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Sebastopol, California (May 28, 2008) – Guayaki has raised the bar in the beverage industry by offering functional organic drinks that are stimulating, refreshing, nourishing, and made with only pure natural ingredients. Pure Heart, a “Raspberry Revolution” blend, is Guayaki’s lastest addition to their award-winning line of Organic Yerba Mate Drinks. Pure Heart features invigorating organic yerba mate (mah-tay) combined with hawthorn and yarrow – all of which are herbs known to promote improved cardiac performance. This heart-healthy blend is combined with organic rose hips, hibiscus, organic raspberry juice and cranberry juice to create a delicious and refreshing grab-and-go drink.
The unique combination of robust nutrition and balanced stimulation from the brewed leaves of the rainforest yerba mate tree make Guayakí Yerba Mate the healthiest source of energy on the planet. Guayaki Pure Heart contains caffeine comparable to coffee and energy drinks; however, the caffeine is balanced by mate’s content of theobromine (the euphoriant in chocolate), and another mild stimulant named theophylline. Yerba mate is also a good source of B vitamins including pantothenic acid – the “anti-stress” vitamin which promotes proper function of the adrenal gland. Yerba mate is also a rich source of magnesium, which has been proven to ease anxiety. Many caffeine-sensitive people that drink yerba mate gain vitality and clarity of mind, but don’t experience the jitters, stomach discomfort, energy crash and headaches that are common complaints expressed by people that drink coffee and energy drinks.
A nourishing ‘whole herb’ that offers adaptogenic properties, yerba mate contains 24 vitamins and minerals, 15 amino acids, 11 polyphenols and saponins (phytochemicals that bolster the immune system). Unlike other functional and energy drink concoctions on the market today that feature synthetic and isolate ingredients, Guayaki follows a “whole plant – whole health” herbal tradition that unleashes the natural form of these nutrients in a way that the body can easily absorb and process them. Guayaki Pure Heart is mildly sweetened with organic cane juice, and has far less calories (50) per serving than most other drinks in the marketplace. Offered in a 16-ounce premium bottles for a SRP of $2.19, Guayakí Pure Heart can be purchased at thousands of natural foods stores, supermarkets, cafes and gyms throughout North America and at www.guayaki.com.
New Research Highlights How Rainforest Yerba Mate is of Benefit to the Cardiovascular System
For many centuries, the traditional yuyeras (indigenous herbalists) of South America have used yerba mate as the base for their daily herbal medicine. They believe that yerba mate acts as a catalyst to enhance the healing powers of the other herbs in their remedies and helps assimilate the herbs into the body. Now, modern science is backing up many aspects of their cultural beliefs. A compilation of research published in the November 2007 issue of the Journal of Food Science* details mate’s many attributes. In particular, the report highlights how modern science has found yerba mate to be of benefit to the cardiovascular system. The supporting research includes the following findings:
• Administering Mate extract decreased the lipid oxidation in the heart by protecting myocardial tissue. (Schinella and others, 2005).
• Mate was also tested against peroxynitrite-induced cytotoxicity, associated with stroke and myocardial ischemia, restriction in blood supply, and Mate tea showed the highest inhibition against cyctotoxicity, compared with green tea and red wine. (Bixby and others, 2005).
• Mate has also been able to reduce ATP, ADP, and AMP (nucleotide) hydrolysis, which can help balance the circulatory system. (Gorgen and others, 2005).
• Mate has shown to be a very potent inhibitor of oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS), considerably so for the liver and heart. (Schinella and others, 2005)
In addition to highlighting mate’s pro-cardiovascular properties, the authors from the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois, also noted the following:
• Yerba mate possesses a much higher antioxidant capacity than green tea.
• Experiments have shown a protective effect of mate against cancer.
• Yerba mate has been found to be hypocholesterolemic and hepatoprotective.
• [Mate] is a protector of DNA oxidation and in vitro low-density lipoperoxidation.
• Consumption of Mate tea significantly contributes to the overall antioxidant intake and provides high amounts of caffeoylquinic acid derivatives, with biological effects potentially beneficial for human health.
• Mate Tea has been shown to have possible effects in the area of weight loss and management and current research has provided some supportive evidence.
• Mate has also shown to have potential as a digestive aid due to a choleretic effect, increasing the rate of bile flow.
A Heart-Warming Mission: Market-Driven Restoration Supports the Rainforest & Native People
While Pure Heart is worth celebrating for its delicious raspberry and mate taste and its boost of clean energy, the mission behind the beverage is equally heart-warming. Alex Pryor and David Karr started a green beverage revolution a decade ago by bringing a rainforest drink that is a cultural icon in South American to the U.S. and creating innovative styles that suit the tastes preferred by people in North America. Guayaki’s goal is to create consumer demand for healthy rainforest products that can be grown sustainably and profitably in the natural rainforest, thereby providing native people with healthy economic alternatives to destructive land use such as cattle grazing, huge soy plantations and timber harvesting that has wiped out vast swaths of rainforest over the past century.
Guayaki’s success building demand for yerba mate in North America has created vibrant fair trade economic opportunities that empower indigenous communities to protect the rainforest and their way of life. The Guayaki co-founders call this award-winning method of resource protection supported by consumers of sustainable products: Market-Driven Restoration™. Not only does Guayaki create an incentive for people to leave the forest standing, the company also has projects underway to replant native tree species in deforested areas. Guayaki estimates that each person that drinks two servings per day of Guayakí Yerba Mate helps protect approximately one acre of rainforest every year.
Founded in 1996, Guayakí is the leading provider of organic, fairly-traded, rainforest-grown yerba mate in North America. In addition to Pure Heart, Guayaki offers six other bottled Organic Yerba Mate Drinks, the new San Mateo Loose Yerba Mate and Traditional Loose Yerba Mate, six Yerba Mate Tea Bag Blends, Traditional Yerba Mate Tea Bags, Gaucho’s Fuerte Espresso Mate, two varieties of Mate Latté Concentrates and traditional yerba accessories. www.guayaki.com.