Yerba mate (green) – Ilex paraguariensis

Description

Yerba mate is a member of the holly family of plants that is widely distributed throughout South America. Although the herb has a very long history of use by the Guaran? and Tupi peoples of Paraguay and Brazil, yerba mate is relative newcomer to the rest of the world in the sense that it was only ?discovered? in the late 19th century and didn?t gain wide popularity until the 1980s.

While the herb has a variety of uses in its native regions, it is primarily used in tea blends and as a flavoring in liquors and other beverages. Has robust flavor, similar to coffee. Yerba mate contains several active compounds that make the herb flavorful and nutritious. Like green and black tea, yerba mate contains antioxidant flavonoids, such as kaempferol, quercetin and rutin. The herb also provides calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and selenium and vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2, B3 (niacin) and B complex. yerba mate say that it can relieve fatigue, aid in weight loss, ease depression, and help treat headaches and various other conditions.