No offense, but really? I understand we all have histories with psychedelics. Sure I get trails and flourescent lights may never look the same to me again.

(opinion)Though if yerba matte is psychedelic to a person, I'd have to question if coffee is as well. If coffee is psychedelic to you, than perhaps you shouldn't be recommending people to try it as a psychedelic.

I'm sure most people who voted yes, are frequent or have a big past's with ayahuasca. Perhaps the brewing of leaves is a trigger for them to open their minds and expect an experience. Placebo works, the mind is very powerful, don't underestimate that.

I can't think of a way to put this that would come out as kind and genuine as how it is intended to be stated. Here goes anyways, I guess: what you are feeling/seeing may be real, but, the compound ingested is not an active psychedelic. Please learn to discern from the self projected 'hallucinations', and the chemicals that activate 'hallucinations'.

I don't mean that in any mean way, or in any, "you've lost it way", I mean that in a scientific let's explore together with our head on our shoulders in an unbiased fashion.

That sounds like a load of crap to me. I’m sorry but I don't know of any more of a polite way to put that without it having the same impact. I would get the same effects from other similar things and I DO NOT.

I drink a lot of different herbal teas and nothing does what Yerba mate does to me. NOTHING. Not even it's close relative guayusa does.

Take a look at this page and see the shit load of stuff Yerba mate contains:

http://www.allabouttea.c...yerba-mate-contain/30419

It contains these things and maybe more:

•Alpha-amyrin
•Alpha-terpineol
•Arachidic acid
•Beta-amyrin
•Butyric acid
•Caffeic acid
•Caffeine
•5-o-caffeoylquinic acid
•Calcium
•Carotene
•Chlorogenic acid (10%)
•Choline
•Chlorophyll
•Chrysanthemin
•Cyanidin-3-o-xylosyl-glucoside
•Cyanidin-3-glucoside
•Essential oil
•Eugenol
•Geraniol
•Geranyl acetone
•Guaiacin b
•Iodole
•Inositol
•Ionone
•Iso-butyric acid
•Iso-capronic acid
•Iso-chlorogenic acid
•Iso-valeric acid
•Kaempferol
•Lauric acid
•Levulose
•Linalool
•Linoleic acid
•Matesaponins
•Neochlorogenic acid
•Nerolidol
•Nicotinic acid
•Nudicaucin c
•Octan-1-ol
•Octanoic acid
•Oleic acid
•Palmitic acid
•Palmitoleic acid
•Pyridoxine
•Quercetin
•Raffinose
•Safrole
•Stearic acid
•Tannins
•Theobromine
•Theophylline
•Trigonelline
•Ursolic acid

yerba mate is amazing. that's all I know. gives me the energy to run up and down a mountain (literally), and replenishes nutrients to allow me to sleep like a baby in the night.
I gave up coffee months ago and haven't looked back (I was too sensitive to it)
It feels like one of those "god send" plants. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!
It DOES make everything quieter for some reason, which I really appreciate!
With my ears, I'm extremely sensitive to sounds, and when I'm in mate trance, nothing seems to bother me,
even though I MAY be a bit more jumpy ;]

So you noticed an effect on the perception of sound too. For me, that effect is unique to Yerba mate. I think a few others also mentioned that they also notice it. I would classify that effect as very mildly psychedelic because it's affecting perception of sound, although very slightly, it is affecting it.

Like I stated earlier in the thread,
the way it tunes out sounds reminds me of being on acid or spice. Everything sounds further away.
I really like that quality.

I see you bolded Eugenol and Safrole for me, because those other compounds have no psychedelic activity and likely no potential for such.

First of all even if Safrole or Eugenol did turn into MMDA or MDMA(both have been proposed) these aren't true psychedelics.

Secondly, if the body could convert these to MMDA or MDMA it would probably be restricted by an enzymatic processes(to my limited knowledge). Can't find any hard information on how much of these are even inside of the plant. Judging by the taste with my limitted experience it was pretty bitter, and not an oral analgesic(Eugenol) nor strongly root-beer flavored(Safrole). This claim would also entail that drinking root-beer would cause a person to experience a MMDA or MDMA(Can't find any reports of such a thing? if you can I'd be interested). As for Eugenol I won't even bother looking into it.

So it makes me personally wonder how much leaf would need to be consumed keeping in mind the horrible side effects of caffiene and indigestion. Also please be careful as Safrole is possibly carcinogenic, eugenol is actually toxic and it doesn't take much to kill a person.

