58901d48c3c4db4fd4e849ce<br />Runa - Clean Energy Zero Guayasa Drink Original with Lime - 12 oz. (355 mL)<br />Runa Clean Energy Zero Guayasa Drink Original with Lime is a concentrated brew of guayusa with a hint of lime. Lightly carbonated and naturally filled to the brim with antioxidants and caffeine， it gives you the energy you need without any sugar or artificial chemicals.&nbsp;One can of RUNA Clean Energy has&nbsp;171 mg of caffeine and a clean， smooth taste. The kicker? It all comes naturally from a brewed leaf   not a lab. <br />Guayusa (gwhy-you-sa)is a native Amazonian super-leaf that has no tannins， creating a surprisingly smooth and clean taste without sugar or artificial sweeteners. Guayusa gives you clean energy by balancing as much caffeine as a cup of coffee with double the antioxidants of leading green tea products. Indigenous people in the Ecuadorian Amazon have brewed guayusa like tea for thousands of years as an essential part of what makes them "Runa" - fully alive.<br />EnergyGuayusa gives you a unique kind of energy， different from what you get from coffee or traditional energy drinks.&nbsp;They think of it as "clean energy"   it's how&nbsp;they describe what Amazonian hunters call the "mental strength and courage" they get from drinking guayusa. The compounds in guayusa give you sustained and focused energy. There are no harsh chemicals. No feeling burned out later. Just organic， healthy energy from a leaf. Drink guayusa to get the energy you want now without sacrificing how you feel later. Not all energy is created equal   keep yours clean.<br />HealthGuayusa contains twice the antioxidants of green tea. These compounds neutralize free radicals and may help prevent premature aging. It also contains chlorogenic acids， which have been reported to contribute to cardiovascular health， help reduce high blood pressure， and regulate body weight. In addition， guayusa contains 15 essential amino acids and has ferulic acid， which can help improve blood circulation.<br />GrowingGuayusa is grown in biodiverse agroforestry plots， or chakras. To the untrained eye， these  forest gardens' look like pristine natural rainforest， though， to the farmers who cultivate them， they are highly managed agricultural plots combining a diverse mix of plants. Guayusa is a shade-grown plant   meaning it needs the shade of other trees to fully develop   and flourishes in this setting.<br />After a long history of cultivation， guayusa no longer naturally reproduces. New trees are planted from cuttings. This process involves taking part of a branch from an existing tree and placing it in rich soil. New cuttings reach productivity approximately 3 years after planting， when they grow to a height of about 8 feet. Runa regularly purchases fresh leaves from Kichwa farmers.&nbsp;They then dry and mill the leaves in our processing facility in the small town of Archidona， in the Napo Province of Ecuador. The leaves are air-dried (they do not use burning wood in the drying process).<br />Tradidtional UsesTraditionally， indigenous Kichwa families wake up before dawn and gather around a communal fire to drink gourds of guayusa. During this early-morning ritual， community members share dreams， myths， and legends. Several myths recount how the guayusa plant taught human beings how to dream， and throughout the morning shamans interpret dreams from the previous night.<br />Hunters also drink guayusa before nighttime hunting trips in order to heighten their senses of awareness and focus. Drinking guayusa enables them to get more in touch with the surrounding environment， allowing them to hunt safely in the jungle. For this reason guayusa is known as "The Night Watchman."<br />In contrast to many indigenous communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon that grow coffee or tea (plants imported from other parts of the world)， the Kichwa people grow guayusa， a native plant of immense cultural importance and mythological significance. Growing guayusa and sharing it with an international community is a powerful way for the Kichwa people to observe traditional cultural practices and recognize important values they hold in the modern world.<br /><br />&nbsp;<br />Guayusa The PlantGuayusa (botanical name ilex guayusa ) is not related to the camellia sinensis plant， the parent of white， green， oolong， and black teas. It is one of three caffeinated holly trees that exist in the world， and is a distant cousin of Yerba Mat  (ilex paraguariensis). Guayusa leaves have a smooth ribbed edge， similar to the distinctive shape of a holly tree leaf (but without the spikes). Very large in size， guayusa leaves can reach over 15 cm in length (about as long as your hand). Guayusa trees can reach a height of over 50 feet and live to be over 100 years old. They tend to produce lots of small trunks on one bush， and therefore are full of leaves (perfect for harvesting). While guayusa is endemic to the Upper Amazon regions of Ecuador， Peru， and Colombia， it is estimated that over 98% of the guayusa trees in the world are located in Ecuador.<br />Interestingly，