Yerba Mate

Welcome to the world of yerba mate pronounced (yer-bah mah-tay).  Yerba mate has traditioally been consumed mainly in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and southern Brazil, as a tea-like beverage. Recently, it has found a new home in health-conscious people around the world.  The dried leaves and smaller stems of the perennial tree Ilex paraguarensis ("Yerba Mate") are used to brew the tea.  It is found in tropical or subtropical regions, and needs high temperatures, high humidity and up to 1500 mm of annual rain to survive.  Gorwing in the wild, it takes about 25 years for the plant to completely develop.  When fully mature the plant can reach a height of up to 15 meters.

Yerba mate contains natural stimulants from a specialized class of chemical compounds called xanthines.  The primary xanthine in Yerba Mate is called Mateine.   Mateine, unlike caffine, which causes the muscles in the human body to contract and tighten up when used, helps the muscles to relax.  Yerba mate has recently become a favorite drink among many health-concious on-the-go people.

Traditionally, yerba mate, sometimes just called mate, is used by steeping the chopped or ground plant matter in boiling hot water in a gourd and then drinking it with a straw called a bombilla (bahm-be-yah).  The bombilla filters the plant matter out of the water as you drink it.  The taste is very earthy and resembles tradtional teas.  You can add some sort of creamer like 1/2 and 1/2, soy-milk, rice-milk, almond-milk or any of a number of other such ingredients.  Sugar or honey can be used to sweeten your mate to taste.

Here on these pages, you will find a wealth of information on yerba mate along with a one-stop location to buy yerba mate and accessories used with yerba mate.

Here are a couple of hand-blown glass bombillas with sterling silver wire and precious gemstones making up the filter.

 

    

Bombilla 1                                                                 Bombilla 2

     

Close-up of bombilla 1                                               Close-up of bombilla 2

Bombilla 1 is made with sterling silver, rose quartz, amethyst, garnet and green tourmaline.  Rose quartz helps to bring one to a state of self-love, and self-love is necessary before one can experience all the other types of love.  Amethyst is a meditative stone which can help bring inner-peace.  Garnet helps to remove negativity and turn it positive.  Green tourmaline is used to open the heart-chakra, enabling vizualization.  The sterling silver wire that holds it all together helps to bring all of the properties of the individual gems to the user.

 

Bombilla 2 has been crafted with amethyst and aquamarine.  The amethyst is a mediative stone which can help to bring innner-peace.  The aquamarine, a "stone of courage" helps one to understand how to use the knowledge one encounters along the path.

 

These bombillas may be purchased for $40.00 each by emailing me.