Your Risk of Early Death

The Machu Picchu in the grass in the spirit of yerba mate

Before we even got started for the day, our guide started to make some tea.

After I had finished packing and checking my equipment, he called me over.

“Have some. This will help you the higher we go.”

“Is this a root of some kind?” Maca root, which is also from Peru, can help you with altitude. But I hadn’t seen what he put in the tea.

“The leaves of the Ilex tree.”

Our guide had a degree in forestry and knew every plant and tree in the jungle and on the mountain. I think he was having a little fun with me, because when I brought the cup up to my nose, I knew what it was right away.

Yerba mate.

A lot of the little roadside stands in Brazil and Peru sell yerba mate tea. And if you visit South America, you almost can’t help but try it a few times. I don’t know how much of the herb they put in it, but it gives you an immediate energy lift.