My beverage of choice varies. It's typically a cup of tea (I love jasmine), sometimes a cacao concoction filled with different superfoods (cacao, maca, Vitamineral Green, cinnamon-- I really go for it,) and then there's yerba maté. I love unsmoked maté. And I always feel like it's really good for me. It helps wake up my body, tastes delicious and has some noteworthy nutrient value-- magnesium, manganese and potassium to name a few.
So this morning and lovingly participated in my ritual and made myself a cup of maté. As I was sipping away, I was reminded of a conversation I had long ago with one of my Euro friends about the caffeine in maté. She was telling me about the distinction that is made in Europe about the various types of caffeine in different beverages-- in coffee there is caffeine, in tea there is "teine" and in maté there is "mateine." This seemed like a totally plausible theory to me at the time, but somehow I was compelled to investigate further this morning.
My research has led me to some interesting findings. Apparently, while in some parts of the world people do distinguish caffeine from mateine, there is no actual difference in the chemical composition between the two. The molecular structure of each of these stimulants is actually the same, and according to Wikipedia, chemical databases lists mateine as a synonym to caffeine. Fascinating!
I must say, this totally surprised me. I'm not anti-stimulant or anything. If that were the case, I would cut out such beverages and all things cacao as well. But I thought maté to be a much healthier alternative to other stimulating beverages, be it black or green tea, coffee or chocolate. Was I wrong?
Any thoughts out there on these findings? I'm very curious....
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1 comment:
It is possible that the plant energies themselves contribute on some level to the differences. Did you ever read "The Secret Life of Plants?" It's one of the most fascinating books I've read so far, and I read a LOT. :)
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