Before we even got started for the day, our guide started to make some tea.
After I had finished packing and checking my equipment, he called me over.
“Have some. This will help you the higher we go.”
“Is this a root of some kind?” Maca root, which is also from Peru, can help you with altitude. But I hadn’t seen what he put in the tea.
“The leaves of the Ilex tree.”
Our guide had a degree in forestry and knew every plant and tree in the jungle and on the mountain. I think he was having a little fun with me, because when I brought the cup up to my nose, I knew what it was right away.
Yerba mate.
A lot of the little roadside stands in Brazil and Peru sell yerba mate tea. And if you visit South America, you almost can’t help but try it a few times. I don’t know how much of the herb they put in it, but it gives you an immediate energy lift.
As it turns out, yerba mate can also help you adapt to high altitude. A benefit that’s not very well known outside of the Andes Mountains region.
|
|
We were climbing the Andes in southern Peru. We were about to start our first day on the Inca Trail. Have you heard of it? It’s the climb that winds through jungles, forests and the ruins of half a dozen ancient towns on the way to the lost city of Machu Picchu.
Peru is not a very big country. And here’s this incredible city, high up in the mountains and far away from the ocean or any other place humans usually live.
It’s a complete city, but isolated. You can’t even get to it without hiking for four straight days. Pretty remarkable.
And it can be a tough hike. The Inca Trail averages about 4,200 feet above sea level, and Machu Picchu is over 7,200 feet. My P.A.C.E. training gave me an edge to overcome the thin air at that altitude. But the yerba mate was very effective.
Every morning we made a fire, warmed some water in our dented black pot, broke up the stems and leaves, brewed the tea and packed up while we drank up.
Some of the lift yerba mate gives you is from the little a bit of caffeine it has. But unlike coffee, yerba mate is full of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. They balance the effect of the caffeine, giving you a smoother, longer-lasting effect and better metal energy.
It doesn’t give you jitters, and has 90% more antioxidant power than green tea. Those alone would make yerba mate worth drinking. But yerba mate does much more for you.
Its effect is enhanced by theobromine, a plant compound called an alkaloid. Alkaloids have remarkable similarities to human neurotransmitters like serotonin and acetylcholine which have a positive effect on your mood and memory.
In fact, when researchers tested yerba mate extract on animals they found that it improves short-term memory and social memory (the ability to recognize and interact with others). And it inhibited memory loss1 and memory dysfunction.2
Theobromine is probably best known for being the ingredient in cacao – the source of chocolate – which helps relax smooth muscle in blood vessels. It’s the reason both high-cacao chocolate and yerba mate can lower your blood pressure.
Its polyphenols also slow the growth of the bacteria responsible for bad breath.
I have seen yerba mate supplements as large as 600 mg capsules, but I wouldn’t recommend you take that much. I have seen yerba mate supplements as large as 600 mg capsules, but I wouldn’t recommend you take that much. For example, I only included 25 mg of the extract in each serving of my brand new energy surge product. In fact, it will be available for presale tomorrow. So be sure to watch your email for more details.
I put it together with guarana so you don’t need as much because it activates the effect of guarana.
If you want to make yerba mate tea, you can buy the herb at most health food stores and Peruvian markets. Make your yerba mate tea with hot, but not boiling, water. The hotter the water and the longer you let it sit before you drink it, the bitterer the taste will be.
1 Prediger, RD, et. al. “Effects of acute administration of the hydroalcoholic extract of mate tea leaves (Ilex paraguariensis) in animal models of learning and memory.” J Ethnopharmacol. 2008 Dec 8;120(3):465-73
2 Colpo, G. et. al. “Ilex paraguariensis has antioxidant potential and attenuates haloperidol-induced orofacial dyskinesia and memory dysfunction in rats.” Neurotox Res. 2007 Oct;12(3):171-80