500 g (17.64 oz) loose leaf "tea"

Manufactured by ESTABLECIMIENTO DIEZ HERMANOS, Misiones, Argentina - brand: ROSEMONTE

The Yerba Mate is obtained from a natural herb of matchless flavor and notables qualities, scientific named "Ilex paraguariensis." The product is made by drying tea leaves, then slightly toasted and crumbled, mixed with fragments of young dries branches, petioles and floral peduncles.

Characteristics of this elaborate product: it contains no less than 65% of dried, broken or pulverized leaves and no more than 35% of crude branches gently crushed

Yerba Maté Tea is a stimulating beverage from the rainforests of South America. An excellent source of nutrition that keeps its drinkers healthy and energetic, Yerba Maté Tea promotes improved digestion, enhanced immune function and vibrant health.

Mate products are sometimes marketed as "caffeine-free" alternatives to coffee and tea, and said to have fewer negative effects. This is often based on a claim that the primary active xanthine in mate is "mateine", erroneously said to be a stereoisomer of caffeine. As it is not chemically possible for caffeine to have a stereoisomer, this claim is false. "Mateine" is an official synonym of caffeine in the chemical databases.

Researchers at Florida International University in Miami have found that yerba mate does contain caffeine, but some people seem to tolerate a mate drink better than coffee or tea. This is expected since mate contains different chemicals (other than caffeine) from tea or coffee.

From reports of personal experience with mate, its physiological effects are similar to (yet distinct from) more widespread caffeinated beverages like coffee, tea, or guarana drinks. Users report a mental state of wakefulness, focus and alertness reminiscent of most stimulants, but often remark on mate's unique lack of the negative effects typically created by other such compounds, such as anxiety, diarrhea, "jitteriness", and heart palpitations.

Reasons for mate's unique physiological attributes are beginning to emerge in scientific research. Studies of mate, though very limited, have shown preliminary evidence that the mate xanthine cocktail is different from other plants containing caffeine most significantly in its effects on muscle tissue, as opposed to those on the central nervous system, which are similar to those of other natural stimulants. Mate has been shown to have a relaxing effect on smooth muscle tissue, and a stimulating effect on myocardial (heart) tissue.