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Yerba Mate! Mega merged thread.

I heard that it doesn't contain caffeine at all (or a negligible amount), but a massive dose of Vitamin E, which is responsible for the lift.

This is purely anecdotal, however. :\
 
^ nope, definitely contains caffeine.

Does have quite a bit of vitamins/minerals and a shit ton of amino acids in it though as well as other xanthines so there is a lot more going on than just caffeine

drinking some rosamonte especial w/ blueberry rooibos atm. is good
 
It contains some caffeine, although not as much as green tea from what I understand. From what I can feel of the way it effects my body I can agree, as too much caffeine gives me a jittery feeling. I drank a ton of this stuff yesterday and I can still feel it, it's crazy. (Be warned, it can make it very hard to sleep)
 
^ na more than green tea, less than coffee though.

it can make it hard to sleep in large amounts, but when you only have a cup or two it does surprisingly little to interfere with sleep for a stimulating beverage which is awesome. Some people claim it can even help relax one and facilitate sleep which i think is strange.

contains maoi's too which is pretty nifty

local people consider it a cure all almost and say that it helps to carry other herbs into the system quicker/synergise with them....

i know i feel more euphoric when i smoke some herb after a cup or two, but it may just be its mood lifting effects in combo with the ganj
 
MORE than green tea? Interesting. I'm not sure why I thought it was less.

It is simply AMAZING with pot. Such a good combo. Reminds me of the feeling I'd sometimes get doing a lot of coke with pot. Still stoned but this really pleasant alert feeling as well.
 
I was on a HUUUUGE yerba kick for about 6 months before realizing it was causing/worsening my chronic kidney infections. For some ungodly reason, yerba will set off my burning pee/aching kidneys faster than anything else, including coffee, poppy tea, etc. I don't have a clue why this is, but it's definitely true for me.

Aside from that, yerba's a mellow-but-energizing drink with plenty of health benefits. It doesn't mess with blood sugar like coffee and is better for you than pop and energy drinks. With that said, it's probably best not to overdo it, as there's conflicting evidence that it causes throat and oral cancer in some people. It's far from conclusive, but something to think about nonetheless.

Drink up!
 
I found it too stimulating for me. I enjoy it when I have it, but it couldn't be an everyday sort of thing.
 
Ah yes! I love the mate! I just drank a nice gourd a couple of hours ago...picked up the habit in Buenos Aires.

It definitely combines well with cannabis and tobacco. That combo is the psychoactive meat and potatoes of Argentina, haha.

Anybody had Materva? It's probably my favorite carbonated beverage.
 
I was on a HUUUUGE yerba kick for about 6 months before realizing it was causing/worsening my chronic kidney infections. For some ungodly reason, yerba will set off my burning pee/aching kidneys faster than anything else, including coffee, poppy tea, etc. I don't have a clue why this is, but it's definitely true for me.

Aside from that, yerba's a mellow-but-energizing drink with plenty of health benefits. It doesn't mess with blood sugar like coffee and is better for you than pop and energy drinks. With that said, it's probably best not to overdo it, as there's conflicting evidence that it causes throat and oral cancer in some people. It's far from conclusive, but something to think about nonetheless.

Drink up!

True, I've abused the shit out of it before, to the point where I would not even sleep at night at all. Very similar to how I was with coke, I think it effects me in the same way for some reason. I've stopped drinking it for the time being because I think it may be effecting my celiac disease now for some reason.. grr so frustrating.
 
Should I be worried about the carcinogenic properties of Yerba Mate?

I typically drink 1 - 4 cups of mate a day, on average around 2 - 3. I've been brewing this tea (hot and cold) for about 2 months now. Although I haven't drank it everyday, most days I drink a cup in the morning and a cup in the evening. Yesterday, however, I drank about 5 cups because I was trying to motivate myself and focus on a research paper. I love mate, it's amazing and has provided me with a soft balance of light stimulation and relaxation, as well as providing me with other vitamins and minerals, but as I was browsing the web I came across this:

However, they did determine that if prepared in the traditional way and consumed in amounts typically enjoyed by South Americans who drink mate, the intake of certain carcinogenic PAHs was comparable to what a person would get by smoking a pack of cigarettes per day. The study authors noted that the comparison with cigarette smoking is supported by other research that shows that urine levels of the breakdown products of PAHs are similar after smoking cigarettes and after drinking mate.

source

this is worries me, although I can't see myself breaking out of this habit as I have fallen in love with this plant. I'm drinking a cup right now haha (added some piracetam too). I'm gonna die eventually but I'd rather not die from my own actions. Is there anyway to balance mate intake and still live a healthy cancer free life? Any long term mate drinkers have any input?

btw I'm pretty healthy and stay away from junk and fast food and I don't smoke cigs, but yesterday the amount of mate I drank could've equated to me smoking a pack of cigs! although without the nasty lungs.
 
I drink yerba mate hot and iced.

I do not drink it in a bombilla or the gourd with the straw or just the silver tipped straw but I was told how it's the the metal straws and consuming lots of very hot liquids all day that may theoretically cause cancer.

I drink 1-2 cups of yerba mate, not daily but I read how you have to drink as much as a liter daily in order to be theoretically at risk for cancer from it.

