Yerba mate is a drink popular in many parts of South America. Its preparation consists of filling a gourd with the leaves of the South American holly yerba mate, pouring hot but not boiling water over the leaves, and drinking with a straw, the bombilla, which acts as a filter so as to draw only the liquid and not the yerba leaves.
Yerba mate is a natural source of many minerals, vitamins and stimulants like caffeine, potassium, thiamine, riboflavin, iron and magnesium.
An animal study from 2008 indicates that yerba mate can be useful for improving cognitive performance. Yerba mate also contains several powerful antioxidants that can be useful with protecting our brain from oxidative damage. For more details on how yerba mate affects the brain, please follow Yerba Mate Culture on twitter or read their writeup titled “Yerba Mate and Brain“.
Here at Punk Mate, we’ve have taken the classic mate drink to a new level by boosting the caffeine level, adding sugar and carbonating the drink.