Yerba mate: A Rejuvenative and An Antioxidant Powerhouse


Yerba mate: A Rejuvenative and An Antioxidant Powerhouse

Yerba Mate has the “strength of coffee, the health benefits of tea, and the euphoria of chocolate" all in one beverage. There are 196 volatile (or active) chemical compounds found in the Yerba Mate plant. Of those, 144 are also found in green tea. Yerba Mate contains 11 polyphenols. Polyphenols are a group of phytochemicals. Phytochemicals (phyto- meaning plant) are recently-discovered compounds that act as powerful antioxidants and are considered to exhibit anti-cancer effects in mammals by strengthening an organism's natural defenses and protecting it against cellular destruction (i.e. lycopene in tomatoes, flavonoids in blueberries, and isoflavones in soy). The polyphenol concentration of Mate has also shown a strong correlation to its overall antioxidant capacity. Furthermore, polyphenolic compounds found in Mate tea differ significantly from green tea because Mate tea contains high concentration of chlorogenic acid and no catechins.

The leaves and twigs of the yerba mate plant are dried, typically over a fire, and steeped in hot water to make an herbal tea. This beverage, commonly known simply as mate, is popular in parts of South America. Like black tea, yerba mate contains caffeine, which is a stimulant.

In the U.S. yerba mate is widely available in health food stores and online. Proponents of yerba mate say that it can relieve fatigue, promote weight loss, ease depression, and help treat headaches and various other conditions. There's no definitive evidence that these claims are valid. Yerba mate isn't likely to pose a risk for healthy adults who occasionally drink it.

Yerba mate (yer-bah mah-tay) is made from the naturally caffeinated and nourishing leaves of the celebrated South American rainforest holly tree (Ilex paraguariensis). For centuries, South America’s Aché Guayakí tribe have sipped yerba mate from a traditional mate gourd for its rejuvenative effects. These rainforest people find tremendous invigoration, focus, and nourishment in yerba mate.

The leaves of the rainforest mate tree naturally contain 24 vitamins and minerals, 15 amino acids, abundant antioxidants. In fact, The Pasteur Institute and the Paris Scientific society in 1964 concluded "it is difficult to find a plant in any area of the world equal to mate in nutritional value" and that yerba mate contains "practically all of the vitamins necessary to sustain life."

Yerba mate: A Rejuvenative and An Antioxidant PowerhouseYerba mate contains caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine, well-known stimulants also found in tea, coffee and chocolate. The caffeine content varies between that of green tea and coffee. Unlike tea, yerba mate has a low tannin content so it can be strong like coffee with out becoming extremely bitter. Unlike coffee, yerba mate is not oily and acid forming, so it is less likely to cause stomach acid and jitters.

Yerba mate is very versatile and can be prepared a variety of ways, from a tea infuser or French press to a coffee machine, even an esspresso maker. It can be consumed hot, or cold, and served with milk and honey or iced with lemon and mint, the combinations are endless.

Yerba mate, is a shade subtropical. Like high quality coffee, high quality mate is shade-grown; delivering more flavor and containing more medicinal and nutritional properties than the commercially grown, sun farmed varieties. It thrives in its natural rainforest environment located between the 10th and 30th parallels, in high humidity with up to 1500 mm of annual rainfall.

Yerba mate is sometimes spelled in English as maté. Yerba mate's binomial name is Ilex paraguariensis and is a species of the holly (family Aquifoliaceae). It is well known as the source of the beverage called mate, traditionally consumed in subtropical South America, particularly northeastern Argentina, Bolivia, southern Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay. It was first used and cultivated by the Guaraní people, and also in some Tupí communities in southern Brazil, prior to the European colonization. It was scientifically classified by the Swiss botanist Moses Bertoni, who settled in Paraguay in 1895.

The infusion, called mate in Spanish-speaking countries or chimarrão in south Brazil, is prepared by steeping dry leaves (and twigs) of the mate plant in hot water rather than in boiling water. Drinking mate with friends from a shared hollow gourd (also called a guampa, porongo or mate in Spanish, or cabaça or cuia in Portuguese, or zucca in Italian) with a metal straw (a bombilla in Spanish, bomba in Portuguese) is a common social practice in Uruguay, Argentina and southern Brazil among people of all ages.

