Historically the high caffeine seeds of these reddish-brown fruits were made into tea by shelling and washing the seeds, followed by pounding them into a fine powder. The powder was then worked into a dough and rolled into cylinder shapes. The result was guarana bread or Brazilian cocoa, which would be grated and then covered with hot water and sweetened with sugar. More recently guarana is used in sweetened or carbonated soft drinks and energy shots, as an ingredient of herbal tea or inserted into capsules. South America obtains most of its caffeine from guarana but Western countries are now beginning to value the use of guarana in various energy and superfruit products. The fruit itself has white flesh and black seeds.
