Is Yerba Mate healthy? Is it Tridoshic?

Dear Vaidya Mishra, We are so blessed and humbled to receive SVA knowledge and guidance from you. Thank you so much for guiding our family and friends in a happy journey of well and whole being. We treasure all of the SVA teas and especially love Vaidya’s Cup. Would you please let us know if drinking Yerba Mate is healthy? As a tea made from the dried leaves of an evergreen shrub in the holy family that grows in Central and South America – We’ve been told that Mate contains a xanthine called “mateine” that is unlike caffeine and while it is a stimulant it doesn’t trigger jitteriness associated with caffeine and actually induces sleep. Would you agree with this? We’ve also heard that it is good for bones and may protect against colon cancer. We will not drink until we know of your brilliant recommendation! Namaste

Greg J.

Vaidya replies: 

Dear Greg: I am very familiar with this product and have been observing it for the past ten years. What I have seen is that predominantly kapha body type people with kapha aggravation are particularly liking this tea: it is helping open their channels, addressing their fatigue, and energizing them. However, it may not be ideal for pitta or vata predominant body types, as well as vata/pitta and/or and pitta/vata predominant types. I’ve seen that yerba mate increases pitta and vata doshas. In fact, after regular long-term consumption I’ve observed sky high symptoms, such as: excessive dryness and heat in the body. A greater down side, however, has been, they these body-types develop an addiction to it. By the time they pitta/vatas realize that yerba mate is drying and heating them up, they are already addicted to drinking it and it’s hard to kick the habit.

So I can say with certainly that it is not tridoshic, as per ayurvedic precepts, unlike for example my “Vaidya’s Cup”! I would have it occasionally as a treat, but not as a regular drink for daily use.