Yerba mate, the "sacred herb" of the South American Indians, is he althier than coffee and tea, gives a lot of energy and is not addictive. What are the he alth and nutritional benefits of yerba mate? How is it brewed? Can anyone drink the popular yerba?
Yerba mateMillions of people around the world drink. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it counteracts fatigue and improves mood. But not only that, its action is much wider due tohe alth properties- yerba mate is a we alth of vitamins and microelements.
Yerba mate: Indian discovery
Yerba mate is the national drink in four Latin American countries (including Pope Francis). It is nothing more than a decoction of dried, ground leaves and twigs of Paraguay Holly - an evergreen tree that reaches a height of 6-8 meters.
One of the plantations in Argentina that produces the "Amanda" yerba mate is run by the descendants of Polish emigrants, the Szychowski family.
Under natural conditions, it grows only in Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. Initially growing wild, the tree was "marketed" and began to be cultivated on plantations established in virgin subtropical forests without the use of chemicals. But the history of yerba mate goes back to pre-Columbian times. Its discoverers were the Indians of the Guarani tribe, who used yerba mate as a means of improving physical condition and concentration of the mind. For Europe, the brew was discovered by Jesuit missionaries who reached the Guarani tribe in the 17th century. The Jesuits quickly associated the unusual condition of the Indians, despite their poor diet and poorly hygienic living conditions, with the drinking of stimulants. Soon the monks themselves began to establish holly plantations and ship powdered leaves to Europe.
Yerba mate - he alth properties
Tea from the leaves of Paraguay, or yerba mate, is a rich source of guarana (caffeine), chlorogenic acid (the same acid found in green coffee), numerous minerals and vitamins (A, B1, B2, C, E ) and antioxidants. Just a few sips of the drink causes a feeling of satiety, reduces appetite and speeds up the metabolism, thanks to which the body burns fat more actively. In addition, yerba mate removes fatigue, improves concentration and psychophysical fitness. This is a great alternative to coffee.
Scientists, incl. from the Pasteur Institute in Paris, found that yerba mate for the sake ofrichness of vitamins (A, B1, B2, C, E, H) and microelements (including sodium, magnesium, calcium, silicon, iron, potassium) has a wide pro-he alth effect:
- anti-cancer - strengthens the immune system
- antiatherosclerotic - lowers the level of bad cholesterol, increases good cholesterol, protects the heart
- helps in the fight against overweight - increases the feeling of fullness
- regulates metabolism - stimulates the secretion of bile
- anti-diabetic
- anti-inflammatory
- antifungal
- antiparasitic
- cleans the blood of toxins
- anti-rheumatic
- strengthens bones and teeth
- improves the condition of the skin, hair, nails
- eliminates nervous states, has anti-depressant properties
- supports concentration
- increases resistance to physical fatigue
- stimulates the body
- recreates the walls of the stomach and intestines that have been destroyed.
Yerba mate: a drug that is not addictive
In order for drinking yerba mate to become our habit, we have to like it first. Not always the first time is "love at first sight". Wojciech Cejrowski, traveler and propagator of yerba mate drinking in Poland, recalls: - It was in Paraguay. Impression? Unpleasant, i.e. the same as with the first coffee or the first tea. These are strong caffeinated drinks and the body must learn to recognize them; only then do we get positive signals to the brain: Yes, have a drink, that's good, caffeine raises a sleepy eye. When asked if he is addicted to her, he replies: - Er, there. We get used to it the same way as to coffee or tea, because with traditional Paraguay brewing, we pour the entire thermos of water through one small portion of yerba mate. You drink a lot of it, but the dose of caffeine is the same as in one coffee or one tea. There are probably people who are addicted in a similar way to coffee lovers who drink 12 cups in our country, but these are deviations from the norm. I drink normally: one long yerba in the morning.
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Recipe for yerba mate
2 tablespoons dried pour hot, but not boiling water. We drink the infusion slightly cooled down. You can also prepare a slimming mix based on Paraguay Holly. We mix together 3 heaped spoons of yerba mate and a spoonful of: algae, couch grass rhizome, heather flower, corn rhizome and stevia. After mixing the measured amount of herbs, brew in the filter coffee machine.
Yerba mate drinking ritual
There is a strict ritual of drinking yerba mate. It is served in mate, made of gourds, ceramics or wood. The herb is poured into 3/4 of the vessel's volume,he puts on a bombilla, or a drinking tube, and pours himself over with hot, but not boiling, water. Yerba mate is also called the infusion of friendship. Social gatherings based on the ritual of drinking a decoction of holly are frequent. So does yerba mate integrate people and create social bonds? - This is the case in Paraguay, the home of yerba - replies the famous traveler. - In Argentina and Brazil less, because they drink without ritual, i.e. individually. In Paraguay, people drink in a group, in a tribal circle, and it is like smoking a pipe of peace. The yerba dish changes hands. In Argentina, gauchos, or cowboys, are similarly drunk, but this is an exception. The rest of society drinks yerba and we drink our coffees. So kind of together, but each with their own cup.
How to buy a good yerba mate?
In Poland, yerba mate is available online, but also in hypermarkets such as Carefour or Selgros. The offer includes various types of infusion. What genres can be recommended to beginners so as not to discourage them? - As with coffee, there are weaker coffees and those who are drunk by beginners, there are stronger coffees, and those are drunk by, for example, smokers, because they have a weakened sense of smell and taste. In my colonial store I made three varieties of yerba: the weakest and quite mild in taste "Yerba for Beginners", then there is my favorite "Paraguayan Yerba" - some herbs are added to it. This is done in Paraguay by adding a few leaves such as boldo, mint or lemongrass to the top of the infusion. For what? For a similar purpose as we add onion to our tomatoes, chives and pepper to the cottage cheese. These additives slightly complement the flavor. And I drink it. And the strongest "Yerba for the cheeky" is a hard, strong taste for smokers, coffee lovers and macho types - says Wojciech Cejrowski.
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