Side effects of yerba matte? Insomnia?

Question

I know it has caffeine, but what if I limit myself to one cup in the morning?

Answer 1

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.

Its physiological effects are similar to (yet distinct from) more widespread caffeinated beverages like coffee, tea, or guarana drinks- a mental state of wakefulness, focus and alertness reminiscent of most stimulants, but often due tothe mate's unique lack of the negative effects typically created by other such compounds, such as anxiety, diarrhoea, "jitteriness", and heart palpitations.

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.

Drinking yerba mate does not prevent people from being able to fall asleep, as is often the case with some more common stimulating beverages, while still enhancing their energy and ability to remain awake at will.

However, the net amount of caffeine in one preparation of yerba mate is typically quite high, in large part because the repeated filling of the mate with hot water is able to extract the highly-soluble xanthines extremely effectively.

It is for this reason that one mate may be shared among several people and yet produce the desired stimulating effect in all of them.

Answer 2

Yep!