Skip to main content

Yerba mate

Ilex paraguariensis 

Family: Aquafoliaceae | Place of Origin: Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil

Origins and history:   
Originally used by native people of Paraguay and the region as a stimulant, became economically important and traded around the world as colonizers came and went.

Identification characteristics  

Uses and preparation

Dried leaves and twigs are placed into a dry, hollow gourd and topped off with boiling water, then drank with a filtered straw.