Ilex paraguariensis YERBA MATE / PARAGUAYAN TEA (10 seeds)

Mate, paraguay tea also called Ilex paraguariensis is a plant of South America more precisely of Argentina.
It is part of the family Aquifoliaceae.
Yerba maté is grown mainly in Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay and southern Brazil.
The flowers are white in small sizes.
Mate seeds are yellow in color and resemble those of Japanese rosebush.

The Guarani people are reputed to have been the first to cultivate it.
This is unfortunately a near-threatened species, especially because of deforestation.

The leaves of yerba mate contain 0.2 to 2% caffeine.
Prepared as an infusion, they have many medicinal properties.
They serve as a nervous and muscular tonic, a stimulant for the digestive functions.

Subsequently came the manufacture of Argentine tea also called Paraguayan tea.
Mate has the same properties as coffee or tea (Coffea robusta or tea tree)

Sowing yerba mate seeds:

Start by scarifying your Paraguay tea seeds with sandpaper and then soaking your Argentine mate seeds in warm water for 24 hours.
Then sow your seeds of Ilex paraguariensis in a box of peat previously moistened.
Bury your Paraguayan tea seeds under 3 to 4 mm then cover.
Use a sprayer to water your crop and place it under a mini-greenhouse or directly in a greenhouse at a temperature close to 30 to 40 ° C.
Mate seeds usually germinate after 4 to 8 weeks.

• Exotic plant of interior.
• Invigorating and stimulating effect in infusion.
• Easy culture, average growth.

Also exists as a live plant to grow.