The History of Yerba Mate

The Yerba Mate (Ilex Paraguariensis)  has been used in South America for centuries, before the Spanish colonization. It was first consumed by the indigenous Guaraní who lived in what is known today as Paraguay, southeastern Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, and Uruguay. At first, they chewed the green leaves of Yerba Mate and then, they would use the Mate gourd and small straws made out of cane.