Benefits of Yerba Mate, For you and the environment

Yerba mate for you!

           Looking for a new drink that can work miracles on your mind, body, spirit and the environment? Well deep in South America we can find that special beverage! One that will change the way you energize. Morning, noon or even night! Yerba mate is on the menu, and it has a whole party of benefits. And while yerba mate can certainly give you a bit of a wakeup call, that is actually just one of many reasons to brew up some yerba mate and pick out your fanciest bombilla!

Benefits for you

           So yerba mate is ready to provide some really excellent health benefits for our bodies. Some of which we cannot gain from coffee or tea. So while these two other sources of caffeine do share some benefits with yerba mate, they also lack a few of the more choice benefits that yerba has to offer, too. Let’s take a look at what some of these great benefits are.

1. Antioxidants

              Yerba mate provides our bodies with polyphenols and other powerful antioxidants. Antioxidants help our bodies to fight off roaming free radicals which cause oxidative stress on our bodies and result in a ton of cell damage. With a healthy amount of antioxidants like polyphenols, not only can we protect our bodies from these roaming free radicals, but we can also end up looking young and youthful and also be guarded against a few other nasty diseases and ailments.

2. Theobromine

          This compound may be a newer one for some just learning about the amazing beverage that is yerba mate. But theobromine does a few cool tricks that does a body right. Theobromine performs as a stimulant similar to caffeine. It can help to lower blood pressure and leaves us with a calm and mellow mood. Contrast this with the jitters and heart-pounding feeling one may get with too much coffee!

3. Caffeine

           The plant that yerba mate comes from, the Ilex holly, is one of the few plants native to the Americas that has a naturally occurring caffeine content (the other being the yaupon plant which is actually a cousin to the Ilex!). This unique trait that yerba mate possesses also translates into some good news for our bodies and minds. Caffeine, of course, provides us with tons of energy and can get us out of bed in the morning. But that's not all! Caffeine also enhances our mental and even physical performance and can improve our focus and ability to remain attentive. Caffeine in tandem with the theobromine compound results in a caffeine buzz that errs more on the side of awake, joyful and mellow awareness rather than a jittery rush that leaves us with a caffeine crash!

4. Heart health

           Yerba mate is one hearty tea! Ha! See what we did there? Puns aside yerba mate does wonders for our hearts. Yerba mate protects us from inflammation, boosts our immune systems and can even help to reduce bad cholesterol levels. These all equal a few different defenses from the development of heart disease. Not to mention Yerba mate also contains some vitamins like C and E!

Yerba mate and the environment

               The origins of yerba mate belong to the indigenous peoples of the Amazon. The drink was prepared by the Guarani in particular who consumed yerba mate to boost the courage, stamina and strength of warriors and commune with the gods. At this time the Ilex holly was cultivated in a way that was environmentally sound and sustainable. Luckily today there still exists yerba mate produced similar to the traditional methods used by indigenous peoples like the Guarani. This method uses cultivation and harvesting techniques that take place in the rainforest itself. The yerba mate is cultivated organically and is grown under the natural shade of the rainforest's many layers of canopy. Not only that but yerba mate companies like Guayaki also provide fair wages and jobs to local people in the Amazon regions. Companies like Guayaki even go even one more step further by working to preserve and protect the acreage of Rainforest land itself. So, if you are looking for a sustainable and potent pick-me-up, look no further than the superb beverage that is yerba mate!

Have gourd will mate; how to enjoy yerba mate

             Now that we have covered some of the many benefits yerba mate provides the body and the planet with, let's talk about how to enjoy this unique beverage. Other methods of preparation and enjoyment of yerba mate exist, but the traditional method of enjoying this drink is a fun experience in and of itself! Yerba mate consists of the tea leaves themselves (of course!). These are prepared with hot water right in a calabash gourd. That's right, a hollowed out and dried gourd! The next trademark item for yerba mate enjoyment is without a doubt the silver or stainless steel straw known as a bombilla. The pairing of the gourd and straw not only looks and feel cool, but they also serve a practical function. The gourd provides an efficient vessel to hold your tea while it is being infused with the hot water and the bombilla allows you to enjoy your yerba mate more efficiently. How so? Because the leaves of yerba mate can be quite small and a large volume of leaves are generally used when preparing a delectable cup of yerba mate, it is difficult to sip this tea the way one would with other types of tea. So instead, the bombilla is the item of choice to use! The bombilla allows yerba mate drinkers to get tasty sips of just the tea's liquor with no loose leaves getting in their mouths. The straw also allows one to stir and sift through the yerba mate leaves, too. And did we mention they look cool? Because together they look cool!

YERBA MATE - ALL YERBA MATE | MATE CUPS | MATE CUP SETS | MATE CUP SETS | YERBA MATE ACCESORIES

Choose a sustainable and healthy drink

          Yerba mate is a truly incredible beverage. From a robust flavor full of character to many health benefits like antioxidants and theobromine to even being a boon to the Amazon. Yerba mate is also a great alternative to other caffeinated beverages, many of which don't provide the same benefits to our bodies or the rainforest that yerba mate does. So why not give yerba mate a try today? Your mind, body, spirit and the environment will all thank you for it!