General Health Improvement

My wife and I have been drinking tea together since we have been married 5 years ago. We always liked to try different teas. One day we picked up some Yerba Mate, didn't think anything about it, just took it home and brewed it. Didnt read the box or have never even heard of it, just drank it. Afterwards my wife and I both looked at each other and started asking what did we drink. We aggreed that we felt an overall well being good feeling. Energized, motivated, just overall feeling good!!! So we looked up the Guayaki web site and then realized, no wonder we feel so good, after reading all the educating information on their website. There is no hype in this, this is the real deal. Now to get to my testimony. My wife and I love Yerba Mate!!!! We drink it every day. Everwhere we go, Mate goes with us. We invite friends and family to drink with us. So far, I can say about 80% of everyone that we have invited to drink Yerba Mate with us, wants to know everything about it. We have been ordering, no less that 5 pound bags at a time, not including what friends go out and buy. Now to get to the good stuff. My family is Mexican on my wifes side and it is a large family. I do not know if it is latin blood, but they are crazy about Mate. They have talked to us so much about how it has changed their life. One of my brother in laws lost the perfect amount of weight. He also passed a couple of kidney stones the first week he started drinking Mate. It scared him, but we explained Yerba Mate was cleansing him. He is doing more than fine, he is a new man. Now down here in Mexico, where my wife and I now live, we have accidenlty started a Yerba Mate craze. On our last order we had to order 30 pounds. For right now the craze is within my big mexican family, but soon we are taking Mate to the streets of Mexico on our Yerba Mate carts/bikes. My mother in law, had bad cholestoral and was having bad neck pains do to it. She had days she couldnt even turn her neck. Every since she has been drinking her Yerba Mate, she has not felt any pain in her neck, also she says her whole body feels like it is being renewed!!! She says thank you to us, Yerba Mate, and Gloria A Dios, or Glory to God!!! Now to top off our story about Yerba Mate!!! Each day when we are done with the grounds, we take them out to the chickens on the ranch, and they come flocking in. My wife will pour out the grounds in a small trough and those chickens go absolutely loco for Yerba Mate. It is so funny and truly amazing. Anyone want some free range, Yerba Mate fed, organic chicken?!!!! If you take a trip down to beautiful central Mexico, Guanajauto, come look for our Yerba Mate bikes and enjoy yourself some Mate and your stay. Thank you Guayaki for what you do for the people down in South America and for us in Mexico and the USA!!!

For the last 5 years, I've been experiencing intense "hot flashes" once every hour and I'm only 37. I've found relief by giving up certain foods like dairy and gluten. However, I was not willing to give up my daily cup of coffee or tea until I discovered how good Yerba Mate tastes with honey and rice milk. Since I've started drinking Yerba Mate, the hot flashes have gone away almost completely. Hot flashes may not seem like a big deal to most people, but they have seriously impacted my life, as well as the people who are close to me. I am so thankful for the relief and enjoyment I have received from Yerba Mate.

I started drinking Guayaki Yerba Mate several years ago after having to give up coffee and most other teas because of the acidity. It seemed as though the only hot drink left to me was hot chocolate and hot milk. Reminiscing with a Uruguayan friend about the mate my mother had served me as a child, my friend told me that mate is very gentle on the digestive tract. Trying it again was wonderful--I could drink it without having any esophageal problems! I prefer the tea bags rather than loose mate because they are easy to take with me and less mess to bother with. I drink several cups a day and never have to worry about it! I appreciate being able to purchase it in bulk versus scurrying around to local stores hoping they aren't sold out!

My husband is bi-polar. He won't take medicines. I've had him drinking Yerba Mate (mint mate and chocolate mate) for about 6 months. His mood swings aren't as harsh and even the doctor is seeing the difference.

I am a fun girl in a 33 year old woman's body. Ever since the age of 13 i have been troubled with nearly unbearable menstrual cycle symptoms. As many women have experienced, these symptoms include water weight gain, bloating, digestive issues, fatigue and breast tenderness. I love to run and workout, and these symptoms would really interfere with my life for ,like, 2 weeks out of EVERY month! I consulted my MD. and modified my diet to no avail. The next option was prescription medication. I opted not to go that route...there had to be a better way! Bloating,fatigue and severe breast tenderness were the 2 most troublesome symptoms for me...and after discovering and drinking 2 cups of your wonderful Yerba Mate' a day, those symptoms are virtually GONE!!! I feel like i can live again, and be my normal active self all month long! I have tried other Mate's for cost reasons, but none other tastes and good AND effects my system as well. Thank you for a wonderful product and a wonderful mission! Elisa Wagner Grafton,OH.

