Hello IP folks.

I wanted to share a tip with you all that helped me kick a caffeine habit going back 20 years.

I used to drink a couple of cokes per day for years, then switched to diet for a few years until it gave me some bad side effects (aspartame intolerance of some kind).

I then switched to coffee, but in the last year had many stomach problems associated with drinking coffee. I was determined to quit the dependency, and looked at many different teas. Ginger and Licorice both treat stomach issues and worked ok for me, but I picked up some Guyaki brand "Yerba Mate" and enjoyed a 16 oz glass of this hot, every day instead of coffee.

It actually is a bit of a stimulant, but it really isn't detectible. Best of all, it's not too bad unsweetened, at least to me, and satisfies that need for something in the morning.

This stuff has been amazing for me, and I occasionally have it in the afternoon for a pick me up as well. I can go days without having it with no noticeable withdrawal too!

I still enjoy "black" tea occasionally, but never have the highs and lows associated with caffeine/sugar cravings and that really helped me going into IP.

Has anyone else discovered the magic of Yerba Mate?

I can't imagine the first 3-4 days of phase I with caffeine/sugar withdrawals on top of lifestyle change around carbs and dairy, so I hope this helps someone.

edited to add that I am 6 months off of coffee/cokes and started my sixth week of IP today!

Yes, I know about Yerba Mate, I have some. It is loaded with caffeine.

I know that there is some debate about the substances in Mate, but the only thing I can find on "caffeine" content in Yerba Mate is that it is equivilent to 1/2 of that in black tea or brewed coffe.

I wouldn't call that loaded, but I suppose it can't be considered caffeine free - although skipping daily coffee, tea or cokes is painful, skipping Mate is easy, so there is definitely something different about it.

Well this cannot be correct because brewed coffee has twice the caffeine as black tea. So if it has 1/2 that of black tea then it has 1/4 that or brewed coffee. Or if it has 1/2 that of brewed coffee, it has the same as brewed tea.

In reality, the caffeine content depends on the strength of the brew. Mate does contain caffeine, and any spiel about "mateine" being like caffeine but without the side effects, is just naturopathic woo. I would generally consider it equivilent to black tea, but I make my mate very strong. Mate also has theobromine and one other -ine, too.



You really should drink it loose out of a gourd with a bombilla (metal straw with a filter). Not only is it much better, but it's a great conversation starter at the office.

I did some reading after you suggested it in the men thread and some reports say it can cause cancer...