what is yerba mate and is it Raw????....

[deberaw]

..I ask this because my hubby and I met with a Raw and Living Foods Practioner this week...and she recommended this as an herb to help with my hubby feeling tired....she said it helps her a lot, just puts in a glass of unboiled water for a while....what is this herb? My hubby {nor I} take any kind of caffeine....the stimulant from dark chocolate and Raw Cacao is plenty once in a while....so we are wondering what thoughts are about this...we don't want it if it is somekind of caffeinated stimulant.........Thank you in advance for any and all replies!

[Revvell]

Google is my friend:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerba_mate

[jacsam]

The blessed herb company sells two types of Yerba and here's what they had to say. By the way, they would be raw. Most herbs are picked and dryed by hanging in a cool, dark place.

Yerba Manza Root: Internally, slowly healing congested rhinitis, pharyngitis or sinusitis. Cysitis. Hay fever. Mouth, gum and throat sores. Arthritic joint inflammation. Externally: Antiseptic wash. Athlete's foot. Bartholin gland cysts or per-anal boils.

Yerba Santa Leaf: Expectorant and bronchial dilator. Chest colds. Bronchitis. Asthma. Hay fever.

It would be interesting to know why she thinks this would be helpful for your husband feeling tired. I've used alot of herbs over the years and this isn't one that would come to mind for lack of energy but maybe it is high in a vit or mineral that he is low in. I'd be interested to know what she has to say....learn something new. As far as I know it isn't an herb with caffiene in it. :) Judith

[rawstrawberry]

I love Yerba Mate and it does have some great health benefits.

I get green Yerba Mate that is raw but it does contain caffeine.

RS

[ciarac]

Actually, as far as I know, and I may be wrong, yerba mate does NOT have caffeine, though it does have stimulants. It is a very popular drink amongst Argentinians, they drink it out of this cute little cup using a straw with a filter. I drank it for a while, with honey, and found it delicious. I had started taking it hoping that it would substitute my daily coffee but that didn't work. I had a friend at the time who drank 2 or 3 coffees a day and no longer felt any buzz from coffee but with yerba mate she was flying!

[ciarac]

My mistake, Tori!
Yerba mate DOES have caffeine. Apparently it's often sold as a caffeine-free alternative to coffee but researchers have found that yes, it does have coffee. Though some people tolerate it better than coffee or tea. So, there you go! I say if you're not hooked on coffee or tea right now like the rest of the world, steer clear of mate!