The reasons why people drink Yerba Mate are endless. Given that it’s packed with vitamins, minerals, stimulants and antioxidants, some drink it for health. Others drink it because it gives them a reason to get away from the noise of the world and focus on one thing and one thing only: preparing and drinking Yerba Mate. And at the end of the day, some people just like sharing the beautiful “Drink of Friendship” with a couple of buddies. Whatever the reason, the important thing is that you’re experiencing and enjoying this drink that is truly more than a drink.

Now, the aim of this article is to discuss one of the main reasons many people, especially students and working professionals, drink Yerba Mate: because it increases focus, mental clarity, creativity and an overall feeling of well-being. In short, many people drink Yerba Mate because it’s nature’s version of Adderall.

What’s Adderall?

If you’re unfamiliar with Adderall, here’s the quick 30-second version definition. Adderall is a combination drug (a drug created through the combination of others, in this case the combination is of Amphetamine and Dextroamphetamine) professionally used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy (feeling extremely tired during the day). Now, that word, “professionally,” is key, because many people use it unprofessionally, meaning they take it when they’re not prescribed it.

People take Adderall “unprofessionally,” also known as “recreationally,” because it helps increase athletic performance, sex drive, cognitive ability (helps you think much faster and clearer) as well as euphoria (it gets you high). The typical abusers of Adderall are college students, athletes or people looking to stay up all night and party. And, while we don’t want to judge anyone, abusing Adderall can lead to a host of issues, such as insomnia, loss of appetite, psychosis (paranoia, mania, anxiety, etc.), heart attack and, in some cases, death.

Why Yerba Mate is nature’s version of Adderall

Now, onto the good stuff, Yerba Mate. Yerba Mate can be considered nature’s version of Adderall because it performs many of the same functions as Adderall, without any of the crazy and scary side effects – there has never been, and likely never will be, any deaths reported from the consumption of Yerba Mate, just like almost no one has ever died from drinking tea. I say “almost,” because there were two bizarre cases where one man died due to liver damage and another woman drank some poisonous herbal tea.

Below are a few ways Yerba Mate is nature’s version of Adderall:

Yerba Mate increases focus

Likely due to the mix of three stimulants, caffeine, theophylline and theobromine, Yerba Mate increases focus, allowing people to study and work for longer periods of time, without ever crashing like one would with drinking coffee or doing Adderall. And, unlike Adderall, it won’t keep you up for days on end wishing you could just go to sleep.

Drinking Yerba Mate makes you more creative

Everyone knows that caffeine wakes you up and increases your blood pressure. But one of the other three main stimulants in Yerba Mate, theobromine, is also one of the active ingredients in chocolate, which is a well-known aphrodisiac. Aphrodisiac, that sounds familiar? Yes, it sounds familiar because some people take Adderall recreationally to “get in the mood” as well as get high. And while we don’t support anyone abusing any substance, natural or artificially made, people often express the feeling of a natural high when drinking Mate for sustained periods of time. They claim that Yerba Mate makes them more open-minded and less self-centered, which is perfect when looking for inspiration.

Yerba Mate increases blood flow

Remember the three groups of people who typically abuse Adderall?: students, people looking to stay up partying and, yes, athletes. Athletes abuse Adderall because it decreases reaction time, fights fatigue and increases muscle strength. Given that Yerba Mate, with the help of its stimulants, such as theophylline, increases blood flow, helps you breathe better and relieves you from physical fatigue, it’s the perfect thing to have right before or after working out.

Supplementing Adderall with Yerba Mate

None of this is to say that if you’re professionally prescribed Adderall you should stop taking it. No, definitely not! Since Yerba Mate is relatively new in countries outside of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Southern Brazil, Syria and Poland, science hasn’t had the time to sufficiently study all of the uses, benefits and side effects of it. So, no one who is prescribed Adderall should ever just quit cold turkey and start drinking Yerba Mate. But with that said, many people are beginning to experiment with lowering their prescribed doses of Adderall and supplementing them with Yerba Mate. If you’re interested in doing this, you should speak with your doctor first.

For those who take Adderall recreationally, you should replace it with Yerba Mate and see how it makes you feel. You may find that drinking nature’s version of Adderall is more beneficial, as well as less harmful for you. And, at the end of the day, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

If you have any experience with both Adderall and Yerba Mate, or just have some questions / comments, please let us know below!

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter! And, if you’d like to write for us, please let us know.

Drink on!

Sources

1. Commonly Abused Drugs Charts
2. Stimulant ADHD Medications: Methylphenidate and Amphetamines
3. Adderall – Drugs.com
4. Yerba Mate
5. Adderall – Wikpedia

Comment!