A tea-like drink made from a shrub native to South America. Has caffeine and other xanthines, though less than in tea or coffee. Also contains potassium, magnesium and manganese.

May also function as an MAO inhibitor, which may contribute to its reported calming effects.

More Info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerba_maté

Found most benefit from this herb when small amt taken raw several times a day. Then again, I was eating mainly raw so it didn't take much to absorb. Very awesome effect... very good

This stuff is great.

It's a tea though... I steep it and drink through a bombilla (a filtered straw).

Much better than coffee as a stimulant, IMHO. And you can drink it multiple times per day.

Also helps with anxiety and appetite suppression!

Yerba Mate is a great for studying. Not as much anxiety jitters like with coffee. More of a clean buzz. Nice focused, slightly energized feeling, but not too agitated.

Great, but not really a SA medication

They should rename it.. Instant good mood.

One warning though: It has been linked to cancer of the esophagus (don't drink it hot)..

One related article: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/yerba-mate/AN01774

My guess is the cancer link has more to do with the way people drink it than the beverage itself. First of all, if you're drinking any hot drink, waiting until it cools a bit is just common sense. And drinking a hot beverage through a straw is just stupid. If you have ever slurped anything hot through a straw, you know it burns you much easier.

Anyway, I make it in a french press, let it cool until it's just warm and drink it. I bought this press at Wal Mart for $12. Originally, I didn't even use it. I just wanted to try it for a few cups of coffee. I started using it for mate when I realized it was just practical. It's a cheap one though and has rusted quite a bit. I recommend you buy a good one in the first place if you're going to use this method.

I noticed the effect far more when I first started drinking it than I do drinking it on a daily basis. But I think there's probably a lot to be said for drinking it in relatively small quantities. I've drunk as much as 25 ounces at a time and did not notice any proportional boost in the good effects while I did notice an awful unpleasant head buzz. Not to mention the effects from the tannins. They're not nearly as strong as in black tea but it does have some and they will upset your stomach if you're sensitive to them.

I recommend looking for a brand that doesn't have too much dust to start out with and see how you do. I'm drinking Rosamonte at the moment but don't really care for the dust. Guayaki is widely available where I live but it's too expensive (IMO) to drink daily.

Anyway, the effects are subtle but if you drink it for a while and then suddenly stop, you will notice that you feel down and it will pick you back up when you have some again. The only thing is you might have to order it if you want to choose your brand. There are only one or two brands I know of that are available to buy here locally. A pity. This stuff is good enough that America should be more aware of it.

Last couple of days, I mixed some sencha in with my yerba mate and made about 25 ounces (to be consumed within about half an hour). The green tea adds something really nice to the normal mate buzz.

I wouldn't use expensive sencha for this ordinarily. It's just all I had. Probably any halfway decent green tea would do. To enhance the flavor, I use peppermint leaves. Mate and peppermint really do compliment one another perfectly. I can see why they use it.

Che Guevara drank a ton of the stuff.

Hot black tea has been, also.

i love this drink..i must find it and drink before my job interview tomorrow.

I guess that proves drinking a ton of yerba mate doesn't make you any smarter.

Mix some chamomile tea with it. It's a really nice calm. You won't be nervous and you won't be tired.

So I totally had some today, after I let it cool down considerably.. Yerba Mate for Finals week.. Way better than a coffee buzz, plus a bonus (Mental Clarity).. It has a very nice effect if you don't drink it very often.

I think he was pretty smart. That whole medical school thing and all. Definitely didn't make him very cautious, though, if that's what you were getting at. :-P

Mmm, Yerba mate. Love my tea!

Is it normal for it to taste soapy?

Where can I buy this stuff? There is no Whole Foods where I live for some reason.

I ordered some from amazon.com.

I just use a french press. The gourd thing I've never tried. Maybe I will someday but for the time being, this works.

By the way, so far, I have tried Taragui, Rosamonte regular and Rosamonte seleccion especial. Of the three, the latter is by far my favorite. Taragui isn't too bad if it comes cheap but it seems a little harsh and gets very bitter very easily. I have been through six bags of rosamonte and it never really seems to get that bitter even if I forget and oversteep.

I bought a Mr Coffee the other day (I have 8 bags of Yerba I've been putting off drinking because the french press is a pain in the butt to clean).

The drip coffee maker is by far the best way I've found to make this stuff. It filters out that horrible grit and the yerba is MUCH smoother. I've been drinking this stuff nonstop ever since I got the coffee maker. If you have some Mate, try it. You'll see all other methods are just needless hassle. The best part is you can get a cheap coffee maker anywhere.