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Yerba Mate and its properties

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Published: 07/31/2018 - Updated: 07/31/2021

Author: Prof. Dr. Luis Ruiz-Garcia, PhD

Mate (mah-tay) is a plant native to South America which has been ritually used for hundreds of years in South America, especially in Uruguay.  However, in the past few years this drink has been growing in popularity in Europe.

Yerba mate

According to Wikipedia “This herb was named by extension from the Quechua term mati, which means glass or drinking bowl, which was then generalized into a slang term for the gourd used for this infusion.  It has also been called “tea of Paraguay” or green gold”.

Contents

  • The ritual of drinking Yerba Mate
  • Where can I find Yerba Mate?
  • A little bit of history…
  • What does Yerba Mate taste like?
  • Some properties of Yerba Mate
  • References

The ritual of drinking Yerba Mate

One is said to be drinking mate when they observe a certain ceremonial practice, which consists of making an infusion with mate leave previously dried and cut, crushed or ground.  Mate produces a stimulating effect due to its caffeine content.  It also possesses cleansing and antioxidant properties.  In some rituals, certain digestive herbs, or herbs that regulate hepatic function are added to the mixture.

According to tradition, place the beverage in a small gourd (called porongo), in which you also place a metal straw, or bombilla.  It is drank warm.

Where can I find Yerba Mate?

This herb was first used by the Guarani natives, and if developed from the leaves of the plant Ilex paraguarensis. You can also buy Yerba Mate on-line

A little bit of history…

Yerba mate was a staple food for Guarani Indians, which called it caá-mate.  The Indians drank mate through bombillas made from small reeds, or chewed the herb on long marches.

The discovery of these properties and the herb’s use was attributed to Hernande Arias de Saavedra, in 1592.  Story has it that he found small leather sacks that the Indians carried their most prized possessions in.  In it was a powder wrapped in skins that was finally called “caá”.

The herb’s virtues caused its consumption to spread to the point of creating a very intensely and regularly trafficked product, from its native lands to all of Rio de la Plata.  Later, the Jesuits who had settled in Paraguay towards the beginning of the 17th century, began cultivating it.

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Half a century later, Aime Goujaud, a celebrated French doctor and naturalist, began the first scientific studies of the plant, its uses, and its properties.

What does Yerba Mate taste like?

Mate is bitter due to the tannins it contains, and has a fair amount of caffeine.  Because of its composition, drinking mate carries some good health benefits along with it.

Some properties of Yerba Mate

  • Provides energy
  • Stimulates mental agility
  • Is a diuretic
  • Strengthens the immune system
  • Is an antioxidant (said to prolong life).

References

  1. Gorzalczany S, Filip R, Alonso MR, Miño J, Ferraro GE, Acevedo C. Choleretic effect and intestinal propulsion of ‘maté’ (Ilex paraguariensis) and its substitutes of adulterants. J. Ethnopharmacol, 75(2–3): 291–94, 2001.
  2. Heck, CI, de Mejia, EG. Yerba Mate Tea (Ilex paraguariensis): a comprehensive review on chemistry, health implications, and technological considerations. J Food Sci, 72(9):138-51, 2007.
  3. Lunceford, N, l. Ilex paraguariensis extracts inhibit AGE formation more efficiently than green tea. Fitoterapia. 76(5): 419-27, 2005.
  4. Prediger.RD, Fernandes.MS, Rial.D, Wopereis.S, Pereira.VS, Bosse.TS, Da Silva.CB, Carradore.RS, Machado.MS, Cechinel-Filho.V, Costa-Campos.L. Effects of acute administration of the hydroalcoholic extract of mate tea leaves (Ilex paraguariensis) in animal models of learning and memory. J Ethnopharmacol, 120(3):465-73, 2008.
  5. Schinella, G, Fantinelli, JC, Mosca, SM. Cardioprotective effects of Ilex paraguariensis extract: evidence for a nitric oxide-dependent mechanism. Clin. Nutr. 24(3): 360-6, 2005.
  6. Vera Garcia R, Basualdo I, Peralta I, de Herebia M, Caballero S. Minerals content of Paraguayan yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis, S.H.). Arch Latinoam Nutr., 47 (1):77-80, 1997.

Revised by: Dra. Loredana Lunadei on 07/31/2021 linkedin

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About the author

By Prof. Dr. Luis Ruiz-Garcia, PhD

Specialist in botany and medicinal plants. Professor Doctor at the Polytechnic University of Madrid. He is a passionate nature lover and a plant lover. Since he was a child he was learning the properties and benefits of medicinal plants. Later on, when he entered the university, he chose to study them in depth and then dedicate himself to them professionally. More information on his Linkedin.

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This article is based on contrasted facts, technical reports and scientific studies carried out by expert researchers and doctors in the field. These studies have the endorsement of the prestigious international media in which they were published. References to these studies appear at the end of the text, in a specific section, or marked in brackets such as (1), (2),....

The articles on this website are written by a team of experts in dietetics, nutrition, beauty, emotional well-being and healthy living habits who approach the topics in an objective, impartial and honest way, to offer the different existing points of view on the nutrition and dietetics topics they deal with.
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