Yerba mate is most popular in Uruguay, where people are seen walking on the street carrying the "mate" and "termo" in their arms and where you can find hot water stations to refill the "termo" while on the road. In Argentina, 5 kg (11 lb) of yerba mate is consumed each year per every man, woman, and child, while in Uruguay, the largest consumer of mate per capita, 10 kg (22 lb) of yerba mate is consumed per person per year.

The flavor of brewed mate resembles an infusion of vegetables, herbs, and grass, and is reminiscent of some varieties of green tea. Some consider the flavor to be very agreeable, but it is generally bitter if steeped in boiling water. Flavored mate is also sold, in which the mate leaves are blended with another herbs (such as peppermint) or citrus rind. In Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina, a toasted version of mate, known as mate cocido (Paraguay), chá mate (Brazil) or just mate, is sold in teabags and in a loose leaf form. It is often served sweetened in specialized shops or on the street either hot or iced with fruit juice or milk. In Argentina and southern Brazil, this is commonly consumed for breakfast or in a café for afternoon tea, often with a selection of sweet pastries.

Yerba mate: A Rejuvenative and An Antioxidant PowerhouseAn iced, sweetened version of toasted mate is sold as an uncarbonated soft drink, with or without fruit flavoring. In Brazil, this cold version of chá mate is specially popular in South and Southeast regions, and can easily be found in retail stores in the same cooler as soft-drinks. Mate batido, which is toasted, has less of a bitter flavor and more of a spicy fragrance. Mate batido becomes creamy when shaken. Mate batido is more popular in the coastal cities of Brazil, as opposed to the far southern states, where it is consumed in the traditional way (green, consumed with a silver straw from a shared gourd), and called chimarrão.and in Argentina, this is called cimarrón.

In Paraguay, western Brazil (Mato Grosso do Sul, west of São Paulo) and the Litoral Argentino, a mate infusion is also consumed as a cold or iced beverage and called tereré or tererê (in Spanish and Portuguese, respectively), and is usually sucked out of a horn cup called guampa with a bombilla. Tereré can be prepared using cold or iced water (the most common way in Paraguay) or using cold or iced fruit juice (the most common way in Argentina). The "only water" version may be too bitter, but the one prepared using fruit juice is sweetened by the juice itself. Medicinal herbs, known as yuyos, are mixed in a mortar and pestle and added to the water for taste or medicinal reasons. Tereré is most popular in Paraguay, Brazil, and the Litoral (northeast Argentina).

In the Rio de la Plata region, people often consume daily servings of mate. It is common for friends to convene to matear several times a week. In cold weather, the beverage is served hot and in warm weather the hot water is often substituted with lemonade, but not in Uruguay. Children often take mate with lemonade or milk, as well.
As Europeans often meet at a coffee shop, drinking mate is the impetus for gathering with friends in Argentina, southern Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Sharing mate is ritualistic and has its own set of rules. Usually, one person, the host or whoever brought the mate, prepares the drink and refills the gourd with water. In these three countries, the hot water can be contained in a vacuum flask, termo (appropriate for drinking mate in the outside) or garrafa térmica (Brazil), or in a pava (kettle), which only can be done at home.

The gourd is passed around, often in a circle, and each person finishes the gourd before giving it back to the brewer. The gourd (also called a mate) is passed in a clockwise order. Since mate can be rebrewed many times, the gourd is passed until the water runs out. When persons no longer want to take mate, they say gracias (thank you) to the brewer when returning the gourd to signify they do not want any more.

During the month of August, Paraguayans have a tradition of mixing mate with crushed leaves, stems, and flowers of the plant known as flor de Agosto (the flower of August, plants of the Senecio genus), which contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Modifying mate in this fashion is potentially toxic, as these alkaloids can cause a rare condition of the liver, veno-occlusive disease, which produces liver failure due to progressive occlusion of the small venous channels in the liver.

