he swore that it really helped with energy levels.

jenniewb

I used to and sometimes do still take guarana, works well but can cause sleeplessness so best before 1pm IMO. Not quite the same fast paced speeing feeling you can get with caffiene though but a nice slower sort of awake feeling.

terra_ferma

I'd like to give it a go again, as people here find it so effective.
Do you use capsules, powder, or other types?