Fighting to recover from Hepatits C, and chronic Lyme disease at the same time is very draining on the body's energy. Couple that with the toll on the body from 4000mg a day of antibiotics and you have a recipe for total depletion of the body's usable energy. All energy is being used by the body's repair cycle. This is the situation in which I found myself. I tried everything my doctor and I could think of to improve the energy balance and production. Vitamins, b12 shots, acupuncture, Reiki, detoxing, essential oil treatments, infared sauna, Epex & Scio Biofeedback, green tea, Relexology, Charaka balancing etc. I was so desperate to have some quality of life. Although each made a slight improvement, nothing like the extraordinary results I got with the Yerba Mate tea. I feel formidable, happy, and have consistant robust energy.I am back working in my field of body detoxification. I recommend it to all my clients. Thank you for such natural, affordable product. Ramona Kadrich

Ahhhh...Yerba Mate! I am pretty new to Yerba Mate I but have always wanted to try it. I purchased a bag (not Guayaki) and immediately felt like this was perhaps the drink I had been searching for. I then went and made my first Guayaki purchase, and I am SO glad I did! Your Yerba Mate is quite superior to the other I tried. I relish the smoky, native taste of the plant. I was using my French Press for brewing it, but received my gourd and bombilla today from you, and it elevates the drinking experience so much. It tastes even better, and I feel somhow honored to share in such a venerable, ancient tradition. As for how Guayaki makes me feel, I feel healthier and more energetic since I have been drinking it! It is a steady, noticeable but not jarring energy giving experience. Psychologically, it feels good to put something so beneficial into my body, and it is somehow a very comforting beverage as well. I was the full time caregiver for my dear elderly Dad before he passed away in February. Your wonderful Yerba Mate is an ideal companion for those times I just wish to take a moment, sit back and remember the good times and be with my thoughts. Does it sound odd that a drink could be comforting? Well, it is for me! I plan on acquiring another gourd so I can let each one dry out between uses, and I am so glad I found this wonderful Mate! You have been a pleasure to buy from, and my first order will be followed by many more! Thank you.

Hello, I really need to share my experience with you because I am so uplifted every morning with my indulgence in my favorite all time beverage as of this Christmas when my brother introduced me to this kind of tea. I was a regular morning coffee drinker for a few years now to literally get me going in the morning but it always made me jittery, heart palpitations etc. and of course, headaches with withdrawal from not drinking it . I am 54 and have always had trouble learning by reading or remembering, that is, what I read or where I parked my car in parking garage at work, or learning very technical things on the computer etc. My attention span was terrible. I decided to stop drinking coffee in January of this year, hated the withdrawal headaches and started regularly drinking your chai matte guayaki tea every morning. It made me feel good right away, a positive feeling of well being. Then after a week or so, I felt like my mind was thinking clearer and it has gotten better ever since. I can learn things and do them on the computer after being told how to do them once. Used to having repetition be my helper. My thinking ability is so much clearer now. I feel like I am on top of the world with my learning ability and memory retention. I can't believe how much everything is better, more of a general positive attitude about everything. It just is a wonderful way to start your day and I don't get a low or drop off feeling in the afternoon like I did with coffee. It seems to be a consistent feel good and great energy level all day long, although I only drink it in the morning. I feel like I can accomplish anything I set my mind to now. I have so much confidence. Its like my mind is always ready to learn & concentrate, finally! I like using two tea bags, dab of cream and some agave sweetener and it is absolutely delicious! Could care less if I ever have coffee again. Don't ever want to give up guayaki yerba mate chai . I consider it a wonder health infusionary drink. I can't thank you enough for this awesome product. Everyone should drink it and experience the mental & physical awakening! - Judy from Indianapolis

New life for transplant receipient
I purchased a book that introduced me to yerba mate. I went to Guayaki.com and did my research. I learned Whole Foods carried the product. I live in the Atlanta area and away I went. I experienced kidney failure years ago and have had a transplant in 2004. My ability to focus,work has not been possible due to fatigue and anti rejection drugs side effects. During my visit to Whole Foods, I drank a Rasberry Revolution which I had found in the cooler. I found the taste pleasant enough and was pleased that it was not too sweet. I got 6 more in my cart. All I can say, when I got outside to my van I felt wonderful. No I am not exagerating one bit. My mind was clear, no tiredness, just a feeling of ahhhhhhh. Don't know how to explain it. Not a high feeling, just like-everything is ok. I just felt whole. That was last thursday. Over the weekend I order 3 cases. I turned a friend on to it and she had similar results and is now drinking it daily Thank you for making this product available. All natural organic and does not interferre with any of my meds. Sincerely Teresa
by Teresa Gainesville/Georgia)

