DOSE:

16 oz

oral

Yerba Mate

(tea)

BODY WEIGHT:

165 lb

Yerba Mate Rush

This report does not chronicle the first time I have ever drank yerba mate, but this morning I had a particularly strong experience I feel is noteworthy. I have consumed countless glasses of normal teas and energy drinks and never felt this way from any of them.

Setting - It is finals week during fall quarter at my university. I was heading to my Organic Chemistry final in twenty minutes and had not eaten. I knew from previous experience that the xanthines in yerba mate gave me a more alert, less anxious lift than caffeine alone, and after the amount of studying and stress I had been through to prepare for the test I grabbed a single serving bag of yerba mate tea, made myself a glass of hot (not boiling) liquid, steeped for 5 minutes, and drank it quickly on my way out the door.

T+20 minutes I have arrived at my testing location, and once I am inside I notice that, despite the rain outside and 45 degree (F) weather, I am sweating profusely from my abdomen, palms, neck and back. It was actually a very uncomfortable feeling.

T+30 minutes Testing begins and I am feeling very strange. I had a mindset very similar to when I took adderall (amphetamines) two years ago - extremely focused and thinking quickly - but it was accompanied by some of the worst caffeine jitters I have ever had. My mind was in top form while my body was far from it.

T+60 minutes I was well into the test and was feeling very confident about my work. I had actually stopped noticing my body' difficulties, but when I put my attention to how I felt physically, rather than mentally, I realized I was in significant discomfort. My intestines felt wrong and I was still sweating and shaking to a degree. However, I was able to ignore these symptoms that would normally have me headed to the bathroom - even during a test like this.

T+ 90 minutes I finished the test, turned it in, gathered my belongings and headed outside. At this time I noticed that I had a great deal of jaw tension that was actually rather painful. I had been clenching my jaw and grinding my teeth throughout the entire test (a problem I have normally, but this seemed to have amplified the effect tremendously). I had stopped sweating, and my insides felt more normal than before. By the time I returned home at about T+105 minutes, I felt almost completely normal.

In summary, This was likely the strongest dose of yerba mate I have ever taken. I took it extremely quickly and on an empty stomach, which allowed for rapid absorption and a very strong effect early on. I do not use yerba mate regularly, so it is possible that I have low tolerance to the xanthines other than caffeine. Either way it was an almost dissociative experience, as I did not feel my body unless I intended to. Overall it was worth it, but next time I will make sure to use more moderation with this substance.

Exp Year: 2008	ExpID: 75580
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: May 2, 2020	Views: 1,200
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