The taste of the green version (organic) Yerba Mate, is not unpleasant.
If steeped a long time it gets tannin type taste (astringent) just like black tea.
It is not unlike the teas served in Asian restaurants. I find a bit of honey
cuts the tannin effect nicely. Besides honey is good for you in moderation.
Yerba Mate tests positive for caffeine...but you do not feel the caffeine the
same way as with black tea or green tea. I am very sensitive to caffeine, and get the jitters easily. The yerba mate claims that the caffeine molecule is complexed into the other polyphenols and released in a more gentle way. So while the gas chromatography tests show caffeine is there, it does not react in the body the same way as with coffee or other caffeinated teas.
I can even drink it at night...which normally after noon, I stay away from all
caffeine. ( I sometimes use it at night when I work night shifts).
There is also a "mood elevation" effect that kicks in, in about 2 weeks.
I started with this tea during the major time of my PAIN issues when I had my leg injury last year. I was getting pretty "down" and depressed with time, and the yerba mate just knocked me out of that slump. It is probably not
as strong as a true antidepressant, but this tea is very popular in S.America specifically for this effect... it is called "mateine".
Yerba mate is also included in diet fat burners, because some people believe it helps with weight loss. I did not find that to be a factor for me. But then I only have one bag/day... which is really not alot. Some of the countries in S.America consume more yerba mate than coffee (which is also grown there).
South Americans consume ALOT of this, mostly the SMOKED variety...and
there have been reports that heavy use, drinking it too hot..and using smoked varieties combined with alcohol and smoking habits lead to head/neck and
esophogeal cancers. (alcohol and cigarettes alone contribute to head and neck cancers).
However, other studies show yerba mate and other polyphenolic compounds actually prevent cancer:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...=pubmed_docsum
Quote:
Mutat Res. 2004 Oct 4;554(1-2):53-65.Click here to read Links
In vitro chemopreventive activity of Camellia sinensis, Ilex paraguariensis and Ardisia compressa tea extracts and selected polyphenols.
* Ramirez-Mares MV,
* Chandra S,
* de Mejia EG.
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 228 ERML, MC-051, 1201 W. Gregory Drive, 61801, USA.
Several herbal teas contain bioactive compounds that have been associated with a lower risk of chronic diseases including cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the chemopreventive activity of tea aqueous extracts and selected constituent pure polyphenols using a battery of in vitro marker systems relevant for the prevention of cancer. The effects of (-) epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), quercetin (Q), gallic acid (GA), green tea (GT, Camellia sinensis), ardisia tea (AT, Ardisia compressa) and mate tea (MT, Ilex paraguariensis) extracts were tested. Cytotoxicity, TPA-induced ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) and quinone reductase (QR) activities were evaluated in vitro using HepG2 cells. The topoisomerase inhibitory activity was also tested, using the Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast system. Results suggest that MT, AT and GT are cytotoxic to the HepG2 cells, with MT demonstrating dominant cytotoxicity. EGCG showed greater cytotoxicity than Q and GA against HepG2 cells. The greatest inhibition (82%) of TPA-induced ODC activity was shown by Q, with 25 microM (IC50 = 11.90 microM). Topoisomerase II, but not topoisomerase I, was the cellular target of MT, AT, EGCG, Q and GA, which acted mainly as true catalytic inhibitors. The cytotoxic activity and the inhibition of topoisomerase II may contribute to the overall chemopreventive activity of AT and MT extracts. Ardisia and mate teas may thus share a public health potential as chemopreventive agents.
PMID: 15450404 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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The method of preparing the organic green variety is thought to prevent the free radicals that occur during smoking(fast drying) the herb, before sale. So the unsmoked variety is really the one to use.
I personally do not think that cancer is a risk at this time. But I am bringing to your attention, considering heavy potential use, or improper preparation using extremely hot water, etc.(or presence of heavy alcohol consumption or cigarette use).
This tea has been a tremendous boon for me. Pain wise, vein wise, mood wise.
I have just been AMAZED.
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All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.-- Galileo Galilei
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Weezie looking at petunias 8.25.2017
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