It's a cold, grey winter day, and I'm home sick in bed. What began as the flu has turned into bronchitis. Outside my window I can hear the sounds of the city, of people going about their daily lives. I feel lonely and depressed in my sickbed. I crave a hot beverage to warm me and soothe my throat, so I wander into the kitchen. Shall I make coffee? No. Tea? I thumb through my selection of teabags, but nothing strikes me. Wait, what's this? Mate? It's a variety pack that I picked up at the Green Festival. OK, I'll give it a try. I choose the organic Guayaki. Use hot, not boiling water, it says. Perfect. While I wait the 5-10 minutes for it to steep, I become curious. What is Guayaki? What is mate? What am I about to drink? I do an internet search and come across Guayaki.com. I read about the mate plant as an alternative to coffee and tea. I'm charmed by the image of friends sharing a communal mate with straws from a gourd. I take my first sip. Mmm, I like it. It has a nutty, roasted, full-bodied flavor, somewhere between coffee and tea. I keep reading. I learn about its health benefits, including its high antioxidant content. I see the positive efforts of the Guayaki company to be socially and environmentally responsible in their business practices. (Why can't all companies be like that, I wonder?) I take another sip, knowing that the beverage I'm drinking is not only tasty, but organic, healthy, and fairly traded. I begin to feel really good about what I'm drinking. This hot beverage has not only soothed my throat, it has warmed me in an entirely different way. Guayaki has brought a bit of lightness into my dreary day, and my depression starts to lift. I feel like writing to say thank you.  - Deborah

Mate is a very very old tradition in South America. I am the only American born one in my family and was never the Mate-drinking type. I never liked sharing the mate, meaning, several people drinking from the same gourd and my parents always commented on this. It isn’t polite to refuse mate when you visit someone’s house in Argentina and lots of times I would drink just because family would give me “the look” and I didn’t want to offend. I was used to not drinking it although I liked the taste but once I turned 30-something, I for some reason regained an interest in it. It really is a great tradition, I don’t mind sharing with my husband and he loves it (Mr. Meat & Potatoes himself!). We want to pass this tradition on to our son and hope he loves it, as well. Mate has been a part of my life for over 30 years and was never thought to be all people say about it now: “ rejuvenating, detoxing, refreshing, helps you lose weight ” etc so it’s kind of funny to read all those comments about it but I don’t doubt it. If it works for you, keep drinking it and if you can, pass it along to someone because I guarantee they will love it, too. I would love to try another brand – all my parents ever drank or had imported was Cruz de Malta and I don’t know anything else but I see there are dozens of brands out there. From: Jennifer, Colorado -- Jenny & Matt Kasper 2006-02-17

Just thought I would share this with you since I find it so yummy....
I prepare this in a traditional teapot usually, though I have had good results with a french press pot as well! 3 traditional yerba  mate tea bags 3 cardamom pods, cracked 3 juniper berries 1 piece cherry bark or sasparilla bark 1 shake organic cinnamon generous shaving of whole nutmeg a grind of fresh black pepper pinch of cayenne pepper approx 4 tablespoons of grade B Amber maple syrup (grade B has richer and more complex flavor than grade A )
All ingredients into the teapot. Then fill pot with water off the boil. Drape a tea towel around the pot to keep the heat in and I let it steep for about 20 minutes.
I have mine with organic milk, but I imagine it would be just as yummy if not more so with a milk alternative like Rice Dream or a nice soy milk.
I only recently began adding the bark and juniper berries and have enjoyed it very much. But it is excellent without as well if you can not find those ingredients!
Now to how  mate has helped me. I will keep this brief, but I do have a lot to say! I have endured a number of health problems my entire life. Most prominently asthma, allergies, psoriasis and - as a consequence of those and others - sleep disturbances.... I have found after consuming yerba  mate regularly, all of these conditions have improved and stabilized! I can not say it has CURED my asthma, I am still an asthmatic, but I find my symptoms have subsided greatly and I have to take my rescue inhaler much less frequently. Since I have started enjoying yerba  mate, my allergies have greatly improved as well.... And what to me was the most surprising benefit - my symptoms of psoriasis have greatly improved! Which is a really nice bonus because as anyone who has it knows, it can lead to hair loss among other things.
As mentioned in a number of other testimonials, I have found that the energy I get from yerba  mate is very different from that gained from coffee or even black tea. There are no jitters and personally, it does not make me irritable. It does not interfere with my sleep... as a matter of fact, I feel like my energy levels have been stabilized to the extent that I have energy when I am supposed to.... I am no longer fatigued during the day, and at night I sleep much better than I had previously.
Certainly not the most dramatic story of health benefits... but it means the world to me.
Thank you for your wonderful product and great practices!
Monica Salas

