Yerba matte tea as a survival food

psy-ops

psy-ops

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Sep 27, 1999
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Yerba Matte, is a tea from South America which has an effect much like coffee without the caffiene.But unlike coffee which depletes the body of nutrients. This adds more to your body.

It also has enough vitamins/nutrients within it to sustain life for a while. the peace corps noted that during periods of famine/drought tribes that had Yerba tea didn't suffer the harsh physical problems that other tribes did during famines and droughts.

Even the Gauchos(South American cowboys) take Yerba with them to keep their energy level up. Another plus is it infuses well in cold water so in a serious disaster this sounds like an Ideal drink.

It is very popular in SA.

I wonder if Jeff Randall knows of it or has used it?

anyway it is in my bug out kit. I also like the earthy taste makes you feel like you are on a backpacking trip.
 
Take a look at http://icuban.com/3guys/beverages.html and read about
the drink called MATERVA. It is very common in Miami supermarkets and is made from the Mate herb. It is a soft drink, not a tea, and tastes pretty good to me when its real cold. You could probably order it from that website if you wanted to try it. Try also looking
in any Latin American market found in most large cities throughout the U.S. if you don't want to order online.

I am not familiar with the tea itself but then I am not a tea drinker.
 
It is pretty reasonalbe in price and got pretty good distribution.


you can also get it in most bulk sections.
 
I spent several months in Argentina a few years back. The locals drank a tea similar to what you are talking about but I can't remember the name of it. I also found it in Paraguay, Uraguay, and Chile. They drank it from a small round gourd type container through a special straw that had a strainer on the end of it. I have a couple of the containers and a couple of straws that are made from stainless steel. Mine are the "tourist" versions since th containers have artwork and a silver rim around the top.

In Peru, we drink/eat a lot of Florina (sp?) which is ground Yuca. It's usually mixed with or without sugar and made into a tea. It can also be eaten without water. The locals villages use this as part of their regular diet. But come to think of it, Yuca is used for everything and eaten just about in every way you cna imagine from bread flour to "french fries."

Jeff
 
I've used it. I can't say that it does it for me: I love my coffee, but what has been said above about it's benefits are most probably quite true. I haven't been in a survival situation with it, so I enjoy the luxury of coffee.
If you have trouble finding it, try a health food store.
 
But unlike coffee which depletes the body of nutrients. This adds more to your body.

It also has enough vitamins/nutrients within it to sustain life for a while.
Click to expand...

If it's a diuretic, it requires you to drink more water, so as general "survival food" I don't think it's to be recommended.

I'm also very sceptical as to how something you make as a "tea" is possibly able to have as many calories in it to actually sustain you. (Especially if it causes purging and vomiting in large doses.)

What you need in a survival situation certainly isn't vitamins, it's carbohydrates, because if you don't get enough for the body to utilize your body fat for the total energy requirement, it's going to use your muscles instead.

I guess it could be reasoned that the stimulant part of it could be good in some situations, but I wouldn't use it as a replacement for what you really need due to its drawbacks.
 
I meant as a burst of energy and nutrients for a short period of time when you might not have food or access to it.

I can see what I wrote is misleading :( Thanks Griffon for bringing clarity to my post!


also You don't need to drink it in large doses. 1 cup will do ya' maybe 2. And I drink this pretty regularly and never had the "runs". not like coffee where soon after drinking a cup you make an obligatory bathroom visit.

I guess I should make that clear Yerba Matte is not a "replacement for food"

I think it is an excellent nutrient rich energy enhancing drink that could be useful in certain situations where food is not accessable or rationed. and I added Yerba in my BOB as one more option.

As far as food intake, you need a balance. Carbs without vitamins won't have desired results either.
 
great post!:D I am going to the health food store to find matte tea ..cool web site it explains all about the tea, thanx! I'am new to all of forms, still learning:D talk to ya later MJS
 
Hey guys what does this tea taste like?

Well if you want a burst of energy go with some sort of caffine fix and sugar. It can keep you going and even surpress hunger
 
I just picked up some tea yesterday ,I tryed a cup ,its not to bad it tastes like green tea ,it leaves your mouth a little dry .It seems to warm you up too! and I noticed it takes your hunger a way, Because I had the cup before dinner and I had to force my self to eat.. thats the one day test so far.. See Ya MJS:cool:
 
when I drink it it makes me think of being out in the woods.

you can put milk and sugar or honey but I like it plain.



I usually drink a cup first thing in the morning or as an afternoon snack. I feel a steady higher energy level till the evening. not a buzzing caffiene rush that feels like a car out of gear.
 
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