If you ask most yerba mate drinkers whether yerba mate is psychedelic or a hallucinogen, they’ll laugh. But I bet a percentage of them can see where you’re coming from.

You see, yerba mate has a starkly different effect on your mind compared to coffee, energy drinks, other teas, and any other caffeinated beverage on the market.

Yerba mate stands proudly alone in this regard.

And unless you’ve tried it before, you won’t know what I’m talking about.

Containing three main compounds – caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline – along with a host of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, saponins, and more, this healthy concoction of stimulants isn’t psychedelic or hallucinogenic – but it’s the closest thing to it out of any other tea or coffee.

Is Yerba Mate Psychedelic?

From someone who has taken LSD several times years ago, there’s absolutely no relation between that experience and yerba mate. You will not trip out if that’s what you’re looking for with this tea.

But, there are still some similarities in a sense.

For one, yerba mate has this special way of bringing all your attention back to the present moment. You almost instantly feel more conscious of your surroundings. It’s as if you have no choice BUT to be mindful. Feeling any other way just isn’t possible (with exceptions of course).

In return, this effect allows you to form a deeper connection to things you wouldn’t have beforehand.

You start to view things in a different light.

Yerba mate is no longer just a drink, but a portal to a higher level of consciousness that you can’t experience without it.

Water is no longer just a liquid, but a way to nourish the leaves so it can give back to you.

The leaves aren’t just a plant, but a transference of energy from the earth to you.

I’m sure the more spiritually aware mate drinkers can attest to this experience and share more descriptive details. But nonetheless, yerba mate without a doubt has this superpower of transforming your perception and outlook on the world. This euphoric effect is vaguely akin to the beginning of a good acid trip.

Yerba mate also grants you clarity of mind.

But don’t get it twisted. This isn’t just the caffeine going to work. If it were, everybody who’s tried mate after drinking coffee would say the two feel the same. But they don’t.

The mental clarity you get from coffee and the mental clarity you get from yerba mate are two completely different things.

With coffee, you feel this energizing buzz that quickly drops back down leading to a crash. While yerba mate leaves your head feeling warm and floaty with a steady rise and decline back to normal. It leaves your mind feeling emptied, cleared, and detoxed of all negative things, leaving behind only that of which is pure.

This effect can be somewhat analogous to the afterglow or the end of a trip where you come out feeling refreshed, renewed, and with a new frame of mind.

Now that we’ve cleared that up, is yerba mate a hallucinogen?

Yerba Mate Hallucinogen

Although it’d be pretty cool if yerba mate caused hallucinations, it doesn’t.

You will not see the room spinning, things ‘breathing’, spirits arising, or geometric patterns on the walls if that’s what you’re expecting.

However, what yerba mate can do is heighten your senses.

When drinking mate, colors become brighter. More vivid. Sounds are crisper and sharper. And the music sounds much, much better. I experience this every morning within minutes of my first sip.

Now, you can say this is just the effects of caffeine which is true. But there’s definitely something else working behind the scenes because I don’t experience this same effect when drinking coffee. At least nowhere near to the same degree.

How To Get The Most Effects Out Of Yerba Mate

Despite yerba mate not actually being psychedelic or hallucinogenic, there are some things you can do to bring about that experience as much as possible. Though I don’t recommend this to everybody.

First, drink mate on an empty stomach. This way, you’re more sensitive to caffeine compared to drinking it after a meal. Doing this can bring about adverse effects if you’re body can’t handle it so proceed with caution.

Second, consume yourself in music. Get a nice pair of noise-canceling headphones and block out all noise. I usually like to listen to calming sounds on Youtube. This combined with the stimulating effects of yerba, and you become stuck in your own little world.

Lastly, drink yerba the traditional way. You will never experience the full effects of yerba mate unless you drink from a gourd and bombilla. Or if you don’t want to go this route, at least brew your tea with 15 grams of yerba minimum. Anything less like that of a tea bag – 3-5 grams – won’t really do the trick.

Of course, your mileage may vary so adjust to your personal body’s reaction.

Final Words

Yerba mate is a powerful tea unlike any other with effects that will transform your life forever.

Without being psychedelic or hallucinogenic, it may be the only tea that comes closest to it. Even closer than coffee, green tea, black tea, etc.

It is truly magical.

P.S. If you enjoyed this post, you may want to check out our store to get all the gear you need to drink mate the traditional way.