✦ Guayusa · in one breath ✦
A calm energy that holds twelve hours, no crash no crack — the fire lit before the day, the heart open.
⊹ The path of the plant
⊹ Community voices
What the community murmurs.
Average · 96 reviews
Breakdown
My new coffee replacement… I love this tea, an amazing boost to start my day, a little racy for the first few minutes but that’s just me in general, like a sketch from the Benny Hill Show and then you can feel your brain clicking into place. Focus is great; I’m getting so much more done in my crammed day , motivation is back as it should be. I highly recommend if you need a decent morning boost without the headaches and speedy feeling I used to get with guarna!!
Dorit Phipps
Daily · 2 February 2023
I had never tasted Guayusa but it already attracted me strangely and I can tell you that I have never consumed so much and like to consume one of your herbs so much from the first day of receipt, especially without knowing. This plant is absolutely extraordinary and its taste is highly pleasant by remaining subtle. I was looking for something relaxing and energizing at the same time and it does so much more! It feeds me with immense positivity, joy. It is the only energizing plant or one of the only ones that does not cause me either any heart palpiations (while I have a breath in the heart and it beats very fast) or stress, unlike kanna it succeeds me really well. Thank you again and sorry for the last time .c was not my day. You are super.ne change anything!
Nébuleuse
Daily · 27 November 2021
Immense power is contained in these leaves. Real euphoric, naturally and concentration is through the roof with this one and slight minty aftertaste ahhh much desirable.
Patrick
Daily · 8 March 2021
Ask the Forest about Guayusa
276 books digested, 90,000 indexed passages. She answers on lineages, synergies, cautions, ritual variations.
The community space of Guayusa.
Voices, circles, practitioners, offerings — gathered around this plant.
Enter the Temple →⊹ FREQUENT QUESTIONS ⊹
We answer.
What is guayusa?
Guayusa (Ilex guayusa) is a holly of western Amazonia, cousin of yerba mate, whose leaves are caffeinated. The Shuar and Achuar peoples of Ecuador drink her every morning, in circle, before dawn — to awaken together and share the night's dreams. She gives long, ample energy, without the peak or the crash of coffee.
How much caffeine does guayusa contain?
The leaves typically contain 1.7 to 1.8% caffeine, sometimes 3 to 4%, with a record 7.6% recorded on a wild plant. A cup brings a clear awakening but spread over several hours. She is a powerful caffeinated plant, to reserve for the morning and the daytime.
What's the difference between guayusa and coffee?
Coffee arrives like a discharge and leaves like a crash. Guayusa carries her caffeine differently — a wide and long awakening, without the aggressive peak or the rebound. Her note is gentle, vegetal, slightly bitter, less tannic than tea. Many adopt her as a morning coffee alternative.
How do I prepare guayusa?
The Shuar lineage boils dried leaves on low heat, at least ten minutes, ideally half an hour to an hour; five leaves for one cup is an ancient reference. For daily use, infuse two teaspoons five to ten minutes in simmering water. The resin paste dissolves from a knife tip in a warm or lukewarm drink.
Does guayusa help remember dreams?
Among the Shuar and Achuar, guayusa is drunk upon waking to keep the thread between night and day. Tradition lends her "small dreams" — brief, clear, readable — and holds it as a good omen to see guayusa boil abundantly in dream. It is an everyday oneiromancy, not a plant of the nocturnal journey.
Can guayusa be drunk in the evening?
No. Guayusa awakens and keeps awake — she is a plant of morning and daytime, never an evening herbal tea. Tradition takes her at dawn, and modern use places her before mid-afternoon to avoid disturbing sleep.
Does guayusa have contraindications?
Like any source of caffeine, she should be approached with caution in case of caffeine sensitivity, anxiety, hypertension or heart disorders, and strongly limited or avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding. She is not recommended for children. When in doubt, ask a healthcare professional's advice.
Where does INFUSE's guayusa come from?
INFUSE sources guayusa in Ecuador, her original land, in organic culture, with quality control carried out in France on the lot. The supply chain details (harvester, community, lot, certification) are in process of confirmation and will be published once established.
⊹ Chapter · Questions ⊹
Ask, answer, share.
One question, one answer — sometimes several voices. The community answers first; INFUSE steps in when it should.
« Every plant is a door. Guayusa opens onto a long companionship — listen to it more than you measure it. »