Abroad Tea

Any starts talking to me about magic potions from lands beyond the U.S. border, and I'm all ears. I've seen too many pharmaceutical poisonings over the years and anything that is natural and as effective as the drug company variety is fascinating to me. I smelled it as soon as I entered the doctor's lounge. It was something I'd never smelled before.

"What is that?" I asked my colleague. In broken English my FMG friend told me it was Mate' from his native Argentina made from the dried leaves of yerba mate, also known as llex paraguariensis (Paraguay?) to the science types. I have tasted many strange teas in my life, from many countries, but this one I missed. Before I could say anything more, he vanished to the locker room and brought back a bagged sample of the tea for me to try. I promised to savor it at home. Cute little donkey on the label.

He proceeded to describe the potential benefits of the tea. He said it's a strong stimulant when steeped for longer period of time and acts on the muscles to relax them. He warned of mental clarity without the buzz or addiction of caffeine. He beamed with talks of boosting the immune system and stimulating healing tissue.

I don't know about all that, but I've been buzzing on one cup all day. It was delicious, but I can feel it working on my brain, muscles and nerves. Wonder if I steeped it too long. Now I'm trying to figure out how to fall asleep without countering the effects with something chemical. Wonder how my immune system is doing. Probably to buzzed to notice the bacterial floating around my body. And I don't know how I missed this gem but the scientific community seems to have found it as well and is interested in it's medicinal properties - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/20599603/ .
Thanks for the sample! Now, just need to find a supplier.