We have all become addicted to our coffee. Although coffee beans are rich in some vitamins and antioxidants, coffee does not deliver the same broad spectrum of nutrients as its more temperate cousin – the tea leaf. Many varieties of teas have been marketed to western drinkers as a healthier alternative to coffee (i.e. Japanese green tea). The latest variety of tea that is making waves in North America is yerba mate tea, or energy tea, imported from the Amazon.

My Cup of Tea

Traditional yerba mate tea involves steeping the leaves and twigs of the yerba mate plant in hot water. This “mate tea” as it is called, has been widely consumed in Uruguay, Paraguay and parts of Brazil since pre-colonial times. One intra-familial ritual of drinking mate tea involves the host playing the role of brewer when he or she invites family members into their home. The brewer steeps the tea in a traditional cup made from a hollowed-out gourd shell. The beverage is then passed around in a circle in the same gourd cup. Today mate tea is consumed by people of all ages and is not restricted exclusively to ancient family tea drinking rituals. The energy tea that is making waves in North America is a sparkling yerba mate beverage, usually served and cold or room temperature.

Many of these energy tea products have a yerba mate base. The base is then infused with other stimulants and herbs native to the Amazon, called Amazon adaptogens. These include guarana, acerola berry, Suma root and Yanomami mushrooms. These adaptogens help by boosting immune function and promoting greater physical and mental performance.

It’s all about the energy

When most of us think of energy, we think of caffeine. Energy tea contains caffeine, as do most energy drinks. What is unique about the Amazon adaptogens is that they have their own energizing effects that work separately from the caffeine. Yerba mate contains compounds that boost energy at the cellular level. It has been shown that yerba mate enriches the concentration of ectonucleotides. These are a family of enzymes that enable cells to share information and transfer energy between them. When these enzymes are present in high concentrations, tissues and organs are able to use the energy they have more efficiently, because there is more energy transferred between the cells. Ectonucleotides also enrich cellular replication.

Yerba mate is also a monoamine oxidase inhibitor. Monoamine oxidase is a chemical in the brain that counteracts the effects of serotonin and dopamine. By inhibiting monoamine oxidase, there is now more dopamine and serotonin, which will enrich your physical and mental performance at a chemical level in the brain. More serotonin and dopamine will contribute to elevating your mood and give you more feelings of empowerment, as opposed to feelings of anxiety and depression. It is for these reasons that serotonin and dopamine are sometimes called the “happy chemicals.” The energy tea is essentially acting as an anti-depressant by helping the happy chemicals to be uninhibited. Yerba mate has an anti-depressant that occurs naturally in its leaves and twigs. Because it is found directly in nature, it is very safe for us to consume. The happy chemicals also help the nervous system to regulate things like hunger and sleep. This could help explain why yerba mate has also been shown to help with weight loss. The fact that it improves energy efficiency at the cellular level is likely playing a role as a two-sided coin.

Only energy tea that is made from Amazon adaptogens will have these effects on the body. When stacked up against the enzyme enriching compounds of the adaptogens, the energizing effects of caffeine are trivial. Caffeine does nothing to enrich the body’s energy at a cellular or chemical level. Caffeine can only contribute to feelings of alertness by stimulating the nervous system and dilating the blood vessels around the brain. Once it leaves your system, its effects are short lived, so you go for your second cup. Instead of constantly overloading your vascular and nervous systems with stimulants, try something that will actually enrich your body’s energy reserves, like energy tea.