Yerba Mate Tea Health Benefits

Tim Ferriss, author of probably one of my favorite books of all time “The Four Hour Work Week” just posted a blog about yerba mate.

You can check it out here Tim Ferriss and Yerba Mate

“My final question is regarding the temperature of the leaves. I have read the current article on your website regarding how many of the Uruguanians boil and boil their water before adding to the leaves and I have also read other articles that states that the water used to infuse shouldn’t be above 84 degrees C, otherwise some of the nutrients in the leaves could be lost? In your experience which is the best option?”

-Paul - UK

It’s true Uruguayos will boil their water until it scalds the mouth. Don’t ask me why, they just drink it muy, muy caliente.

My gaucha’s (wife’s) family is from Uruguay and even though I drink my yerba mate hot the traditional way I usually get my hot water from a preheated water cooler (which is not that hot). My gaucha’s used to it now too:)

I’ve seen reports that suggest that drinking it too hot can cause throat (esophagus) cancer which is why I usually pass if it’s hot enough to make me jump! Further tests revealed that the percentage of cases was too small to be linked with drinking mate too hot.

I just prefer to drink my yerba mate “non-boiling” because I find it more enjoyable. I have not heard any claims that suggest that hot yerba mate kills nutrients. Please feel free to share your source of information.

I should also mention the paraguayos are in the habit of drinking it “terere” which is the term for cold mate. I’ve had yerba mate prepared terere before and maybe it’s by habit, but I did not like it.

I guess I am just too used to a warm mate going down the old pipe.

Until next time… I’ll be drink my yerba mate hot…but not too hot!

“The medium-hot but still Happy Gaucho”

Question #2

“My second question is whether I would get the best benefits from drinking Yerba with food or on an empty stomach? My personal experience is that when I drink Yerba with food it actually suppresses my appetite throughout the day whereas if I drink the Yerba on an empty stomach, it doesn’t seem to have any effect on my appetite - does this sound normal, through your experience?”

Answers:

Yerba Mate is traditionally consumed before or after meals, not with it. Personally I rarely drink Yerba Mate with a meal. When I do I have found that I don’t experience the same energizing effect as I do when I drink it seperately. However, if drinking during a meal keeps you happy I wouldn’t discourage it. Often the body itself is the best indicator of what’s right for us…

Part of what you may be experiencing is the alkaline effect of yerba mate. Various studies have shown that yerba mate produces a balancing effect on the stomach acids produced to digest food. I would suggest watching if you get a different effect with different foods you eat because each type of food will produce a different enzyme to process your food. By canceling the enzymes produced to process your food (with the alkaline effect of yerba mate) you may actually be “tricking” you stomach into thinking you’re full because it is working harder to breakdown the foods.

Again let your body be your indicator.

One of the best health tips of all time is chewing your food 30 times before you swallow it. It’s a shame most people don’t take this advice. It can aid in weight loss and help digest and absorb nutrients in less than half the time, keeping you fit and healthy.

Hope this helps!

The Happy Gaucho

Paul R. from England writes…

“…in regards to how much Yerba in terms of grams, should I use per litre of water? At the moment I am using around 20 grams per litre of water, each day - does this sound like enough or should I increase the amount to get more benefits?”

Answer:

Paul, I experimented myself with brewing Loose leaf Yerba Mate in a Coffee maker before. Besides the ease to add extra flavors or sweeteners like organic sugar or stevia, drinking brewed yerba mate offers similar health benefits and energizes easily.

When I brewed mine I normally used between 2-4 tablespoons/liter depending on the desired strength.
That’s really not much especially when compared with the amount that is used in a traditional gourd but it got me energized more easily and to me the taste was actually quite a bit stonger and definitely different.

As far as health benefits are concerned drinking regularly is all you should worry about. The amount you mix is entirely up to your personal preference, just as drinking coffee strong will only provide a more intense buzz. The health benefits of yerba mate as with almost anything else are appropriate in moderation.

Because yerba mate acts as a gentle diuretic, consuming too much at a time or making it too strong can actually lead to dehydration unless you continue to drink a glass of water during your drinking session.

Here’s a healthy tip: Despite popular belief there is no set amount of water your body needs per day. It will vary by the persons activity and diet. One thing to keep in mind is that in addition to water, your body also needs sodium to recharge your electrolytes. The best way to recharge your electrolytes is with a pinch of natural sea salt in your water or food.

Enjoy Yerba Mate Your Way!

“The Happy Gaucho “