I know Alexander Shulgin has noted that Mystricin(Nutmeg constituent) could be turned into MMDA in a rabbits liver. Sadly this has nothing to do with Safrole or Eugenol, nor human beings. One might think if he would have undergone such a test after the hundreds of other unknown compounds he's consumed/injected/smoked/etc.

But shit I dunno, maybe it is psychedelic.

Metta, I didn't bold that for you, I made it bold for Bufoman.

I would not say it is a true psychedelic in the sense that it would make you feel anything at all like LSD might. I’m using the term very loosely to cover things like MDMA which are not true psychedelics.

I don’t get visual effects from Yerba mate. I get euphoria, a sense of wellbeing, clarity of thought, and alteration of the perception of sound from it at doses of 10 grams or more. I can hear the “sound of silence” more heavily, sounds are more crisp and detailed. It definitely alters my sense of hearing, and for that alone I would say it is mildly psychedelic. Others have also noticed that it affects the sense of hearing. It is not just me. Others have said it is similar to MDMA. I won’t comment on that though. It does contain safrole and safrole is used to make MDMA, and some people claim safrole produces weak MDMA-like effects on its own. Again, I’m not going to comment on that. I notice the effects on hearing, and to me they are light, but definitely an alteration of perception, and for me that classifies it as a mild auditory hallucinogen, which would also be called a psychedelic. Anything that alters perception is a psychedelic or hallucinogen, in my opinion.

Some people also report ringing in the ears after drinking too much mate, so there's definitely something about it that affects the perception of hearing.

It might be interesting to combine it with another herb known to alter the perception of hearing, like say sinicuichi (Heimia Salicifolia). Has anyone tried that?

These reports are from Erowid. One speaks of a similar effect to what I get from it having to do with the perception of sound. Another one also hints at this effect. So this is a definite effect of Yerba mate that some of us have.

This guy smoked it. I'm not sure if this one is real.



This one is similar to MDMA and also notes effects on sound.



This one is interesting. He describes the exact effects I get on my hearing from mate.



I don't know what it is in mate that produces these mind altering effects, but it's definitely not the caffeine or theobromine. Enough people report similar effects that it cannot be placebo either. The majority doesn't seem to be sensitive enough to these effects to notice them though. I am one of the lucky ones I guess

SWIM is one of the people who voted yes. He has now tried it twice and noticed very distinct effects, far beyond the stimulation of caffeine.

He took 10g of yerba tea before going on his bike ride to work (7km) and there was slight slight more energy on the ride, not much.

He then worked his first class that was teaching 4-6 year old kids gymnastics. Now he normally loves working with the kids, but he was much more talkative and empathic to the kids.
He was slightly more dis tractable than usual. But it was when he got into the foam pit, where the kids have free-play, he was outplaying the kids, throwing foam around. Normally he just sits around and the kids jump on and around him and he *pretends to sleep* but this time he was incredibly energetic.

This state kept on going for at least 4-5 hours and subsided near the end of his shift 10 hours after drinking, his ride home from work was noticeably harder than usual.



SWIM's roomie and friend say it's nice, like coffee... haha

This is a really cool, and really funny story. Makes me smile when I read it. None the less, I am absolutely at a dead-lock on the effects of Yerba Mate being positive or negative, or even neurtral for me, based on this entire thread.

From all the reports I have read, and even the poll itself, there is really no conclusive evidence that it does much more than a "feeling good caffein buzz". I'm not a big fan of caffein because it just makes me nervous and jittery. I only like it if I am going to be doing physical labor of some sort.

Anyway, I'm still debating the yerba, but I have found a good source, near by home, so I guess I'll give it a whirl. I really don't expect any true phsycedellic effects from it, but I do hope to get some phsycoactive effects that are similar to the more common stimulants (such as caffein), w/o having the "sharp" jittery feeling and crash. Caffein effects me dramatically in a bad way unelss I am prepared for it.

Anyway. We shall see,
Peace,
-idt

One additional question. The Yerba that I am looking at says "Organic, Unsmoked, Loose Tea" I assume this is the standard stuff, but there must actually be a "Smoked" tea as well. What's the deal with that, and how does the smoking process effect the alkaloids? Anyone know?