In South Africa, mate is not well known, but has been introduced to Stellenbosch by a student who sells it nationally. In the tiny hamlet of Groot Marico in the northwest province, mate was introduced to the local tourism office by the returning descendants of the Boers, who in 1902 had emigrated to Patagonia in Argentina after losing the Anglo Boer War. It is also commonly consumed in Syria and other parts of the Middle East.

As of 2011 there has not been any double-blind, randomized prospective clinical trial of mate drinking with respect to chronic disease. However, a variety of studies have indicated the antioxidants and nutritional benefits combine to help improve the immune system, detoxify the body, relieve allergies, reduce the risk of diabetes and hypoglycemia, burns more calories, acts as an appetite suppressant and weight loss tool, increases the supply of nutrients and oxygen to the heart, may reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes, increases mental energy and focus, improves mood, and promotes a deeper sleep, however sleep may be affected in people who are sensitive to caffeine.

Mate is consumed as a health food. Packages of yerba mate are available in health food stores and are frequently stocked in the large supermarkets of Europe, Australia and the United States. By 2013, Asian interest in the drink had seen significant growth and led to significant export trade.

Health Benefits of Yerba Mate

1. Rich in Antioxidants

Yerba mate: A Rejuvenative and An Antioxidant PowerhouseYerba mate tea is very high in antioxidants; it's got about 90% more antioxidants than green tea. Yerba mate has significant immune boosting properties. It can slow the signs of aging, detoxify the blood and prevent many types of cancer. Yerba mate also helps reduce stress and insomnia.

2. Enhances Your Ability to Focus

Proponents of yerba mate tea say that the minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, animo acids and polphenols found in this beverage have a balancing effect on the caffeine it contains. Users report increased mental energy, clarity and focus, but they also say that yerba mate doesn't cause any of the uncomfortable side effects associated with drinking caffeinated beverages, such as headaches, stomachaches and jitters.

Yerba Mate contains caffeine which stimulates the mind and the body. Mate relieves fatigue-related headaches and enhances athletic and cognitive performance after sleep deprivation and stress.Anecdotally, many regular mate drinkers report that they do not suffer negative side-effects from caffeine when drinking mate. In particular, users report that drinking mate in the evening keeps them alert if want to stay up working, but does not prevent them sleeping when they want to. Please let us know your experiences of this.

Caffeine and other xanthines also stimulate the central nervous system and relax smooth muscle (especially bronchial muscle). They promote myocardial stimulation and peripheral vasoconstriction.

3. Enhances Physical Endurance

The chemical compounds and nutrients in yerba mate tea affect your metabolism to make your body use carbohydrates more efficiently. This means you'll get more energy from the food you eat. You'll also burn more of the calories your body has stored in fat cells as fuel when you drink yerba mate tea regularly. Regular yerba mate consumption also helps keep lactic acid from building up in your muscles so you can decrease post workout soreness and cut your recovery time.

4. Aids Digestion

The native peoples of South America have long used yerba mate tea as a traditional herbal remedy against digestive ailments. Yerba mate aids digestion by stimulating increased production of bile and other gastric acids. Yerba mate helps keep your colon clean for effective and efficient waste elimination, and helps reduce the stomach bacteria that can contribute to bad breath.


5. Helps You Control Your Weight

Native South American peoples have traditionally used yerba mate as part of a lifestyle that includes a healthy diet and exercise. Yerba mate has stimulant qualities to help you feel full sooner after you begin eating, and it slows your digestion so that your stomach stays full longer. Combining yerba mate with a healthy diet and regular exercise can help boost your metabolism to burn more calories, and it can help you eat less by curbing your appetite slightly. Mate is now being used increasingly in weight-loss programmes. It is thermogenic – it increases the rate at which fat is burned. This was demonstrated in a study in Switzerland in 1999. Yerba Mate is an appetite suppressant. Mate drinkers feel fuller for longer.

