Waysa: what is Waysa? Origins, tradition, effects and more
Introduction
In this article, we look at what Waysa is. This increasingly popular drink is used by many people as an alternative to coffee and energy drinks, and there are good reasons for that. First, though, we’ll explore the plant’s origins and history and describe its traditional use by the Indigenous Kichwa people of Ecuador.
If you’re not interested in the history, you can use the contents list to jump straight to the section you’re looking for.
Contents
- What is Waysa?
- Waysa constituents
- Effects of Waysa
- Recipes – your own Waysa energy drink
- Buy Waysa
- Conclusion
1. What is Waysa?
Waysa is one of several names for Guayusa, a plant from the Amazon rainforest. The Indigenous Kichwa people mainly use it as a natural energy drink. Other peoples also call the plant Wais or Wayus.
Outside Indigenous communities, Waysa is known as Guayusa. We’ll use the name Waysa in this article, although most of the articles on our blog use the name Guayusa.
1.1. Origins & history
Waysa can be found in the western Amazon region, from Colombia to Peru, and grows at elevations of 200 to 2,600 metres above sea level. This wide distribution is linked to the Napo River, which rises in Ecuador and flows north towards Colombia and south towards Peru. In this region, Waysa is mainly found in so-called forest gardens—areas managed by people.
Although the plant was first described botanically in 1901, hardly any publications about this fascinating plant appeared before 2009. Since then, several studies have described its constituents and effects, providing evidence for what the Kichwa describe as a “state of focused, relaxed alertness”.
1.2. Kichwa
The Kichwa are by far the main users of the Waysa plant, which plays an important role in their culture as a medicinal plant, a ritual plant and a practical everyday resource. Every Kichwa family has at least a handful of Waysa plants growing in its forest garden or around the home.
Use & tradition
Kichwa people still drink Waysa every day as a kind of tea. The leaves are boiled in water, and the resulting drink is served. Waysa is sometimes compared with yerba mate. However, Waysa tea is brewed in a separate pot, and only the tea is poured out. By contrast, mate is served in a cup with the crushed leaves and hot water together; a straw keeps the leaves from being drunk as well.
Waysa plays an important part in the everyday life of Kichwa families and the wider community. Preparing it for the family is generally the women’s responsibility. Within a family, this task usually falls to the daughter-in-law; for a major community gathering, all the women of the community take responsibility.
Traditionally, Waysa is drunk in the early morning, before sunrise, to begin the day. During these gatherings, people interpret dreams, sew clothes, weave fishing nets, make tools, assign the day’s tasks, share the elders’ wisdom and teach children new things. Punishments and strengthening practices are also carried out. It is generally a time for the community to come together and make collective decisions. Festivals and competitions are even held in the name of Waysa or Guayusa.
Because of its stimulating effect, the tea is mainly used as a pick-me-up, but the Kichwa also use it as a:
- stomach tonic
- diuretic
- remedy for flu
- headache remedy
- aphrodisiac
- anti-inflammatory
- mosquito repellent
- anti-ageing skin treatment
- mixer for alcoholic drinks
Lucid dreaming
One widespread use is to encourage lucid dreaming. Guayusa can help keep us focused and alert during the day as a stimulant, while also making dreams more vivid; for this reason, the Kichwa drink it before sleep as a dream herb. Read more in our detailed article “Lucid dreams – how to learn lucid dreaming: techniques & guide”.
2. Waysa constituents
Waysa has, by far, the most caffeine-rich leaves in the world. They contain up to 7.6% caffeine—far more than matcha and even more than the guarana fruit.
What makes it special, though, is the unique combination of all its active compounds, not caffeine alone. Together, the following compounds give the tea the effects that have made it so popular.
You can find more information about each of these active compounds in the linked articles. L-theanine is especially noteworthy because this compound occurs only in Guayusa, the tea plant and a mushroom. It is therefore a rare active compound.
3. Effects of Waysa
We have described the effects in detail in a separate article, as doing so here would make this article too long. You’ll find all the key information in our article “Guayusa tea effects – everything you need to know about Guayusa”. Here, we’ll give you a brief overview.
As mentioned above, Waysa can be both invigorating and focusing, as well as relaxing. That may sound contradictory for the world’s most caffeinated drink, but anyone who has tried Waysa knows what we mean. Waysa should be drunk in the morning on an empty stomach to provide sustained energy throughout the day, which can be noticeable during mental and physical challenges.
Its effects differ from those of coffee, mate, matcha and guarana. It causes neither a caffeine rush nor a caffeine crash.
4. Recipes – make your own Waysa energy drink
You can buy the Waysa leaves as packaged tea and prepare them at home. The good thing is that the leaves contain no bitter compounds and are easy to prepare. You don’t need to pay attention to steeping times or water temperature.
We show you step by step how to prepare your own organic energy drink in this article: “How to make a Waysa energy drink: recipe & preparation!”
In short:
- Boil 9 g in 1 litre of water
- Strain the tea
- Add raw cane sugar and
- a squeeze of lemon to taste.
5. Buy Waysa
You can buy original Waysa tea, also known as Guayusa tea, in our shop. GUYA is Germany’s first start-up to distribute Waysa/Guayusa in Europe, and we work directly with farmers in Ecuador, without intermediaries. On our YouTube channel, our short documentaries filmed on location show you the cultivation and processing, as well as the biodiversity, environmentally conscious growing methods and fair collaboration.
6. Conclusion
Waysa is commonly pronounced Guayusa (Gwhy-You-Sa). Its distinctive effects compare favourably with those of other stimulants, and its use is becoming increasingly popular.
As Waysa is a rainforest plant, before buying it you should look carefully at how it is grown and trust only companies that disclose their work transparently and in a verifiable way. The Amazon region is unnecessarily shrinking each year by an area the size of Austria. In view of this, it is important to buy only from companies that support additional reforestation and already use biodiversity-friendly growing methods for their products.
With the code “BLOG-5”, you can get 5% off permanently in our shop. As a member of our newsletter community, you even get 10% off all products, without reducing the amount paid or donated to our communities in Ecuador!