Stimulant, Study Aid, and Alzheimers Prevention

Claims

One popular claim is that Yerba Mate is the perfect stimulant for mental activities (e.g., retailer Guayaki). These claims are supported by both its historical use and medical research.

One striking feature of Yerba Mate is that it could reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. This is because Yerba Mate is high in antioxidant; "A diet high in antioxidants may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease." (Robert P. Friedland, MD, chief of the neurogeriatrics laboratory at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2000).

Laboratory tests confirm that among antioxidant rich beverages, "studies suggest that Ilex paraguariensis extracts [Yerba Mate via the Traditional Method] are more effective than either green tea or red wines." (Bixby, Spieler, Menini, Gugliuccit, Life Sciences, 2005, #77 pgs 345-358)

Students have found the chemical properties of Yerba Mate to be perfect for studying. Coffee and colas contain a caffeine blend that has been shown to impair memory, disturb sleep and cause nervousness. These are side effects that do not help one to study effectively. Yerba Mate, on the other hand, has been shown to not impair memory, cause nervousness or disturb sleep like caffeine.

The following information extracted from Chemical Properties:

Yerba Mate produces an energy like coffee, but without the muscle tension so that one is able to stay relaxed yet alert. It produces an energy from caffeine that is unlike the caffeine energy of other caffeinated drinks. The addictive properties of caffeine are negligable in Yerba Mate; almost no one reports being addicted to Yerba Mate and next to none report any withdrawl symptoms like those reported with most other caffeinated drinks.

Unique Caffeine Content

A review of the literature shows that "Yerba Mate is widely considered to be a good natural stimulant that may be healthier than coffee, due to a unique combination of alkaloids and a relatively small caffeine content." (alternet.org) The unique combination of alkaloids that are bound around the Caffeine produce less body tension. The Herbal Stimulant Tea Sampler writes, "The effects are relatively long lasting, inducing a type of mental clarity and expansion of thought processing capabilities. A feeling of enhanced memory and accelerated intellect is often experienced, however the racy edge of physical and mental stimulation is seldom noted. This state is especially suiting to periods of intense study, calculations, and cerebral activity requiring endurance to maintain continuous attention and precision focusing."

The levels of caffeine appear to be very small. Researchers at the ree Hygienic Institute of Hamburg, Germany, concluded that the amount would be so tiny that it would take 100 tea bags of Mate in a 6-ounce cup of water to equal the caffeine in a 6-ounce serving of regular coffee. Since a gourd uses an average of 50 grams of tea, thus it appears that 6 gourds worth of tea (usually consumed over a few days) would equal the total caffeine in one cup of coffee, yet would not produce the same stimulant affects as the one cup of coffee.

The Yerba Mate stimulant is basically a form of a xanthine. Theophylline, theobromine and caffeine are all examples of xanthines. Caffeine, of course, is the most used and most common of the xanthines. It is easily accessible in any part of the world because of the benefits it can bestow upon its user.

• It is used in popular medicine and employed in commercial herbal preparations as a stimulant to the central nervous system . (Gosmann)
• It is especially convenient that the caffeine in Yerba Mate is bound in a manner that makes it far less addictive than any other form we know about.

There is some who claim that this unique presentation of caffeine in the yerba mate deserves another name; many call this Mateine. They claim, "Mateine appears to possess the best combination of xanthine properties possible. For example, like other xanthines, it stimulates the central nervous system, but unlike most, it is not habituating or addicting . Likewise, unlike caffeine, it induces better, not worse, attributes of sleep . It is a mild, not a strong, diuretic, as are many xanthines. It relaxes peripheral blood vessels, thereby reducing blood pressure , without the strong pressure effect on the medulla and heart exhibited by some xanthines. We also know that it improves psychomotor performance without the typical xanthine-induced depressant after effects." ( from Yerba Mate: Unequaled Natural Nutrition by Dr. Daniel B. Mowrey, Ph.D.) This view is not perfectly accurate, as it is actually the unique binding of the caffeine that creates the unique affects, Mateine more accurately refers to this binding and not to the caffeine itself..

Yerba Mate, consumed in the Traditional Method, is an amazing stimulant that molds well with studying and fighting Alzheimer's disease.

General Benefit Note:

Jane Higdon, Ph.D, Oregon State University, writes that it may be difficult to drink enough of a tea "to reach sufficient plasma and tissue levels of tea polyphenols to realize a protective effect." The American Chemical Society supports this claim by noting that the "direct measurements in people's blood" when using a tea without the gourd and straw are "typically less than one-tenth" the amount shown to produce any significant result. (2003) Fortunately, the Traditional Method of consuming Yerba Mate increases your ability to gain its many benefits. Laboratory tests confirm that drinking mate via the Traditional Method may be the only way to recieve certain benefits (Bixby, 2005; c.v. Palermo, 2003).

Drinking very little water with tea is an ancient and important principle that should be considered when drinking Yerba Mate. One can not safely recommend drinking copious amounts of water with it. The Traditional Method of drinking Yerba Mate with gourd and straw, which uses very little water, is the most effective way to benefit from it's many nutritive values (Bixby, 2005: Life Science).

Benefit Disclaimer

Please keep in mind that each persons body is unique and stimulants should be taken seriously. Please use our information as a springboard for research into your specific needs. Of course, it is recommended to discuss any information with your doctor and listen to the specific needs of your body.

-above information from www.yerbatea.com