I was recently diagnosed with interstitial cystitis (IC, which is an inflammation and ulcers of the bladder wall). My condition has left me with constant pressure in my lower abdomen, urgency for the bathroom all hours of the day and night. So as you can imagine I was not getting much sleep... Not being one who medicates regularly I began looking for alternatives.

First, I tried diet which has proven that some foods are more irritating than others for me (especially tomatoes). I have tried acupuncture. And the two in conjunction seem to work okay. But still I was not as comfortable as I could be or as I used to be.

Being a newly recognized condition, the medical world knows little about IC. There isn't enough funding and very little information. A friend of mine had some Yerba Mate and was using it for food allergies that were showing up on her skin. She filled me in on this little wonder and I ran right to the health food store in search of it.

I have been drinking Yerba Mate fo two weeks, just one cup a day, and I feel fabulous. I haven't been a coffee drinker for a year and a half, and the energy I feel after a cup of Yerba Mate is far cleaner and more energizing in a more aware state of mind than coffee ever was. I also sleep thru the night, no more getting up for a joke of a bathroom trip 4 and 5 times a night. I am not experiencing a constant urgency to go to the bathroom or constant pressure. I have been able to eat foods I cut out of my diet like tomatoes (occasionally). I believe this is all due to Yerba Mate. I believe this tea has helped in my condition and I will continue drinking it as long as it keeps being available.
Now if I could just get my terminally sick mother to drink it maybe at least she would feel better.

Drinking Yerba right now,
Mary (Nov 1, 02)

I started drinking it as a child in Argentina through a bombilla with pitillo. Then I rediscovered it again in a Spanish store in Eugene OR, buying three kilo bags, shipping one to my sister.

Then, when we moved to the US, for many years I stopped drinking mate, as I became assimilated into the culture that I was born into. Until 1994 when I was living in Euugene, OR - a little Spanish store carried it, and I was so delighted that I bought three bags of a kilo each. One of them I sent to my sister in CN.

In 1998 I moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and discovered a small Spanish store called "All the Americas" run by Glady's, who carried several varieties of Mate. I bought up several kilo bags, trying different brands. My friend's mother in her mid seventies, had bad crippling arthritis, visible in her hands. I turned her on to Yerba Mate and her arthritic pains have totally disappeared; she has really good bowel movements and has lots of energy. She feels it's tremendous benefits daily.

I make it in a clay tea pot (I need to buy a new one badly) and make it strong. Two heaping tablespoons, add boiling water, cover and steep for 10-15 mionutes. Use strainer and serve. Occasionally I add a few bits of dandelion herb to it (for gallbladder and liver function); or Siberian Ginseng powder (about 1/4 teaspoon) for extra energy.

I tell many many many people about it but most Americans don't listen. What can I say? People are addicted to coffee until they get really ill. Then they will try Yerba Mate, the best tea in the world!

Thanks. g7u7i7t7a7r (July 1, 02)

Hi. I have been drinking Yerba Mate tea for only a couple of weeks now. For the past three years, I have been suffering with Lupus, an autoimmune disorder where your own immune system attacks itself in avariety of ways.
In addition, I have been recently diagnosed with ezcema which causes severe dry skin and itching; some people thinks it is stress related and others thinks its related to allergic reactions. Both these conditions ahve no known cause or cure. Anyway, one of my biggest challenges with the lupus was fatigue and a feeling that "I was not quite all there" all the time because my energy levels were low and struggling to manage and maintain my work and activity so that I could continue working and enjoying life. I went to see a new chiropractor who was studying alternative medicine. She told me about Yerba Mate tea. Well, although my lupus is not cured, I do have to say that I have noticed a boost in my energy levels each time I take the tea. Even when I take the tea in the evening, I have found it has helped me sleep better. I am hoping with long term use of the tea, after reading the testimonials regarding allergies, that the ezcema will also improve . . . I am definitely recommending this tea to others!  -- Kimberly K.