Yerba Mate: How to use

Yerba Mate easy instructions

1) Pour some yerba mate into your cured gourd.

2) Pour warm water onto some of the yerba mate.

3) Relax until the yerba mate awakens .

4) Put straw into yerba mate.

5) Pour some water and drink.

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Water temperature for preparing yerba mate

Water 140-158 degrees Fahrenheit; step 2.

Water 176-185 degrees Fahrenheit; step 5.

Water will begin to form bubbles along the side and bottom; 176 degrees.

Small bubbles begin to float in water; 185 degrees.

Keep water temperatures always below boiling; do not use boiling water.

NOTE: Gold plated tip straws are not about glamour, they are about practicality. Gold does not transmit heat so very little water can be used at a higher temperature without burning the sensitive lips. There are centuries of reason behind the gourds and straws that Latin Americans use for consuming the "drink of the gods".

General Use Principles

There are many ways to infuse Yerba Mate into your diet and almost all traditional methods are based on one underlying principle: Use as little water as possible to extract the maximum nutrients throughout the day.

Drinking very little water with tea is an ancient and important principle. Subhuti Dharmananda, Ph.D., Director, Institute for Traditional Medicine in Portland, Oregon examined classical medical literature for recommendations on the amount of water to drink with hot tea. His review highlights the Chinese and Ayurvedic tea principle of "just a few sips" (Use as little water as possible)."(2005). We caution against drinking too much water with your Yerba Mate as there is no historical precedence for doing so; it is neither traditional nor common practice.

The latest evidence suggests that the basic western style of drinking most teas (i.e., small tea bag in water) does not extract sufficient nutrients or active ingredients to benefit the body. Jane Higdon, Ph.D., who writes for The Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University states that the regular approach for drinking green tea may not extract sufficient levels of nutrients to bring about certain health benefits, such as inhibiting the development of cancer (2003). Likewise, the Department of Environmental Medicine at the University of Rochester notes that there is a level of tea compounds that must be in the blood of a person in order to benefit the body (2003, C. M. Palermo, J. I. Martin Hernando, et. al). They note that, "direct measurements in people's blood, in contrast, typically are less than one-tenth this amount." The Traditional Method of Yerba Mate (with special straw and gourd) produces levels of nutrients "which are usually not attained with green tea or moderate wine drinking" (Bixby, 2005: Life Science) Additionally, the chemicals break down less since the Yerba Mate is not left to soak like most teas. As noted by the Harvard Medical School, "the best way to get the catechins and other flavonoids in tea is to drink it freshly brewed. Decaffeinated, bottled ready-to-drink tea preparations, and instant teas have less of these compounds." (2005). The Traditional Method is the easiest, safest, and best way to drink Yerba Mate, producing the freshest and most beneficial tonic.

To maximize the health benefits of tea, it is best to drink it throughout the day. According to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, "…doing so throughout the day may be the most beneficial because you get a constant supply of antioxidants…", and that "studies touting the success of green tea report that subjects drank between three and six cups of tea daily." (2005). The Harvard Medical School concurs that the best method is to have "a cup of tea a few times a day to absorb antioxidants and other healthful plant compounds." (2005). Over 90% of Argentinians drink Yerba Mate every day, throughout the day. Both ancient Ayurvedic and Chinese principles, notes Dr. Dharmananda, extol the benefits of drinking small amount of fluids often throughout the day. It is an ancient principle to drink tea often and throughout the day. The Chinese state clearly that it is "best to have the tea between meals, not while very hungry, and not immediately after the meal (though it can be taken shortly after eating in cases where the meal was too heavy, in an effort to relieve the discomfort and aid the digestion of the food)." (Dharmananda, 2005). The Latin Americans have found the best way to be the same as the ancient Ayurvedic and Chinese principles. The ancient Latin American method was described in 1889 by the cultural enthusiast Frank Vincent, "Mate is taken the first thing in the morning, and again, about the middle of the afternoon, regularly. Then, besides, whenever you call upon a person, at anytime of day or evening, mate is generally served as a delicate attention, whether your visit is of business or friendship." (Around and About South America, Twenty Months of Quest and Query).