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/mar/16/health/he-nutrition16

I've had as much as 3-4 standard to large cups of Mate in a day all at once and I did not like the side effects of drinking that much at once. I've drank a full small/standard sized tea or French press of Yerba Mate at once but I'd mix in honey and soymilk and I drank it in small cups. Ever make Mate with a coffee filter?
 
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(edited because poster is being a douchebag)
 
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stfu stop cryuing over bullshit that might kill you. are you a girl ? only girls are so worried about drying or getting old or whatever. real men do not give a shit. we die much younger than women and we never cry about it. get a grip !

GTFO if you can't contribute. Do you see me crying over it? I'm just asking a fucking question, asshole. How about you go on and go fuck yourself. I like to know the consequences of my actions and be well-informed about the substances I am taking. I've known about the cancer risks for some time, but has that stopped me from drinking mate daily? No, so suck it. I was asking for people's anecdotal experience and advice with this issue, not your immature bullshit of a response that is not helpful in any way, and certainly does not comply with Bluelight's standards of harm reduction.

btw thanks for that article priest. didn't know about this:

Lab tests have suggested a host of benefits from yerba mate. In test tubes, the herb and its components reduce oxidative stress on heart and liver cells, protect DNA from damage in yeast cells and kill human liver cancer cells. In lab rats, the tea improves the flow of blood through blood vessels and reduces fat accumulation.
 
Hi there! I too am a fan of mate and was very suprised to first hear of carcinogenic properties in mate, however I think this can be explained for two simple reasons that should lay your fears to rest. Also keep in mind the cases of mate being linked with cancer was when people were consuming it in obscene amounts.

Anyhow cancer causing explianation one is as preist said, is likely due to it being consumed hot. Hot liquids are linked to cancer of the areas they come in contact with to put it simply. I think ur safe if ur not imbibing large amounts of piping hot liquids with high frequency. Iv always wondered why ppl like their hot beverages so fuckin hot sometimes, I remember uncles microwacing their coffee right after it got done brewing and I couldn't imagine how that would be pleasent, I think ur body let's u know when shits too hot with this thing called pain.

Reason two is because mate is smoked. Plenty of studies showing smoke being carcinogenic. Good news tho, brands like ecotea (I think that's the name anyway) sell unsmoked green mate and its great, however smoked mate does have a particular fllavor I sometimes crave.

Anyway don't sweat it, if anything u should drink more by the sounds of it, its amazingly healthy! :)

Feel free to ask meany mate related q's and ill answer it to the best of my ability or at least point ya in the right direction.
 
I used to be addicted to the stuff. I thought it was a good alternative to coffee at the time because I had read it was rich in antioxidants so I was drinking like 10+ cups a day of it. I guess it was too much because my body suddenly freaked out and stopped tolerating it. I didn't change brands or anything but over the course of about a week I began reacting to it-big pussy sores breaking on my skin... :( I don't know if it's because its carcinogenic but my body sure can't handle it anymore. Sucks, because the "high" I got from it was great, better than coffee. I used to stay up all night writing and drinking that stuff and would just be so focused. Bummer.

I say enjoy it, and hope your body doesn't start saying no like mine did. I just wish I had known from the start that it wasn't a wonder tonic, rather something more like coffee which should be used in moderation.. maybe I wouldn't have become allergic. Blah.

ps- I talk about it in a lot of other threads but in case you didn't know I have severe autoimmune disease and am intolerant to a lot of things. So don't think this will necessarily happen to you, I'm just saying.
 
I used to drink tons of yerba mate for studying. I even have a gourd and bombilla. Stuff was great compared to coffee/espresso; great energy without the crash. But learning about the cancer concerns, I switched to green tea. Esophageal cancers are no picnic--I knew a surfer who came down with that cancer. It's very hard to treat because you can't just irradiate the throat, too much vital stuff around it like the thyroid gland. It led to a miserable death. After that, I switched to green tea, which has proven to be just as good as mate in giving me energy without the jitteriness or crash of coffee.

Basically a wonder drink, green tea has been proven to promote longevity by preventing the DNA from shedding telomeres, which are our cells' ticking time bombs. Green tea has enough caffeine to get a good buzz going, but the jittery effects are balanced out by a unique amino acid it contains called L-Theanine.

L-Theanine is an amino acid found in high levels in green tea that reduces anxiety, promotes mental clarity, and protects the brain from stress-induced damage. "First, this amino acid directly stimulates the production of alpha brain waves, creating a state of deep relaxation and mental alertness similar to what is achieved through meditation. Second, L-theanine is involved in the formation of the inhibitory neurotransmitter, gamma amino butyric acid (GABA). GABA influences the levels of two other neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin, producing the key relaxation effect. (2)"

http://www.web-us.com/l-theanine_anxiety_reducer.htm

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400635/Green-Tea-for-Longer-Life.html
 
I think a big part of what gives people cancer is drinking liquids that are too hot. Damaging your esophagus increases cell division which increases the chances of a mistake during replication. Green tea has anti cancer effects, yet is associated with mouth and stomach cancer....dont drink liquids that are too hot.


I am not ruling out other toxins, but I think your risk decreases when you drink things at a more reasonable temperature.
 
Green tea also contains fluoride. I know fluoride is controversial and not everyone is against it or for it, but I just thought I'd throw it out there. I am against fluoride and I originally switched to mate because it's lower in fluoride. But then... yeah. I pretty much only drink herbal tea on occasion now.
 
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