6. Supports Cardiovascular Health

The antioxidants and amino acids present in yerba mate help fat and cholesterol move through your bloodstream so that they don't accumulate on artery walls. Yerba mate also helps prevent arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and prevents blood clots that may cause heart attack or stroke.

7. Treats depression and anxiety

Yerba mate: A Rejuvenative and An Antioxidant PowerhouseMate has traditionally been used to treat depression and nervous anxiety.
In laboratory tests mate inhibits monoamine oxidase activity by 40-50%. A 2002 US patent envisages this being useful in treating a number of diseases, for example:
“depression, disorders of attention and focus, mood and emotional disorders, Parkinson's disease, extrapyramidal disorders, hypertension, substance abuse, eating disorders, withdrawal syndromes and the cessation of smoking."

8. Relieves allergies and sinusitis

This is another traditional use for mate. The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia recommends mate for headaches. Dr James Balch, the US complementary medicine expert, recommends mate for allergies.

9. Boosts immune system

Another traditional use of Yerba Mate is to boost the immune system and increase resistance to diseases. Again, this use appears to be supported by recent research. Mate is known to contain saponins which have been shown to stimulate the immune system.

10. Anti-inflammatory

Another traditional use. More recent clinical studies have found that yerba mate inhibits the enzyme lipoxygenase, which is associated with inflammation.

11. Hypotensive (lowers blood pressure)

Yerba mate is a vasodilator – it relaxes the smooth muscle in blood vessels which makes them dilate and allows the blood to flow more easily.

13. Reduces wrinkles

The leaves are highly astringent and a poultice of the leaves applied to the skin may improve the appearance of wrinkles.

14. Diuretic

Mate has traditionally been used as a diuretic. We now know that it contains the xanthines theobromine, caffeine, and theophylline, which all have mildly diuretic properties.


15. Contains vitamins and minerals, including :

  • Theobromine

  • Theophylline

  • Trigelline

  • Vitamin C

  • Thiamine (B1)

  • Riboflavin (B2)

  • Carotene

Mate is high in potassium, magnesium and antioxidants

The health authorities in France authorise the use of mate for :

Asthenia (low energy)
As a diuretic

The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia recommends mate for :

Weight loss
Tiredness
Headaches

Dr. James Balch M.D. recommends mate for :

Yerba mate: A Rejuvenative and An Antioxidant PowerhouseWeight loss
Headache
Allergies and hay fever
Fatigue
Stress
Fluid retention
Arthritis
Haemorrhoids
 

The Indian Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia recommends mate for :

Psychogenic headaches
Nervous depression
Fatigue
Rheumatic pains
 

Health concerns of Yerba Mate

Any hot consumption is associated with oral cancer, esophagus cancer, cancer of the larynx, and squamous cell of the head and neck. Studies show a correlation between temperature and likelihood of cancer, making it unclear how much a role mate itself plays as a carcinogen.

A study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer showed a limited correlation between oral cancer and the drinking of large quantities of "hot mate". Smaller quantities (less than 1 liter daily) were found to increase risk only slightly, though alcohol and tobacco consumption had a synergistic effect on increasing oral, throat, and esophageal cancer. The study notes the possibility that increased risk could be credited to the high (near-boiling) temperatures at which the mate is consumed in its most traditional way, the chimarrão. The cellular damage caused by thermal stress could lead the esophagus and gastric epithelium to be metaplastic, adapting to the chronic injury. Then, mutations would lead to cellular dysplasia and to cancer. While the IARC study does not specify a specific temperature range for "hot mate", it lists general (not "hot") mate drinking separately, but does not possess the data to assess its effect. It also does not address, in comparison, any effect of consumption temperature with regard to coffee or tea.

Some studies indicate that people who drink large amounts of yerba mate over prolonged periods may be at increased risk of some types of cancer, such as cancer of the mouth, esophagus and lungs. Smoking in combination with yerba mate seems to greatly increase the cancer risk. One possible explanation is that mate contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are known to be carcinogenic. (Tobacco smoke and grilled meat also contain PAHs.) More investigation needs to be done into the safety and side effects of mate.

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Dated 25 November 2013

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