Yerba maté

What is Yerba Mate? The Yerba Mate plant is a specie of holly found in Southern Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. The infusion called mate is prepared by steeping dry leaves (and twigs) of yerba mate in hot water. Drinking mate with friends from a shared hollow gourd(also called a guampa or mate in Spanish, or cabaça or cuia in Portuguese) with a metal straw (a bombilla in Spanish, bomba in Portuguese) is a common social practice in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, eastern Bolivia and southern and western Brazil and has been cultivated in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

The flavor of brewed yerba mate is strongly herbal, and grassy, reminiscent of some varieties of green tea. Some consider the flavor to be very agreeable, but it is generally bitter if steeped in boiling water. The water should be steaming hot yet not quite boiling. One can also purchase flavored mate, in which the yerba is blended with an herb (such as peppermint) or citrus rind.



In South America Yerba maté is used as a tonic, diuretic and as a stimulant to reduce fatigue, suppress appetite and aid gastric function. In Europe Yerba maté is used for weight loss, physical and mental fatigue, nervous depression, rheumatic pains and psychogenic and fatigue related headaches. In the USA Yerba maté is used for arthritis, headaches, hemorrhoids, fluid retention, obesity, fatigue, stress, constipation, allergies and hay fever

It is said that Yerba Mate "cleanses the blood, tones the nervous system, retards aging, stimulates the mind, controls the appetite, stimulates the production of cortisone and is believed to enhance the healing powers of other herbs.". If you want to loose weight it works as an amazing appetite suppressant. It is the healthiest natural stimulant. A cup of Mate has as much caffeine as 1/4 cup of coffee. Yerba Mate is said to stimulate the mind and body.


Benefits:

•Xanthines-chemicals that boost your metabolic rate by 10%

•Rich in pantothenic acid-which prevents overstimulation of the nervous system.

•A host of anti-oxidants that boost immunity and protect against colds and flu.

•Powerful a cell protector as vitamin C, reducing the effects of aging as well as protecting against cancer and other disease.

•Rich source of magnesium that has been proven to ease anxiety.



I discovered Yerba Mate just a few months ago. I was working on a marketing campaign for Pacific Foods. The program focused around their ready to drink Yerba Mate and Green tea. Even though I love a good cup of Kona coffee, I wouldn't say I am much of a coffee drinker. My kick for a long time has been Chai tea. Oh, I love Chai! Anyhow, so I started drinking the Yerba Mate and it was like love at first sight. Pacific Foods make the best Ginger lemon favored Mate. So I went to Whole foods and researched the other types of Yerba. I bought a bunch of Guayaki Yerba Mate tea bags and have been making massive batches and then making iced tea with it. One thing I noticed is that when drinking Mate make sure to drink enough water. The best part is that Guayaki makes a Chai favored Mate!