Yerba Mate

[LadyofShalott]

Has anyone heard of Yerba Mate? I drink it as a tasty chai tea, but apparently it's pretty good for you. It's supposed to help you lose weight, suppress your appetite, give you energy, slow the aging process, and prevent grey hairs. As for if it really does any of this stuff. . .who knows? But it tastes really good in chai form.

[Stephanie]

Hey! I'm interested to hear more about this. When I worked at the birth center here in town, we had a ton of it in the kitchen cabinet and people swore by it. I've never done any research on it, but hey, if it's a tea and it's good for you, I'm all over it. :p

[Pierre]

I've never tried it, though I could have had it in Brazil, where they have several names for it. It's a species of holly.

[Koala Kim]

I drink it. It has a smoky taste. Not bad; just different. It does give you a little "boost" without the jittery feel you may get from caffeine.

Haven't lost any weight. :rolleyes: But- I did like it enough to purchase another bag recently. :)

[Ama]

I drink yerba mate (http://www.guayaki.com/index.php?p=mate). It does have caffeine, lots of it, here is a comparison chart (http://www.guayaki.com/index.php?p=health&id=138). I think it has an earthy taste. I do like it and was hoping to switch over from coffee but that hasn't happened. I just love coffee too much. I do try to drink a cup a day though.

Some of yerba mate's benefits (http://www.guayaki.com/index.php?p=health):

Induces Mental Clarity (http://www.guayaki.com/index.php?p=health&id=526#Induces%20Mental%20Clarity)
Sustains Energy Levels/Reduce Fatigue (http://www.guayaki.com/index.php?p=health&id=526#Energy Levels)
Boosts the Immune System (http://www.guayaki.com/index.php?p=health&id=526#Boosts Immune)
Helps Relieve Allergies (http://www.guayaki.com/index.php?p=health&id=526#Allergies)
Aids in Weight Control (http://www.guayaki.com/index.php?p=health&id=526#Weight Control)
Aids in Elimination (http://www.guayaki.com/index.php?p=health&id=526#Elimination)
Diabetic Treatment (http://www.guayaki.com/index.php?p=health&id=526#Diabetic)
Inhibits Lipid Peroxidation (http://www.guayaki.com/index.php?p=health&id=526#Lipid)
Fights Bad Breath (http://www.guayaki.com/index.php?p=health&id=526#Fights Bad Breath)

[Caldonia Sun]

I've been drinking YM for two years now. It's my first cuppa in the a.m. I still drink coffee, but not til after breakfast. It's much easier on the tummy and the caffiene does not give a jolt like coffee.

I like mine with vanilla soymilk.

I have had fewer colds these last two winters. I don't know if it's because of the YM, but I have at least considered that it might be.

Downside: it does tend to stain the teeth a bit.

Caldonia

[truepeacenik]

I have Mate Factor yerba mate which is not roasted and does not have the smoky taste.
i like it iced (hey, It's 90 outside) with juice as dilution instead of water.

[Koala Kim]

I have Mate Factor yerba mate which is not roasted and does not have the smoky taste.
Thanks truepeacenik! That's good to know that it comes unroasted as well. :grinhappy:
I may have to look into that. While the smoky taste doesn't bother me at home, for some reason (water maybe?) I can't stand making it at work. The taste is just too much.

[truepeacenik]

look up "mate factor": it's run by a cult, but hey, the tea is good.
we are nuts and buy by teh kilo twice -three times per year.
I know they moved to the HFS market a year ago.

[happylynngilmer]

wow this thread is old but i wanted to add to it!
dh and i drink yerba mate-he drinks it everyday; i drink it about once a week. We got it a trader joe's because the back of the bag mentioned "aiding digestion" and dh is lactose intolerant. We are on our 4th bag. He swears it helps him not get so sick after eating dairy (poor man loves cheese and ice cream). He takes digestive aid pills before he eats anything dairy, and that helps too, so with both of these, he gets very little cramps and, well, isnt in the bathroom that long if you get what i mean LOL. Trader Joe's also sells lactose free cheese which is awesome too.
We drink it with milk and honey. I havn't noticed appetite supression or weight loss but maybe it does.

