da Costa Miranda, V., Trufelli, D. C., Santos, J., Campos, M. P., Nobuo, M., da Costa Miranda, M., . . . del Giglio, A. (2009). Effectiveness of guaraná (Paullinia cupana) for postradiation fatigue and depression: results of a pilot double-blind randomized study. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 15, 431–433.

To evaluate the effectiveness of guaraná in fatigue and depression in 36 patients with breast cancer undergoing adjuvant radiotherapy.

Patients were randomized to 75 mg guaraná daily or placebo for two weeks, and then switched to the opposite treatment for the last two weeks of radiotherapy. Randomization was centralized by a pharmacist.

• The final sample size was 36 patients.
• Mean age was 59 years for the experimental group and 57 years for the control group.
• All participants were women.
• Patients were diagnosed with early stage breast cancer for which adjuvant radiotherapy was indicated.

Patients were recruited at Faculdade de Medicina da Fundação do ABC.

The study was a randomized, controlled crossover trial.

• Patients completed the Chalder Fatigue Scale, the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) Scale II.
• These assessments were conducted immediately before first radiotherapy, at switching, and right before the start of the last radiotherapy treatment.

No significant differences existed between the two groups on any of the scales. In addition, no side effects were reported from the guaraná.

This study showed no effect from guaraná on fatigue for this population.

The study used patients who reported no fatigue at the beginning of the study.

A currently fatigued population may be worth exploring with guaraná. Patients using guaraná for fatigue should be educated about the research findings.