theobromine

I've been fishing and driking Chimarrao (yerba mate, erva mate, ka'a...) Many names it just depends on the language. Anyways I am very interested in psychoactive plants (coffee, chocolate, marijuana, san pedro, coca plants, yerba mate). I think plants have a special relationship with humans. Some people consider psychoactive plants drugs. I take offence to that. Because in my system of mental reasoning there is a distinct difference between drugs and plants. I see a plant as a plant until it has undergone chemical processes other than boiling or freezing.

An example of a plant that is no longer a plant is cocaine. The coca plant put into 14 complex chemical processes such as hydrochloric acid and kerosene baths to alter the plant into a drug.

There is an exceptional low rate of cardiovascular disease among Peruvian and Bolivian coca chewers, where as users of cocaine suffer from heart problems and run an elevated risk of heart attacks. There is absolutely no correlation between the coca plant and the drug cocaine. Read More

Well now back to yerba mate. I have never really liked coffee. When I was younger I didn't like the taste and now that I'm older and don't mind the taste I don't like the buzz. I find it is harsh, a 45 minute up followed by a sad feeling. With Yerba mate and chocolate I get a more sustained mood brightening buzz. Why? because coffee contains only caffeine whereas yerba mate and chocolate contain caffeine, theobromine and other similar chemicals. It is a boquet of alkaloids. Which is very important.

So what is the point that I am trying to drive home??? That the whole is not just a some of its parts. It is something else. Yes yerba mate, chocolate, coffee and wake-up pills all have caffeine in them but they do not produce the same buzz.

In addition yerba mate and coca leaves contains pottasium and other minerals which lower blood pressure and regular heart funtion. Stimulants only= unhealthy. Stimulants in combination with minerals and other heart regulating alkaloids= healthy.