[girlcat36]

On the downside---yerba mate is suspected to cause oral cancer. I know this because I have had oral cancer and I did quite a bit of research on what the risk factors are.

[Messyhair]

Like most natural health products it can have a ton of interactions with drugs, too. Ugh... can you tell I'm studying for one of my pharmacy exams right now?

[SanJuanTX]

Where do you buy it? Can you get it at the health food store?

[happylynngilmer]

On the downside---yerba mate is suspected to cause oral cancer. I know this because I have had oral cancer and I did quite a bit of research on what the risk factors are.


Do you have any links to articles? I would be interested in reading more about that. I'll google/wiki it in the meantime.

[talullah]

I'd like to see some info about its cancer-causing potential, as well. I had never heard this before--but I'm inclined to believe it, because mate tastes and smells so much like cigarettes. Perhaps the plant is related to one of the cancer-causing ingredients in cigarettes? That would be a shame; I really love my mate! I drink it a couple times a week. :purplex:

[getoffmyskittle]

I'd like to see some info about its cancer-causing potential, as well. I had never heard this before--but I'm inclined to believe it, because mate tastes and smells so much like cigarettes. Perhaps the plant is related to one of the cancer-causing ingredients in cigarettes? That would be a shame; I really love my mate! I drink it a couple times a week. :purplex:

I've actually heard that too - that yerba mate is a known carcinogen. I can't remember where I heard it though.

[girlcat36]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12808663

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/29567/yerba_mate_tea_and_cancer.html

http://www.erowid.org/plants/yerba_mate/yerba_mate_info2.shtml

Here are a couple links. Researchers are not sure why Mate may be a carcinogen, some suspect that it is the temperature that it is drank at. Anyway, it is off my list of beverages. I have tried drinking it in the past. Also off my beverage list is alcohol. My oral cancer was caused by a virus, but my oncologist has told me I can NEVER drink alcohol again :purplex: , as it is also a known carcinogen. I was never a big alcohol drinker in the past, so it was not the cause of my cancer, but my doctor says there is not enough info about my cancer to make any alcohol safe for me.

[happylynngilmer]

girlcat, thanks for the links! dh drinks it EVERYDAY so I will forward these to his home email too.

[girlcat36]

Your welcome, happylynn.

[Amoretti]

My student (who is from Argentina) drinks this every morning. He was telling us about it last night in class and how he prepares it. Apparently it's a typical breakfast beverage over there. I'd like to try it.

[happylynngilmer]

Dh had a cut in his mouth from eating chips, and he had it over a week. As an expieriment, he stopped drinking the yerba mate, and now it's healed. Took 3 days without the yerba.
Interesting!

[girlcat36]

That's very interesting!

[Caldonia Sun]

I had never heard any negatives about yerba mate, only the benefits, and these reports have spooked me! I've been drinking this every a.m. for four years and have felt it did benefit me. Now what to drink??? But I'm glad the subject came up and the links were provided. Thanks.

[girlcat36]

The information appears to be relatively new, and not everyone who drinks mate is going to come down with oral cancer. I'm sure there are other factors being added in that work synergystically with mate to create an oral cancer. It's good to be informed, though.
Alcohol is also known as a carcinogen causing cellular changes in the mucus membranes of the throat and mouth, yet we drink plenty of that everyday in America! And use it in mouthwash!
So it is good to be informed, then make your own decisions from there.

[nowxisxforever]

I love yerba mate :) I have a big bag of the unsmoked stuff, which doesn't taste like ... erm, smoke. :D I like to have it with a little coffee creamer. I make it in my french press and share the love.

[Katze]

I've been drinking mate' for years, starting back when I was a bike racer and a woman on my team introduced me to mate' latte' . I love how it gives you a boost without the crash or jitters or blood sugar weirdness of coffee.

As for weight loss, i don't think so. I'd be a lot thinner if mate' made you lose weight!

For me, I prefer alternating "mate' days" with "coffee days" and "green tea days" - I think it's not good to drink any one thing all the time, and I feel you can get as dependent on mate' as on coffee. So I don't drink either every day.

The cancer thing is disturbing, but the one (associated content) article did mention that it is hard to control for tobacco and alcohol use among the populations studied, thus leading me to think we can take those results with a grain of salt.