Yerba Mate

By Charlotte Branca

This is a plant I have been drawn to lately. Actually, drawn to is an understatement, obsessed with would be much more accurate. I usually do not become obsessed with one particular herb very often, so when all I can think of is living with this herb through eating, drinking, and just feeling its vibration I know the information and healing it is sharing is very important to our health with the energetic transitions the Earth is making at this time. Yerba Mate is a Rain Forest herb from South America. It grows wild in Argentina, Chili, Peru, and Brazil. What we buy in stores is cultivated to supply world demand of this herb. Yerba Mate is an ancient herb used by the Indians of Brazil and Paraguay. The method of leaf preparation for the traditional tea beverage varies. In one method, the branches are cut and then held over an open fire to cure the leaves. Other methods include par blanching the leaf in boiling water and then toasting them in large pans over a fire or in a brick oven. The method of using this herb is to fill the bottom third of a small cured gourd especially prepared for Yerba Mate with the leaf adding hot water to fill the rest of the cup. Burnt sugar, lemon juice, or milk can be added as well for flavor, but is not necessary. It is then served with a metal drinking straw or tube, called a bombilla, which has a filter attached to the lower end to strain out leaf fragments. For those that don’t need all the extra excitement brewing and steeping it as you would any leafy herb using a tea ball as a strainer is just fine. I discovered from a friend of mine who lived in Paraguay that some of the very impoverished communities lived almost entirely on Yerba Mate leaves. She said she developed great respect for this tree when she saw people very healthy, very active, living into their hundreds with this plant as their main staple.

Nutritionally Yerba Mate contains numerous vitamins and minerals. Some of these are carotene, vitamin A, C, E, B-1, B-2, riboflavin, biotin, magnesium, calcium, iron, sodium, potassium, manganese, silicon, phosphates, sulfur, chlorophyll, choline, inositol, and 15 different amino acids. Many companies claim that Yerba Mate does not contain caffeine, which is untrue. The fact is Yerba Mate does contain caffeine. It has been scientifically identified to contain about 50 to 100 mg of caffeine in a 6 oz. serving. This is just about as much as what is in a cup of green or black tea. It does not deplete the adrenal glands, though, or cause addiction as coffee does since it is so high in B vitamins and is not acidic to the body. It also contains mateine which is a naturally occurring chemical bound to the caffeine as well as a many other polyphenols and tannins which are antioxidants and contribute to health. The many well known medicinal uses of this herb include appetite suppressant, fatigue reduction, blood sugar balancing, heart support, eases hypertension, reduces muscle weakness, reduces water retention, headaches, rheumatism, laxative, allergies, depression, and increases mental clarity.

Magickally Yerba Mate is about Love. It can be worn in amulets to attract the opposite sex. For a long lasting relationship drink an infusion or brew of this herb with the one you love to insure you will stay together. To break the ties that bind a bad relationship together, write the names of both parties in the ground. Sprinkle the crushed leaves over the names while blessing and thanking the other person for the learning experience they provided while saying goodbye. Walk away knowing all chords have been dissolved and only positive and strengthening energy will be attributed to these lessons learned.

Astrologically the Moon rules Yerba Mate. This influence is very important to the energetic healing and supportive properties this herb is bringing to us during this transition in time. As we change to adjust to this new patterning unfolding before us we must acknowledge where we have been and release any hidden traumas and grievances we have carried with us. With this lunar influence Yerba Mate helps us to open the portals of time within our own consciousness and allows us to unwind and release any snares placed along the way. It helps us to see and move forward without fear of what was behind and what is ahead. It assists us in transforming light into thought patterns and creating new cellular structures and protocols to learn by. Yerba Mate also helps us to take responsibility for what is ours and helps us to define what is not so that we may traverse plains of existence with our very own clarity of vision and purpose.

Yerba Mate Chai Hot or Iced Tea

To make 1 1/2 quarts of hot Yerba Mate Chai:

1 1/2 quarts cold water
6 teaspoons organic sugar or 1/8 cup agave nectar (my favorite)
1 Tblsp. dried mint leaves
6 Tblsp. Yerba Mate leaves
1 teaspoon Garam Masala (blend of cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon found in East Indian food stores. Make sure to get the kind without cumin. Make your own by combining equal portions of powdered cardamom, cloves and cinnamon)

Put everything but the sweetener into a pot, whisk to remove lumps.
Bring to a slow boil. Reduce heat immediately and then simmer
for 5 minutes. Strain. Add sweetener. Serve hot or cool and add ice.

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