What is Yerba Mate?

I have been drinking Guayaki Yerba Mate for about 10 years. So sometimes I am perplexed when I mention it and find so many others who have never experienced it. Originally, I used it as an endurance aid for working out or cycling- it has become such an enjoyment for an afternoon pick me up while writing. Let me share some of the wonderful benefits and a bit of history to this exciting drink.

Yerba mate was discovered centuries ago by the indigenous people in South America and has been revered as the “drink of the gods” and consumed to enhance, vitality, clarity, and well-being. With 24 vitamins and minerals, 15 amino acids, 11 polyphenols, caffeine, and is high in antioxidants, yerba mate triumphs as nature’s most balanced stimulant.

Of the six commonly used stimulants in the world--yerba mate, coffee, tea, kola nut, cocoa, and guarana--yerba mate is the healthiest, delivering both energy and nutrition.

•Helps Stimulate Focus and Clarity*
•Boosts Physical Energy*
•Traditionally Used to Support Weight Loss Programs that Include a Balanced Diet and Exercise*
•Aids Elimination*
•Contains Antioxidants*



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Legends of Yerba Mate


Yerba mate is the legendary infusion from South America that is luring people away from their daily coffee fix. Yerba mate first caught the attention of world-class athletes and health-conscious people, but now mate is becoming a favorite healthful daily ritual for all people taking their well-being seriously. Grown in the sub-tropical rainforests of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, yerba mate has long been revered as the “drink of the gods”.

The legendary vitality beverage!


For centuries, South America’s Ache Guayaki tribe have sipped yerba mate from a traditional mate gourd for its rejuvenative effects. These rainforest people find tremendous invigoration, focus, and nourishment in yerba mate. The leaves of the rainforest mate tree naturally contain 24 vitamins and minerals, 15 amino acids, abundant antioxidants. In fact, The Pasteur Institute and the Paris Scientific society in 1964 concluded "it is difficult to find a plant in any area of the world equal to mate in nutritional value" and that yerba mate contains "practically all of the vitamins necessary to sustain life."


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Yerba mate is the national drink of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Southern Brazil where it is consumed 6 to 1 over coffee. In Argentina, over 90% of the people drink yerba mate with a gourd and bombilla.


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Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) is a small tree native to the subtropical Atlantic forests of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. This evergreen member of the holly family was introduced to modern civilizations by the indigenous Guarani of Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil. Yerba mate naturally contains 24 vitamins and minerals, 15 amino acids, abundant antioxidants, and is generally consumed for vitality, clarity, and well being. Of the six commonly used stimulants in the world: yerba mate, coffee, tea, kola nut, cocoa, and guarana, yerba mate triumphs as natures most balanced stimulant, delivering both energy and nutrition. Yerba mate is the uplifting and nourishing choice of health-minded individuals.

There are many legends surrounding yerba mate, and it's known to the Argentine Gauchos (cowboys) as their "liquid vegetable", and to the native forest peoples who have survived periods of drought and famine by drinking yerba mate as the “Drink of the Gods”.

The icon for yerba mate is the unique gourd from which it is consumed and shared, the Mate Gourd. “Yerba” means herb. “Mate” is derived from the quichua word, "matí," which is the name of the gourd (Lagenaria vulgaris) traditionally used to drink yerba mate. So, literally, yerba mate means “herb cup”. For centuries people have sipped yerba mate using a gourd and bombilla - a filter like straw. It is believed that drinking yerba mate from the gourd is a joyful way to receive the healthful and invigorating properties of yerba mate. The mate gourd is offered as a symbol of hospitality and is peacefully passed from hand to hand around a circle of friends while ideas are shared, stories are told, and a sense of community is created. Yerba mate lifts the spirit.

In Paraguay, yuyeras (herbalists) have been using yerba mate for centuries as the base of herbal medicine mixtures called “remedios” or remedies. It is common to make “remedios” with yerba mate by steeping medicinal herbs in the water used to prepare mate in the gourd. It is believed that by improving circulation and promoting balance, yerba mate acts as a catalyst to enhance the healing powers of other herbs.

Yerba mate contains caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine, well-known stimulants also found in tea, coffee and chocolate. The caffeine content varies between that of green tea and coffee. Unlike tea, yerba mate has a low tannin content so it can be strong like coffee with out becoming extremely bitter. Unlike coffee, yerba mate is not oily and acid forming, so it is less likely to cause stomach acid and jitters.

Yerba mate is very versitile and can be prepared a variety of ways, from a tea infuser or French press to a coffee machine, even an esspresso maker. It can be consumed hot, or cold, and served with with milk and honey or with lemon and mint.

You can find my favorite brand of Yerba Mate....Guayaki at most large grocers and wholefoods. It is available in tea bag form or loose for brewing in a french press~ENJOY!