Yerba mate seeds

Yerba mate or (Ilex paraguariensis) is a large tree that grows up to 18 meters in height. It is native to the subtropical regions in northern Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and southern Brazil and Bolivia. The leaves are evergreen, 7–11 cm long and 3–5.5 cm wide, with a serrated margin. The flowers are small, greenish-white, with four petals. The tree carries red berries with a diameter of 4-6 mm.

Drinking mate with friends from a shared hollow gourd (also called a mate in Spanish, or cabaça or cuia in Portuguese) with a metal straw is a common social practice in Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile and southern Brazil. The gourd is filled up to 2/3 with Yerba mate leaf and then topped off with hot water. The tea is then sucked up through a ‘bombilla’. This is a metal pipe with a strainer at its lower to prevent the minced leaves from reaching the mouth.

When the yerba is harvested, the branches are dried sometimes with a wood fire, imparting a smoky flavour. Then the leaves and sometimes the twigs are broken up.
Mate contains xanthines, which are alkaloids in the same family as caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine, well-known stimulants also found in coffee and chocolate. Mate also contains the chemical elements potassium, magnesium and manganese.
Caffeine content varies between 0.3% and 1.7% of dry weight (compare this to 2.5–4.5% for tea leaves, and 1.5% for ground coffee).

Effects

Yerba mate has stimulating and agitating effects: it enhances alertness, physical capacities and improves mood. Euphoria can be experienced simultaneously with the stimulating effects when higher doses are taken. Yerba mate does not cause a typical caffeine effect due to the presence of two other main active constituents (theobromine and chlorogenic acid).
Autonomic changes: elevation of body temperature, increase of blood pressure and respiratory rate, insomnia and a suppressed appetite.
The effects appear within half an hour after ingestion of the tea and last for 3-5 hours.

Usage

Sow approx 1-2 cm deep in a rich moderately well draining soil mixture. Use a sandy/clay soil rich in phosphoric potassium and iron. If this is not available use a rich well draining soil with sand added. To avoid daily watering daily place pine chips on the surface to avoid evaporation of water at no time should there be free standing water!

Germination will take 2-3 months.

The ideal conditions for this species are 16-25 degrees Celsius with moderate to high humidity. Although it can stand temperatures as low as 8 degrees it should never dip lower then this. It can only tolerate this cold for a short time. Once the plant has been established and has 4-5 leaves you may now transplant it to its new home. Place your plant in partial shade as if it were under cover of the rain forest

It should remain in this location for the next 9-12 months after which you may transplant it into the ground for those in the South or into a large pot which can be wintered indoors for those in the North.