I’ve written before about the wonderful herbal tea called Yerba Mate. If you’ve read my previous post where I mentioned yerba mate as something Tim Ferris drinks routinely, you already know that this “wonder herb” is great for improving your mental focus and concentration. (In fact, I also drink yerba mate routinely when writing, programming and building web sites. It really does help me focus on tasks!)
But yerba mate has other health benefits. So you can see just how good yerba mate tea is for you, I wanted to outline its benefits in more detail. So, here is a more complete list of the things yerba mate can do for you. Here are five health benefits that yerba mate is known for.
5 Health Benefits of Yerba Mate
1. Yerba Mate Gives You a Smooth Energy Boost
Some people simply are not coffee drinkers. As an example, I know people who understand the benefits of bulletproof coffee – yet get too jittery when they drink even a small amount of caffeine. Personally, I limit my coffee intake to one cup of coffee mixed with coconut oil in the morning (I faithfully use Viva Labs coconut oil). I limit my coffee intake so that I don’t get the jitters and so I don’t stay awake too late at night. (To be fair, I should mention that taking l-theanine with caffeine can minimize the negative effects of caffeine.)
I used to drink an afternoon cup of coffee, just to keep myself going late in the day. But I’ve changed my routine. In my experience, I get a much better, more gradual, and longer-lasting energy boost from drinking a cup of yerba mate. It does not give me any sort of jitters. It gives me a noticeable mental energy boost. And it has the bonus of allowing me to focus.
2. Yerba Mate Improves Your Mental Function
This is what I love about yerba mate the most. As a web developer and a writer, I find that if I can’t get “in the zone” and really focus on my task, I’m not very productive. In other words, I need to get tunnel vision and really get into what I’m working on for a period of time. Yerba mate helps me to focus like that. It’s almost like it helps my brain fine-tune into whatever I’m working on.
What it does not do is make me nervous or anxious. Caffeine tends to do that, especially when taken with sugar. I’ve seen that (in my past) when I used to drink Coke or sweet coffee during the day. The bad thing about drinking sugary, caffeinated drinks like those is weight gain (from sugar), and an overall nervous feeling that comes from the sudden rush of chemicals plus caffeine.
So when I want to be able to focus on my work, I no longer drink a Coke. I don’t get that third or fourth cup of coffee. And I definitely don’t drink any energy drinks (which is a whole other article). What I do drink, with confidence, is a cup of yerba mate tea.
3. Yerba Mate Gives You Antioxidants and Vitamins
If I can get multiple benefits from a supplement, a food, or a tea – I take advantage of it. I think of every supplement in terms of “stacking” – and I like to think about how many benefits I can get from something at once. Yerba mate definitely is a multi-benefit supplement for my daily routine. It does multiple good things for your body. And it tastes very pleasant on top of everything good that it does.
Yerba is loaded with antioxidants. It also contains vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B5, vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, potassium, selenium, zinc…and more. I used to drink green tea for its antioxidant properties (and I still do enjoy occasional cups of green tea), but now that I know how good yerba mate is for me I feel good knowing that it has a lot of the “good stuff” to help my body.
4. Yerba Mate Strengthens Your Immune System
Because yerba is high is saponins, has natural anti-inflammatory properties, and is known for its overall immune-boosting functions, I recommend my family to drink it often. When allergy season comes, my wife drinks yerba mate and takes echinacea – and gets relief. (Because we try to avoid chemicals and drugs, we rely on natural supplements.) Yerba mate really does seem to help out with an overall immune boost to keep us not only energized and focused…but healthy!
5. Yerba Mate Helps Your Digestion and Elimination
People have talked about yerba mate being an aid in weight loss, which I can’t personally vouch for, but in conjunction with that it is known as a general digestion tonic. In fact, a traditional used of yerba mate has been to relieve constipation and indigestion. Also, because it’s naturally antibacterial, it could be a preventative and help against some of the bacteria that causes food poisoning and other causes of digestive problems.
In case you can’t tell, by now you can see I’m a big fan of yerba mate. I’m a true believe in the good things it can do. I drink a cup of yerba mate tea almost every day. Not only does it taste great (it has a mild, smooth flavor) but it’s easy to brew.
I buy Guayaki Yerba Mate, in the 75-count package of tea bags. (It’s one of the cheapest and best investments I make in myself: the cost is only about $0.21 per cup of tea.) Some people do the traditional brewing, with loose-leaf tea – but I like convenience. I heat up some water, put in a tea bag, and in 5 minutes I have a good cup of tea that energizes me, helps my brain focus, and has many other health benefits as well.
I wholly recommend yerba mate, and hope you try it yourself. The benefits are huge. Once you integrate yerba mate into your routine, you may never go back to drinking coffee or Coke again!
Products Mentioned in this Post
- Guayaki Traditional Organic Mate Tea, 7.9oz (225g), 75 Tea Bags
- Bulletproof® Ground Coffee 12oz
- Viva Labs The Finest Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, 16 Ounce
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