My first yerba mate was an offer of friendship on my second day of early mornings and no coffee. Though I had never even heard the words “yerba maté” before, I gratefully accepted a new friend’s offer to purchase one for me.

What I tasted was the earth. I was immediately comforted by the warmth of such a bitter and sweet drink. After that first one, I was hooked. I started drinking it daily for lunch, and found myself less hungry and able to sustain my demanding days without much food. I was both calm and alert.

I continued drinking yerba maté because I liked the way it made me feel, but I didn’t know why it made me feel so good. As I began to ask questions about yerba maté, I found a wealth of mystery, tradition and well-being.

Yerba what?

Yerba maté (pronounced mah-tay) is referred to by some as “the drink of the gods” and considered one of the most “perfect” beverages in existence by many South American cultures.

The Guarani indians certainly thought so. Guarani legend claims the plant as a gift from the divine and that the gods themselves showed the Guarani how to prepare and use it. They are thought to be the first people to drink yerba maté and to use it in herbal remedies and cures.

The yerba maté plant (Ilex paraguarensis), a relative of the Holly bush, is native to South America. In the tropical forests of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Peru, yerba maté trees can grow as tall as 15 meters. Today, cultivation occurs mostly in Argentina and Paraguay.

Leaves from the trees or shrubs are pruned, dried (sometimes roasted) and chopped, then brewed with cold or hot water for a tea-like beverage. Unlike most teas, yerba maté leaves can be infused several times and can be infused with either cold or hot water.

Why drink yerba maté?

Yerba maté is chock full of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and antioxidants, among other things good for you. Research has shown that yerba maté has nearly all the nutrients needed to support a healthy body. Some people even use yerba maté as a meal substitute on a busy day or as part of a diet regime.

Roberta Alexander, owner of Soak Sanctuary and Tea House, has encountered many customers seeking yerba maté to relieve various ailments. “People are sent in from their (medical) advisors,” she said, “and though we do not diagnose anyone, we help them find what they are looking for.”

What people are looking for are the same benefits the Guarani indians sought in yerba maté centuries ago: immunity support, detoxification, a stronger nervous system, stress relief, energy and mental clarity, among other things. Though the scientific jury is still out on the validity of all of these claims, the nutritional make-up of yerba maté is well accepted as well as its capacities as a stimulant.

Yerba maté contains matéine, which is a variant of caffeine. Matéine stimulates the mind and body similarly to caffeine, but as Sara-Lee Franklin, manager of Soak Sanctuary and Tea House, explained, “the effects are not quite as intense and it doesn’t leave you feeling drained.” Because of the way all 196 active compounds in yerba maté work together, matéine has less of an impact on the body than some other stimulating beverages like tea and coffee.

For those wanting off coffee, Franklin says yerba maté may be an easy transition “because of its full, bitter flavor.”

Make friends with maté

The traditional method of drinking yerba maté is from a carved gourd, called a maté, with a metal filter straw, called a bombilla. Loose yerba maté leaves are placed into the gourd, water is added and the beverage is sipped through the bombilla.

In South America, it is not uncommon for people to carry their gourds and a thermos of hot water with them. The gourd can be refilled throughout the day, allowing yerba maté to become part of daily rituals.

An ancient ritual, thought to have started with the Guarani and still practiced today in South America, is the sharing of yerba maté. Sharing a yerba maté is a sign of friendship and trust. It works like this: The gourd is filled and consumed by the first person, filled again and consumed by the next person and the next until the leaves become flavorless. This is not an activity for casual friends, as sharing gourds and bombillas is an intimate practice.

So make friends with maté. Grab a gourd and hit the streets — you won’t be the only one. Buy a yerba maté for a friend. Explore the benefits of this beverage and let yourself feel good.