DOSE:	repeated	oral	Yerba Mate	(tea)
	repeated	smoked	Cannabis

BODY WEIGHT:

160 lb

In this report I chronicle my experience on yerba mate and cannabis during a backpacking trip in the high-alpine. I would reach a state of being very intoxicated which was quite pleasurable, and I began attempting to learn lessons from a pine tree.

For some background knowledge, my tolerance with weed was quite low at the time of this experience; I hadn’t been smoking regularly for a couple years and the most recent time I smoked was a month prior. My caffeine tolerance was relatively low, but not nothing. I had stopped drinking coffee every morning about a month earlier also but continued to use it from time to time. I am not on any supplements or medications.

I used to drink a lot of yerba mate back in high school; I used it as a study aid and for the consistent euphoric state of mind that it brought on. At one point though, yerba mate became anxiogenic for me and I stopped drinking it. For this reason I was worried it may still have that effect.

But overall my mindset was really solid. Three of my friends and I ventured into the wilderness on a backpacking trip, with the goal of getting out of the lower-elevation heat and experiencing the outdoors. We hiked up from about 9,000 feet elevation to a ridiculously tranquil lake at 11,000 feet on the day before my experience, and camped out that night. Everything was peaceful and calm. The day of my experience, I prepared an 8oz gourd of yerba mate. I prepared it as follows:

Form the mountain of leaves in the gourd. Pour cold water into the basin and let it absorb, repeat until no more cold water can be soaked in (about 3 times). Put in the bombilla, and sip the first and very strong brew. Refill with hot water and repeat.

The report is as follows...

T+00:00: We begin passing around the yerba gourd and drinking cups of it.

T+00:10: I am already feeling the effects of the yerba kick in. It’s a little like the effect of cannabis for me; I am a little more laughy and jittery. I have a slight head buzz and slight euphoria. I also get the urge to move around a little more, and moving feels nice.

T+00:12: We light up the joint and smoke some of it. I take a couple small tokes to gauge my tolerance and also continue drinking mate. After we all smoked a bit we put out the joint.

T+00:25: The yerba mate still feels nice and I am also starting to get a little high. In my experience the effects of weed at low doses are extremely subtle, but I have some minor visual effects like the waves of the lake looking a little different. I experience slightly more pattern recognition, and a greater ability to focus on the water. We light up the joint again and I take a few big tokes, followed by more yerba mate.

T+00:40: I am getting higher, and try eating a little food which is very nice. All the metrics of taste that I would usually perceive are heightened as is typical of weed. I heat up a bunch of Indian food and start munching hard. My taste is definitely enhanced in a distinctly pleasurable way. After this we decide to finish the joint and smoke the rest of it.

T+00:60: At this point I am very influenced by the effects of both cannabis and yerba mate. I feel extremely relaxed and at peace. Talking to other people was hard, I felt like I had a bubble of laughter in my throat (not in a bad way). I also have some euphoria coming from the tranquility of the moment. The connection I feel to nature at this point reminds me a bit of being on Psilosibin mushrooms, but to a much lesser extent. Touching my face feels very nice, and looking at the water is utterly mesmerizing. Despite the small waves moving, if I stare long enough it appears that the water is standing still and the whole world is moving. At this point I decide I need to lie down and go to find a spot on the ground that will suit me well. Usually I am a bit anxious about getting dirty or just rolling around on the ground, but without hesitation I plop down on the mulch and rest my head on a tree root. Just existing is profoundly funny at this moment; I am laughing at the sight of a tree and the lake. I have an intense body high at this point, like a buzzing in my hands and head and body. It is intensely pleasurable, and I am devoid of anxiety. I begin feeling somewhat emotional and introspective, like a wave of deep thought coming over me. I looked towards the pine tree to my right, whose root I am resting on. Suddenly I remember reading “Braiding Sweetgrass” and start questioning what I could learn from the tree. I feel so emotional and grateful that the tree would give its root for me to rest on in this moment, and have the realization that I need to be there for others as a stabilizing force in their lives, just like this tree is for me.

T+01:30: The peak has definitely passed. Weed tends to wear off on me very quickly and I start coming off of the most intense part of my experience. I don’t remember the rest of the high with much detail, except that the come off had no negative feelings or crashing.

T+2:00: I am mostly sober at this point, but still a little buzzed.

T+2:30: I am back to baseline.

Conclusion and retrospective thoughts: My realization with the tree seemed extremely profound at that moment, and it was definitely a take away from the experience. Overall this combination was enjoyable, especially in nature. But, it is important to remember that both of these substances can be anxiogenic and increase heart rate, so be wary of the dosage. I think the effects of yerba mate and cannabis combine especially well, as opposed to weed with coffee or another stimulant. While caffeine is present in both coffee and mate, the effects are somewhat distinguishable.

Exp Year: 2025	ExpID: 119380
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Dec 15, 2025	Views: Not Supported
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Yerba Mate (282), Cannabis (1) : Small Group (2-9) (17), Nature / Outdoors (23), Glowing Experiences (4), Retrospective / Summary (11), Combinations (3)