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Yerba mate is the ancient drink of health and friendship.
It is a species of holly which is native to subtropical South America, Argentina, Southern Paraguay, Western Uruguay, and Southern Brazil. The plant is a shrub or a small tree which can grow up to be 15 meters / 45 feet tall. The flowers are small, have four petals and are lightly green. The fruit of this plant is a red berry that is the size of a small marble.
Where you should start: There are about 200 different brands of yerba that are available in South America. They all have different characteristics and tastes. What affects the taste usually depends on where it was grown, when it was harvested, and how it was processed. We suggest that you buy brands of yerba mate where everything from the planting to the packaging is controlled by the same company.
And if the company has it available, try out their samples and discover which ones are your favorites.
Caffeine:
The stimulating effect can vary quite a bit from one brand to another and people will react differently to different brands. Some brands are very strong and others are soft. If it was harvested during the summer months, it will have more caffeine than if it had been harvested during the winter months. Also, the age of the leaf when it is harvested is an important factor in regards to it's caffeine properties.
Just for caffeine comparison:
Coffee, made from ground, 8 fl oz cup: 137 mg of caffeine.
Tea, made from leaves, 8 fl oz cup: 47 mg of caffeine.
Dry yerba: 61 mg of caffeine.
Hot (150F): 48 mg of caffeine.
The presence of a minimum amount of caffeine (0.6%) in a sample of yerba mate final product is of great importance to
characterize the genuine product. Ingestion of caffeine boosts energy and creates a sensation of well being. In the last few years, scientists studying yerba’s caffeine have coined the term mateine to describe the alkaloid as it occurs within this plant's leaves. This is based on findings that the nature of the chemical link of some minerals (like magnesium and manganese) and B-complex vitamins to the caffeine is different in this plant's leaves than in other caffeine-containing plants, including tea, coffee and guarana. Dr. Jose Martin, Director of the National Institute of Technology, of Paraguay has stated that “new research and better technology have shown that while mateine has a chemical constituent similar to caffeine, the molecular binding is different. Mateine has none of the ill effects of caffeine."
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Indians used this plant's leaves not only due to the beverage's taste but also and mainly because they knew of its virtues. These were an increased resistance to fatigue and its thirst and hunger appeasing powers. It is a stimulant drink, eliminates fatigue, stimulating mental and physical activity. It has a beneficial effect on nerves and muscles; it also enhances intellectual work. It enhances diuresis and is very useful for bladder troubles.
It also acts on the digestive tube by facilitating digestion, attenuates gastric troubles and enhances evacuation and urination. This drink's stimulant action is longer than that of coffee and does not have side effects such as insomnia and irritability.
Researches at the Paris Pasteur Institute confer that yerba has a very important role in the cell regeneration process.
Health Benefits:
- Strengthens the immune system.
- Reduce fatigue.
- May reduce blood pressure.
- May increase longevity.
- Great diet aid.
- Energizes the body.
- Stimulate mental alertness.
- May reduce cholesterol.
- A gentle diuretic.
- Relieve stress.
- Contains Antioxidants.
- Contains 15 amino acids.
- Contains 24 vitamins and minerals.
- Is a whole body tonic.
- May calm allergies.
Find out how to brew yerba the right way.
History:
Although there are no archaeological remains that have been found, it is assumed that it was the Guaraní Indians who taught
the Spanish how to use yerba. But it is also said that it was the fact that the Jesuit missionaries who, around 1670, already had plantations of this plant.
The Indians drank the infusion made from the leaves directly from an earthenware pot without using the bombilla (a long tube with a strainer at one end). They filtered the drink with their teeth, spitting the leaves out from their mouths, or they sucked the mate through a cane.The Spaniards were quick to adopt this drink. And in order to identify their own yerba, the Indians and then the Spaniards started carving their names on it or they painted the yerba.
In the mid 18th century yerba was drunk by all social classes. When it started being drunk in Buenos Aires each family had a special servant in charge of brewing the drink, sometimes even two, one for the sweet version and another one for the plain version.
It is said that the most distinguished Spanish families used to discard the firstbrew, it was usually drunk by the servant. The reason for this was the yerba leaves were often intermingled with powder and sand. Today the first mate is drunk by the person who is in charge of preparing mate.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the first commercial crops were cultivated in the same place where the Jesuits had cultivated theirs. Today there are 130,000 hectares under cultivation.
Bolivia, Chile and Peru, and massively, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay are mate consumers. From the Indians in the
Pampa to the European immigrants, all have adopted the beverage. Today it is considered the national drink.
Old gourds are rare and collectors are after them, especially after those that are made of silver, but the genuine mate drinker prefers his gourd to a silver mate because he says that a well "cured" mate contributes to the good taste of his drink.
Disclaimer: Information on this site is provided for informational purposes and is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or dietitian. Information and statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
