– Yerba mate, or mate for short, is a traditional South American brew that has been said tooffer the “strength of coffee, the health benefits of tea, and the euphoria of chocolate” allin one beverage. It has been said to contain practically all the micronutrients needed tosustain life. There are many impressive health benefits attributed to drinking yerba mate,including:– Greater energy– Mental focus– Reduced fatigue– Weight loss: yerba mate can help stimulate fat oxidation and feelings of fullness, leadingto significant decreases in weight. Yerba Mate treatment affects food intake, resulting inhigher energy expenditure, likely as a result of higher basal metabolism. With a fastermetabolism, the energy is spent faster, which can lead to losing weight. Also, mate’seffect on weight loss is probably due to the caffeine concentration, which also helpsdelay the absorption of fat.– Antioxidant activity: due to the presence of substances such as xanthines, caffeoylderivatives, and saponins. It is higher in antioxidants than green tea!– Enhanced sports performance– It has anti-inflammatory properties and helps modulate the immune system.– It may help reduce weight by reducing appetite, increasing energy expenditure,improving insulin sensitivity, and burning stored fat.– It increases bone density, even in people who don’t exercise.– May be useful for heart-related conditions including heart failure, irregular heartbeat, andlow blood pressure.– Contains several known anticancer compounds such as saponins, ursolic acid, rutin,tannin, chlorogenic acid, and chlorophyll. Studies have shown that compared with otherteas (such as green tea), yerba mate has higher cytotoxicity for cancer cells (“highanticancer potential”).– May be helpful in treating mental disorders such as attention disorders, depression,mood disorders, eating disorders, and substance abuse.A 2012-2014 research done in Argentina showed that daily consumption of matereduced the total cholesterol and LDL (“The bad”) cholesterol by almost 12% in thecourse of 12 weeks– INGREDIENTS: Organic Yerba Mate, Organic Ground Reishi.

How to prepare:You can buy mate pre-made (look near the canned iced tea). Or, you can brew yourown. The traditional method is to pour near-boiling water over the leaves and steep forseveral minutes. The tea is then strained and served hot or cold, with or without theaddition of a sweetener.If you want to get really traditional, you’ll want to brew your mate in a gourd and sip itthrough a special metal straw with a filter at one end. Mate can also be shared as a ritualof friendship or hospitality. There’s a whole set of rules and manners that go along withthat.

What does yerba mate taste like?Many people would describe yerba mate as an acquired taste. Added sugar or honeycan make it more palatable, although this also offsets the healthfulness somewhat.In truth, most traditional stimulant drinks are somewhat bitter due to the various plantalkaloids that give them their special properties. But, given their enduring popularity, thepleasant or useful effects of the caffeine must more than compensate for any initialaversion.