Yerba mate: the newest coffeehouse "it" drink may beat out java for health and energy benefits.(CHECK OUT)(Usage Of Yerba mate)

Americans cry, "I need coffee," when they want a quick pick-me-up. But those living in the southern hemisphere cry out for an entirely different drink--one that has more in common with tea--when they're feeling a bit blah.

Called yerba mate (pronounced yerba mah-tay), it's found both in the wild and in mugs from Paraguay and Uruguay to Brazil and Argentina. It has a long history as a medicinal herb used for everything from increasing immunity and cleansing the blood to reducing stress and battling insomnia. But why should we switch out our coffee?

Yerba mate contains three different xanthines, or stimulant compounds, one of which is caffeine. However, fans swear mate's xanthine cocktail is better than coffee or tea when it comes to increasing energy and alertness without inducing jittery side effects. And that same cocktail may be the reason for mate's apparent weight-loss effect.

Research shows that the compounds acts on the body in three ways. Like many stimulants, yerba mate suppresses appetite. It also increases metabolism, and lastly, it is thermogenic, which means that this herb encourages the body to burn calories. This effect was seen in subjects who took yerba mate extract in a 1999 University of Lausanne, Switzerland, study; the participants showed an increase in the amount of fat their bodies burned for energy.

Mate also appears to slow digestion, according to a study published in June 2001 in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, which could also aid in ...