I'm interested in Mate tea. What can you tell me about it?!
I'm interested in Mate tea. What can you tell me about it?
Answers:
It is made from an herb from south america. It has stimulant properties similar to caffine without the negative side effects such as nervousness, racing heart, etc..... It is usually refered to as Yerba Mate which litteraly translates to "cup herb". It has been consumed by the native people for hundreds of years. The traditional way to drink it is out of a gourd called a mate, the herb is placed in the gourd and hot water is poured over it, the liquid is then drank through a straw called a bombilla (sp?) traditionally made of silver. The herb is left in and the straw helps filter the drink. It is generally passed around and shared. Once the tea is gone they will usually make another batch with the same leaves, this is repeated 'till they have lost all of their flavor, then they start fresh. At one point (and I believe still)in many countries in south america more yerba mate was consumed than coffee or tea
There are some reports that it is associated with urinary bladder carcinoma. Check it out in pubmed.