Mate Tea
Other Names: Ilex paraguariensis, Yerba Mate Tea, Yerba Mate, Yerba Maté, Maté, Chimarrao, Green Mate, Hervea, Ilex, Jesuit's Brazil Tea, Jesuit's Tea, Maté, Maté Folium, Paraguay Tea, St. Bartholemew's Tea, Thé de Saint Barthélémy, Thé des Jésuites, Thé du Brésil, Thé du Paraguay, Yerbamate, Yerba Mate, Yerba Maté.
Yerba mate, a traditional South American tea. It is prepared from steeping dried leaves of yerba mate (llex paraguariensis, known in Portuguese as erva-mate) in hot water. It is widely touted in the United States as a healthier alternative to coffee and stimulant drinks. It contains caffeine, theophylline and theobromine, stimulant substances found in coffee and tea. In addition, yerba mate contains saponins--natural antioxidants--and 15 different amino acids, according to the Raintree Tropical Plant Database.
Yerba mate, also referred to as mate, is a small evergreen tree in the holly family, native to South America. In recent years, interest in mate tea as a substitute for coffee and with reputed medicinal benefits has led to increased consumption in the west and increased research, some of which has documented the popular claims for weight loss, cholesterol management and cancer prevention, as well as antioxidant activity and blood vessel dilating effects. As with any remedy, consult a qualified health professional before using mate tea.
See also :
Special Precautions of Mate Tea
Yerba mate tea was found to be associated with increased risk for cancer of the esophagus, larynx, and oral cavity, in a 2009 "Pan American Journal of Public Health" study. Consuming mate tea at higher temperatures had an effect along with duration and daily quantity, says the study. Researchers theorize that damage to the lining of the mouth and throat may be a causative factor and noted a synergistic effect of alcohol, tobacco and underlying nutritional deficiencies, as well as poor oral hygiene in combination with consumption of yerba mate tea made with boiling water. A gender disparity was also noted, with women having a 7 times greater risk than men.
- Insomnia : While yerba mate contains less caffeine than coffee, its 30mg per cup is enough to cause insomnia and sleeplessness in some people. It may also cause other familiar caffeine side effects--nervousness, the "jitters" and increased anxiety, according to a fact sheet on yerba mate, published by the U.S. Army Public Health Command.
- Carcinogenic Potential : Long-term use of yerba mate may increase the risk of several types of cancer, especially cancers of the upper digestive and respiratory systems--mouth, laryngeal, esophageal and lung cancers. A population-based study in Brazil found higher rates of head and throat cancers in those who drank yerba mate than in those who didn't, according to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute. In two other studies, researchers found that smokers who are also heavy mate drinkers face a greater risk of lung and bladder cancers than those who don't drink yerba mate. That risk may be heightened by the traditional South American method of preparing mate, explains an article at Caring 4 Cancer, a cancer education and support website often recommended by oncologists.
- Appetite Suppression : Many over-the-counter weight loss supplements contain yerba mate because it suppresses the appetite. France approves its use as an aid for weight loss, and the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia lists weight loss among its indicated uses.
- Digestive and Circulatory System : Like caffeine, yerba mate may cause nausea, digestive upset and vomiting in some people. Yerba mate may also cause heart palpitations, temporarily increased blood pressure and dizziness.
- Synergistic Effects : Yerba mate may increase the effects of other medications that you take, especially stimulant medications and diuretics. It may increase the absorption of aspirin. If you take theophylline, the theophylline in yerba mate could have an additive effect, possibly resulting in toxicity. It may increase the side effects of many common prescription and over the counter medications, so be sure to let your doctor know if you drink yerba mate regularly.
The benefits of Mate Tea are
- Obesity : Rain-tree.com lists weight reduction as one of the reputed benefits of yerba mate. A study on mice in the 2009 "Obesity" supported this popular use for the herb. Obese mice fed yerba mate lost weight and their levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and glucose reverted back to normal levels. Yerba mate affected these parameters at the genetic level, the researchers observed, with gene and protein production for these biomarkers measured to be within normal limits following yerba mate intervention. The researchers conclude that yerba mate possesses potent anti-obesity activity.
- Anti-inflammatory : Animal studies have shown strong evidence of yerba mate as an effective anti-inflammatory in lung inflammation caused by cigarettes, according to an article published in the 2010 "Journal of Ethnopharmacology." Yerba mate contains saponins -- a class of compounds capable of stimulating the immune system, according to Rain-tree.com. These compounds enhance the activity of macrophages--white blood cells that scavenge and clean up pathogens and other foreign bodies. Yerba mate also inactivates a cancer-promoting enzyme known as matrix-metalloproteinase. The researchers conclude that ample support exists to confirm the benefits of yerba mate for certain chronic conditions.
- CholesterolA 2009 "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry" study on the effects of yerba mate on cholesterol levels in humans found that yerba mate tea had a significant cholesterol lowering effect. Participants were given 330 mL, 3 times/day, of green or roasted yerba mate infusions for 40 days. At the end of the study period LDL cholesterol levels were lowered by 8.6 percent and HDL levels had increased by 6.2 percent. Triglyceride levels were unaffected, however. The researchers conclude that consumption of yerba mate may play a part in lowering risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
- Anti-aging : Active constituents of yerba mate known as dicaffeoylquinic acid derivatives and flavonoids have the ability to inhibit an enzyme that breaks down elastin, the fibrous protein that gives connective tissues their elasticity, according to a study in the 2009 "Archives of Pharmaceutical Research." Of 18 compounds tested, 7 had inhibitory activity against the enzyme, known as human neutrophil elastase. The results are promising for the role of yerba mate tea in the prevention of aging effects on skin and other connective tissues such as joints and blood vessels.
- Chlorophyll-benefits
- Cancer : Although there has been some concern that an overconsumption of extremely hot Yerba mate tea may increase the risk of esophageal and other forms cancer, this is linked to the behavior in some cultures where it is consumed at exceedingly hot temperatures 5 or more times each day. The good news is that Yerba mate contains more cancer-fighting flavonoids than green or black tea and when it is consumed safety, it can help prevent cancer. Scientists have identified high levels of compounds in brewed teas called catechin flavonoids, which possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anticarcinogenic effects. Both green and black tea have been found to have cancer preventive properties in animal studies. A study published in Biochemical And Molecular Biology International concluded that the water extracts of yerba mate “were more potent antioxidants than vitamin C.”
Main Combinations
- Overweight, fat accumulation : Cocoa beans + orthosiphon + Green Tea (or Mate Tea) + Green Coffee
- Excessive food : Green Coffee + Konjac + Mate
