Something About Yerba Mate

Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) is an evergreen member of the holly family. It grows wild in Argentina , Chile , Peru , and Brazil , but is most abundant in Paraguay where it is also cultivated.

Better than coffee beverage, Mate tea has the ability to increase mental alertness and acuity and to do it without any side effects such as nervousness and jitters.


NUTRITIONAL PROPERTIES

The interactions of the many nutrients in Mate have never been systematically studied. However, the stories surrounding the nutritional application of Mate tea are nothing short of amazing. Mate is often used as a staple food, sometimes substituting for such important foods as bread and vegetables. It easily eliminates the sensation of hunger and can impart as much invigoration as a full meal, according to the well-known Chilean herbalists J. Zin and R. Weiss. Peace Corps workers have reported cases in which large groups of natives remain in good health for extended periods of drought and famine, even though they eat only one small meal per day. How so? By drinking copious amounts of Yerba Mate tea. Some natives spend their entire lives on such a diet and live to very advanced ages, sometimes in excess of 100 years. South American governments have adopted the practice of encouraging mothers, especially in the poorer regions, to include Yerba Mate in the diet of their school-age children.


Sources:

"Yerba Mate - The beverage that revitalizes" Government of the Province of Misiones . Secretariat of foreign commerce and integration. Argentina

Valduga, Eunice. "Chemical and anatomic characterization of Ilex paraguariensis Saint Hilaire leaf and some species used in adulterating Yerba Maté" Post-graduation thesis presented at the University of Paraná , Curitiba , in 1995