A MOM & DAUGHTER
PROJECT:
GIVING BACK TO OUR MOTHERLAND
HOLA!
We’re Diana and Yeny, the founders of WARMI.
This is the enchanting story of how Guayusa called us on a mission to share its magic
My mom Yeny and I are thrilled to introduce Guayusa, which offers numerous benefits for vitality and helps conserve Ecuador’s Amazon Rainforest.
Together, we founded WARMI in 2017, officially launching at Lucidity Festival in Santa Barbara, California. I served Guayusa to hundreds of kindred spirits in a pop-up tea lounge nestled within a stunning giant owl art installation. It was an epic experience, surrounded by a beautiful community eager to learn about Guayusa as they gathered around my table.
A year prior, while living in Los Angeles, I volunteered with a community focused on interconnectivity, indigenous traditions, healing music, cacao ceremonies, and education about Amazonian plant medicines. It was during this time that I first tasted Guayusa and was amazed to discover it came from Ecuador, my birthplace.
Meanwhile, my mom was visiting family in Ecuador. One day, feeling sluggish at a local café, she asked the staff for a drink to boost her energy. They enthusiastically recommended Guayusa: “Tome agua de Guayusa!” they said—“Drink water of Guayusa!” They explained that it not only energizes but also offers many health benefits.
Intrigued, she tried it and loved it so much that she brought back several packages of loose-leaf Guayusa to share with our family in Miami. When I visited for the holidays, I mentioned feeling tired due to jet lag, and she promptly introduced me to Guayusa—the very same brew I had tried in LA while she was in Ecuador.
Fast forward a few hours—we were dancing to our favorite 80s music! I asked what’s in this magical drink that filled me with so much joy and energy? I also noticed how it wasn’t the jittery buzz of coffee but a clean and naturally uplifting vitality. Looking outside at the full moon that night, I was sure its energy added to the revitalizing magic!
Inspired by this experience, I began researching Guayusa's rare components and its cultural significance.
Just months later, we found ourselves deep in the Amazon rainforest, eager to learn more about this remarkable plant. Along our journey, we met incredible people—tribal women who led Guayusa ceremonies—and together, we also participated in a cleansing and spiritual ritual with a local shaman.
We explored the wild jungles where Guayusa flourishes alongside cacao, hibiscus, wild sugar cane, and other medicinal Amazonian treasures.
In addition to both my mom and I discovering this plant around the same time, we experienced several other intriguing synchronicities. Here’s one more!
Our journey took a mystical turn when I had a vision of a toucan during meditation—a powerful symbol known for its resonant calls echoing through the jungle. Following this vision, we encountered numerous literal signposts where the toucan appeared in various forms.
Ultimately, these signs led us to our gifted and knowledgeable Guayusa supplier. It became evident that Guayusa was calling us to be its “voice,” guiding us every step of the way.
Overall, we advocate not only for the health benefits of Guayusa but also for its rich cultural, ecological, and spiritual significance.
In some South American native cultures, several Amazonian plants fall under the “WARMI” category, meaning ‘Feminine Principle,’ which are believed to attract fortune, good health, and love.
"Yupaychani" means “thank you” in Kichwa, the language spoken by the natives in the region where our Guayusa originates. So, Yupaychani to Guayusa and to YOU for reading our story! Join us in our sacred mission to enjoy and share the gift of Guayusa with others.
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OUR VALUES:
CONNECTION THROUGH RITUAL
We deepen our connection to mind, body, and spirit daily through the ritual connection with this sacred, medicinal leaf. We honor the ancestral wisdom and rich traditions of the Kichwa people, by incorporating their ancient rituals into our practices, using Guayusa to meditate, work, exercise, celebrate, and share dreams.
ANCIENT CULTIVATION PRACTICES
We respect the rainforest’s wisdom by sun-drying Guayusa leaves, preserving their nutritional potency instead of using faster, industrial drying methods. This slower, methodical approach honors Guayusa’s sacredness, ancestral roots, and its original traditions.
HIGH QUALITY ASSURANCE
We inspect the health of our stock at multiple stages, from the moment it leaves the plant to the fulfillment of our packages before shipping. We ship fast! Just as we value prompt delivery, we guarantee that your Guayusa orders will always arrive quickly—no delays!
BUILDING STRONG RELATIONSHIPS
We maintain close relationships and direct communication with our suppliers, distributors, and customers to ensure transparency and optimum quality. Our slower agricultural methods support Amazonian communities in achieving financial independence to protect their land from petroleum extraction.
THE HUMMINGBIRD
“Among the forest-dwelling Kichwa people of the upper Napo [Amazon], the Guayusa brew is known as ‘Waisa’ or ‘Waisamama’, a word that conveys the concept of a certain kind of power or energy found in nature—that of medium-sized rivers that run crystal clear.
This same subtle energy can be cultivated and accumulated over time in a human body, and the results make one strong, happy, and wise.
In order to accumulate this subtle and sacred power or energy of the river, guayusa tea is consumed every day, very early in the morning, at the wee hours of predawn.
Then one bathes in the river shortly after, before the first bird sings, most specifically before the hummingbird bathes.
Waisamama is waisa combined with ‘mama’, meaning ‘mother, power, authority, or protector.’
To drink waisamama and gain the river’s waisa is the Kichwa health-insurance policy, as one who embodies the waisa will not easily become ill; on the contrary, this person enjoys good health, laughter, and vitality.
Once the hummingbird bathes, it is believed in the science of the people that it takes the river’s waisa away for that day.
After the stillness of the night it is restored while the hummingbird sleeps. This is why if one can bathe before the hummingbird, then the river’s energy is available to be absorbed into one’s being at that time of morning.
The hummingbird is representative of perfection: its feathers always gleaming, its energy vibrations high. It is believed to be like this because it gathers the waisa from the river.”
From the book “Rainforest Medicine” by Jonathon Miller-Weinberger
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