A cup of yerba mate is so much more than just a cup of tea. It’s a traditional South American brew with lots of health benefits, and it’s a great pick-me-up in the morning. We love yerba mate, and so does our good friend (and professor of medicine) Stig. According to Stig, here are some of the benefits of yerba mate:

1 An immediate benefit of yerba mate is increased energy. The brew has been said to offer the strength of coffee, but without its side effects.

2 It enhances your memory. Yerba mate boosts mental functions of all kinds, and will enhance both memory, mood, and alertness. It contains theobromine and theophylline which stimulate the production of dopamine.

3 Yerba mate is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It’s packed with tons of good stuff like vitamin A, C, B1, B2, B3, B5 and E. Also, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sodium, sulfur and zinc. And, it is high in chlorophyll, flavonoids and amino acids.

4 It has a history of traditional medicinal use. For example, it’s supposed to help people who suffer from fatigue, digestive problems, pain, depression and allergies.

5 It is strongly anti-inflammatory and boosts the immune system.

6 It helps with weight loss. There is some evidence that say yerba mate can help you lose weight by improving insulin sensitivity.

7 It is antibacterial. It destroys intestinal parasites and escherichia coli bacteria.

8 It has been said to increase bone density. Believe it or not.

9 Yerba mate can help protect and strengthen the heart.

10 It fights cancer. The yerba mate brew contains well known anti-cancer compounds like saponins, ursolic acid, rutin, tannin, chlorogenic acid, and chlorophyll.

Traditionally, you would drink yerba mate from a fruit called calabash, and use a straw. That’s way too complicated for us. We will prepare it the normal way, using hot water, tea leaves and a strainer. Please don’t tell anyone.

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