Benefits of yerba mate

Would you like some tea of the gods? Well, it is not really tea, but there is no need to get hung up on details. It is popularly served warm, tasty and still beneficial to our health. 

You may think that Yerba mate is a recent trend and the invention of bearded, plaid-shirted gentlemen. But the opposite is true. This beverage has a long tradition that originated in South America. The Paraguayan holly bush (or tree) is very demanding (in terms of soil quality). That is why you can only find it in limited parts of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. The holly tree has been growing as a tree in the wild since time immemorial. However, Jesuit missionaries began to cultivate it and adapted it into a shrub whose leaves were even more suitable for making drinks.

The name of the drink is also intriguing. To make it identical to the English word ''mate'', a comma is sometimes added above the last letter to emphasise the correct pronunciation - hence ''maté''. Be careful with this in Spanish-speaking countries, as for them, it means "we killed". Therefore, we stick to the original name ''Yerba mate''.

Traditionally, the beverage is served in a hollowed-out gourd with a bamboo or metal straw with a tiny sieve at the end. This container is called a calabash and can be found in several sizes depending on whether you want to enjoy the drink in private or share it with friends.

The flavour depends on the number of infusions prepared from one batch of dried leaves. At first, it may be sharp and bitter for some, but it is just a matter of finding the right level for yourself. Do not overdo it with consumption if you want to avoid caffeine. There is quite a lot of it in yerba mate.

Approved health benefits:

• Antioxidant
• Normal functioning of the cardiovascular system
• Elimination of water from the body
• Refreshing the body
• Suppression of mental and physical fatigue
• Control of body weight
• Lipid metabolism