DOSE:

2 Tbsp

oral

Yerba Mate

(tea)

BODY WEIGHT:

175 lb

Yerba Mate is a pleasant drink similar to other caffeine drinks but with a profound difference, at least for me. The effects, subjectively, include a much more calm feeling, a sense of mental clarity, appetite suppression, and a smooth energy kick. I used to drink a cup or two of strong coffee made in a French Press, and as many people well know, too much coffee and/or tea, cola, chocolate, etc. can make you feel jittery, irritable, and twitchy. I have not had this same twitchiness with Yerba Mate even though I've consumed a bit too much from time to time. This minor overdosing gave me a speedy feeling that was a bit stronger than I wanted, I don't like to feel manic, but even at that dosage I did not feel as jittery as compared to too much coffee.

When I began drinking Yerba Mate, I gradually felt a diminished desire for coffee and now drink mate instead of coffee. I use a semi traditional approach -- a modern interpretation of the mate gourd and 'bombilla' straw. I like the traditional method, but it's difficult to travel with an odd shaped gourd with no lid. I ended up purchasing a special cup with stainless steel liner, insulation and a top with a hole for a straw. The filter straw (bombilla) has a finer mesh than the traditional straws and does a better job filtering out the finer plant material that often comes through into your mouth, particularly with the traditional bombilla design. The modern straw is made of a food grade plastic. The traditional gourd and metal bombilla has more appeal stylistically, but the modern set up works a bit better in my experience.

Save the rainforest, drink Yerba Mate.

When I buy mate, I buy it from a company that harvests from the forest as opposed to a mate plantation. Forest-grown products help save the rainforests because it provides income for people so they will preserve the land rather than clear cut for cattle or other such short lived ventures.

enjoy!

Exp Year: 2005	ExpID: 44706
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Jul 20, 2005	Views: 19,674
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Yerba Mate (282) : Not Applicable (38), Retrospective / Summary (11)