Peace,
-idt

People who report psychoactive (not necessarily psychedelic ) effects from Mate: how do you take it? I prepare mine the traditional way, by making a mountain on the side of my gourd, adding cold water and my bombilla, then adding hot but not boiling water after a few minutes. Average dose 25-30g.

yerba mate is great i like its effect but i find it more stimulant then psychedelic, i wonder how it would be with a psychedelic drug combination i have heard that it goes well with mescaline

Thanks for posting the contents Ron. That is very interesting although nothing POPPED out as being psychoactive that was already known but you never know I am no expert. Still many of those things are likely to be present at trace levels (the saf and eugenol are def as you could smell them at even .2% or lower). I know that with tea and other products the processing of drying via smoking can change the chemical contents possibly generating actives.

I know the effect you are describing that is exactly how I feel from caffeine and/or theobro. Caffeine is a "more intense" (not mild) intoxicant (psychoactive drug) than many realize. It leads to a general feeling of well being, enhanced clarity, feeling of energy. The social setting and amount it is ingested in has major effects. This sounds like what you and others are describing. Maybe the ratio of the theobro and the caffeine have slightly different effects in the mate than if taking the pure compounds or drinking coffee or mocha (real mocha) some synergy. Anyone tried them together?

Personally I think it is most likely the xanth alkaloids as their effects match your description and my experience. As for the "sounds" I bet many stimulants would do that if you tried. Also mate has been used for a long time, and its native drinkers do not report psychedelic like effects. Psychedelic effects are something very distinct for me and in the scientific literature. Also as you said I would not consider MDMA a psychedelic at all but rather an empathogenic stimulant. Psychedelic's do not have to induce visual hallucinations (AMT, MIPT, 5-MeO-DMT) it is the unique state of mind that we all know so well that they induce that groups them together.

Ones expectations can dramatically effect how an intoxication is interpreted. Also placebo is a very bizaree phenomenon. They have done experiments where they switch the alcohol at a bar with non-alcoholic drinks and people still acted intoxicated and claimed they were. You would think for sure you could notice this. I am sure some people could especially those of us who experiment with a wide range of chemicals (novel compounds) we have to train our senses to pick up on subtle effects. This is hard even look at shulgin's notebooks. There are plenty of false positives with new compounds then at the next dose level there are no effect. When you know you took something you can interpret any little tingle or gurgle as being related, it is very difficult. Over time you would get better.

One could do an experiment ingesting a Mate extract versus pure caffe or theo or a combination. Have a friend administer it so that you are blind and see if you can tell the difference. I think this is the only way to settle it.

I steep the leaves in hot water. Then I put them in a fine mesh coffee strainer and press the leaves really hard to get every last drop out of the leaves.

We have several posts from people wanting caffeine and theobromine to be responsible for these unusual effects I get from mate, which I don’t get from coffee, tea, cocoa, etc., no matter the dose.

It’s funny how that keeps coming up. I know the effects of caffeine and theobromine and I know for 100% certainty that the effects from mate are a combination of those and SOMETHING ELSE which is causing the altered perception on my hearing, and causing an empathogenic effect. Caffeine and theobromine DO NOT do that in me, no matter the dose or combination. So why are you guys bringing that up over and over. I know its just plain NOT THE CASE.

You can tell me the sky is green, but it is most definitely blue. Guys, no amount of repeat posting is going to make the sky green. Even if you post it and make it sound very authoritative and very believable, the sky is still blue. It doesn’t work like that.

Telling me I’m getting effects from caffeine and theobromine that I know I don’t get from them is NOT helping. At most you’re irritating me with that. As if I’m so stupid that I can’t tell the difference. I drink coffee, tea, and cocoa ALL THE TIME. I also drink kola nut and many other things with caffeine. I have pure caffeine and theobromine tablets to compare it to. I think I have enough experience with herbs and xanthenes to know the difference.

Now with that said, I'm going to have a strong cup of coffee and enjoy that for a while

I was not just referring to the auditory effects but the effects others described such as a feeling of well being which is a xanth like effect. There could def be other actives present which have this effect in certain people and not others. I do not disagree but I think a major part of the other effects come from the xanths which are present in the highest amounts.

Why don't you try the experiment I suggested? It would be quite simple to perform. Make an aqueous extract of mate and reduce it put it into a capsule and have a friend administer it to you blind with theo and caff in capsules as a control. See if you can tell the difference. Maybe you could. from my experience I doubt I could.

Bufoman, the test you described makes sense for sure. I think I recall seeing such an extract at the local herb store that could be used for such a test. It would be nice if all the members here who claim to get other effects could take part in the test.

I think the problem with me though, is that I already know the effects profile of mate, and I’m sure even in pill form, I’ll know it’s mate and not something else, so that would sort of taint the test.