Is Ilex paraguariensis and Yerba Mate made from this plant a golden remedy for those who do not want or can not drink coffee or tea?
Introduction
Dried, ground leaves and sticks of Ilex paraguariensis, numerous positive effects of drinking infusion of this plant combining the positive qualities of coffee, numerous teas and herbs, at the same time without the negative effects of most infusions from plants, can make Yerba Mate be treated as something what will be the golden mean. And it will not be an exaggerated opinion.
The factor that made me want to try Yerba Mate were descriptions of the positive effects of drinking it.
And I've tried the infusions from various plants that have their positive action and the negative ones and I must admit that I am surprised by the action of Yerba. As for the flavor of Yerba Mate, in my opinion it lies somewhere in between something that will not taste anyone and something that everyone will like. This can be treated as the first argument for why it is worth for those undecided between ordinary tea, herbs or coffee to try Yerba Mate.
A bit about naming
On many websites you can find information that Yerba Mate is not herb or tea. In one place I read that tea is called only Asian plants belonging to the group camelia or the type of plants from the tea family, of which there are over 300 species. So on this one thing, I agree that in fact the plants that belong to teas are growing mainly in the southern and south-eastern parts of Asia. Whereas Yerba Mate comes mainly from South America. Yerba Mate is a part of Ilex paraguariensis which is a woody plant, so we can say that we drink nothing more than a brew of leaves and stalks of a bush called Ilex paraguariensis. The name Yerba Mate comes from the transformed Latin word herba - the herb and mati. Mati in Quechua means gourd - a dish for brewing herbs. So what do we drink when Yerba means herb? In my opinion, the determination of the Paraguayan tea is correct because the name Paraguayan tea is just to show that the Ilex paraguariensis is a Paraguayan version of what is called tea / herbal products and although it is not a tea as a specific group of plants, the drought called Yerba Mate is obtained in similar way to drought called "ordinary tea".
The most important thing is what effect Yerba has on the body. And the beneficial effects of drinking Yerba are a sufficient argument not to create long discussions about names.
How to drink
Yerba Mate should be brewed at 75 degrees. Then apparently he has the best action.
Traditionally, Yerbe is drunk from a dish called Mate and a straw called bombilla.
But why? Mainly because no one was able to create thermal cups with a button and protection against spillage; ) We do not need to follow the traditions of the country to enjoy drinking Yerba Mate.
So everyone can drink as he wants. I pour Yerba Mate (and not only) with water directly in a thermal mug as you can see below. I do not use any tubes to drink and tea dregs do not get through with a drunk Yerba infusion.
Such a thermal mug is simply more practical every day.
The only rule according to which one should apply is buying Yerba Mate this classic without any additions, because we have more certainty that our brewed drought is Yerba Mate and not something else.
And now what made Yerba Mate my main potable drink every day:
A Yera Mate bag with a content of 150 grams is enough for a surprisingly long time. Compared to droughts from other plants, Yerba Mate can be brewed up to seven times and even after a larger number of burns we feel the taste and the effects of its operation.
Of course, the power of Yerba will be reduced along with the number of burns. But compared to the coffee which gives us a sudden boost of energy, which lasts for a short time after which we feel weakened, it is Yerba that slowly releases caffeine, which makes us excited for a long time without sudden jumps and dips of energyYerba is ideal for someone who has hard mental work. So students and similar groups. Yerba speeds up and streamlines thinking, which means that our actions are more consistent and logical. Yerba will not make us geniuses in one day, but it will certainly help not one person achieve more than those who do not drink the infusion of this wildly growing South American plant.
So from my observations it follows that Yerba helps you to focus incredibly in any activity requiring a lot of mental effort, while not disturbing your sleep as it does many drinks with stimulating featuresIt contains polyphenols - it has antioxidant, anti-cancer and anti-mutagenic properties
Drinking Yerba alone is not enough to lose weight, but it improves metabolism enough to help you lose weight
Does not flush out magnesium from the body
Contains macronutrients, microelements and vitamins
Unfortunately, as everything in the world of nature (and not only) has its own
less favorable features ...
Yerba Mate shows a similar effect to drinking coffee and can make you addicted to this tea. Although various sources write that the stimulants contained act differently than those contained in coffee. However, it is rather necessary to be careful in the amount of drinking Yerba, especially for those who want to try it for the first time. Each body is different and you never know how it will react to a new substance
If you like to drink sugary teas then Yerba is not for you, because the honeyed taste will bite with Yerba's expressive taste. This applies to the majority of plants from which infusions are made to drink.
And one more thing. Whether you buy Yerba Mate in one hundred fifty grams at a price of three dollars or pay five times more for the same amount, it's up to you. In my opinion, it does not make sense to buy the most expensive ones because we are not sure how Yerba was produced or how. Take care that the Yerba Mate packaging contains a clear label, a description of what the packaging contains and clearly a description of the manufacturer.