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YERBA MATE: THE PLANT AND ITS BENEFITS
Yerba Mate is the common name of Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil., a widely cultivated tree belonging to the family Aquifoliaceae, native from Paraguay, Brazil and other South American countries.
The legend tells that the Guarani Indian tribes were a stable, God-fearing people who worked the land and became excellent craftsmen. They looked forward to the coming of a tall, fair-skinned, blue eyed, bearded god who, according to the legend, descended from the skies and expressed his pleasure with the Guarani. He brought religious knowledge and imparted to them certain agricultural practices to be of benefit during times of drought and pestilence as well as on a day-to-day basis. He unlocked the secrets of health and medicine and revealed the healing qualities of native plants. One of the most important of these secrets was how to harvest and to prepare the leaves of Yerba Mate tree. The Mate beverage was meant to ensure health, vitality and longevity.
Yerba Mate became the most common ingredient in household cures of the Guarani, and remains so to these days. As a current practice in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, Yerba Mate tea is made from the leaves steeped in hot water. Actually, a large quantity of grounded leaves is first soaked in cold water, then the hot water is added, over and over again, until all the healthy substances have been extracted.
Yerba Mate is an evergreen tree up to 20 meters tall, with pale bark and an oblong-oval crown. The leaves have been used for a long time as healthy beverage and to prevent diseases, by local inhabitants.
The leaves are consumed as water infusions, either green or roasted. The taste is astringent and bitter, while the odor is characteristic and aromatic. When green, this infusion is called “chimarrão” or “tererê”, in different regions; when roasted, it is consumed as tea. These infusions are considered stimulating, diuretic and tonic.
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND NUTRITIONAL PROPERTIES
Among its chemical constituents there are purine alkaloids, triterpenic saponines, glycosides, organic acids, flavonoids and several mineral salts.
As main alkaloid component, caffeine is present in Yerba Mate in contents that range from 0,5 to 2,0%. The other purine alkaloids, theophylline and theobromine, appear in concentrations around 0,3 to 0,5%.
Rutin, isoquercitrin and kaempferol glycosides appear as main flavonoids, and among the organic acids there are cafeic acid derivatives, as clorogenic, neoclorogenic and cryptoclorogenic acids.
An important class of constituents is the group of polyphenols. These substances have well-know actions as anti-oxidants and against free radicals. Green leaves of Yerba Mate contain around 5 – 7% of polyphenols, while roasted leaves contain around 3 – 4%. The polyphenols are soluble in water, have no color and they are responsible for the astringent taste of Yerba Mate.
Regarding the nutritional properties, a study group from the Pasteur Institute and the Paris Scientific Society concluded that Yerba Mate contains practically all the vitamins necessary to sustain life! Yerba Mate contains a wide variety of essential nutrients, and it is easily capable of eliminating the sensation of hunger, and sometimes is used as substitute of such important foods as bread or vegetables.
The nutritional composition of Yerba Mate varies according to the age of the plant and the leaves, type of soil and quantity of light. In average, this composition is as shown in the following tables:
TABLE 1: Average Nutritional Composition of 100g of Yerba Mate.
Component |
Average content in 100g of Yerba Mate |
Moisture (%) |
8.2 |
Proteins (g) |
10.9 |
Carbohydrates (g) |
12.0 |
Starch (g) |
4.5 |
Glucose (g) |
3.8 |
Fiber |
17.0 |
TABLE 2: Average Mineral Composition of 100g of Yerba Mate.
Mineral Component |
Average content in 100g of Yerba Mate |
Ash (%) |
6.90 |
Chlorine (g) |
0.11 |
Phosphorous (g) |
0.12 |
Magnesium (g) |
0.34 |
Potassium (g) |
1.35 |
Sodium (mg) |
2.00 |
Iron (mg) |
60.00 |
Cuprum (mg) |
1.26 |
TABLE 3: Average Vitaminic Composition of 100g of Yerba Mate
Vitamin Component |
Average content in 100g of Yerba Mate |
Vitamin A (I.U.) |
2.1 |
Vitamin C (mg) |
12.0 |
Tiamine (g) |
223.0 |
Riboflavin (mg) |
405.0 |
GASTROINTESTINAL PROPERTIES
Yerba Mate reported effects range from the immediate improvement of digestion to the ability to repair damaged gastrointestinal tissues.
ACTIONS IN NERVOUS SYSTEM
The compounds of Yerba Mate have the ability to quicken the mind, increase mental alertness and acuity, without the side effects such as nervousness. It acts as a tonic, stimulating the nervous system and promoting an increase in energy and vitality, making better the ability to concentrate, lowering the nervousness, agitation and anxiety and increasing resistance to both physical and mental fatigue.
One consistent observation is the improvement of mood, specially in depression, that follows the ingestion of the tea. This may be a direct result, or it may be an indirect result of increased energy.
The stimulating action of Yerba Mate is longer than the action of coffee, with the advantage of no side effects as irritability and insomnia. Being a whole-body tonic, Yerba Mate does not interfere with sleep cycles. In fact, it increases the amount of time spent in “delta states” (deep sleep). Even consumed all day long, Yerba Mate continues to promote balance in the body without over stimulating any system.
CARDIOVASCULAR EFFECTS
Yerba Mate supplies many of the nutrients required by the heart for growth and repair. It also increases the supply of oxygen to the heart, specially during periods of stress or exercise. For this reason, many heart ailments of all kinds have been treated or prevented through the use of Yerba Mate.
Yerba Mate also belongs to a class of herbal medicines called “alteratives”. That is, it seems to be continually striving to rid the blood of waste materials and miscelaneous toxins.
IMMUNE SYSTEM EFFECTS
A consistent observation in Yerba Mate is that it increases the immune response capability of the body, stimulating the natural resistance to disease. The nutritional content of the plant probably plays a major role to this action, but it is also probable that other constituents contribute to the action by stimulating the production and activity of white blood cells.
ENDOCRINE / METABOLIC PROPERTIES
There are some clinical evidences that Yerba Mate stimulates the adrenal glands to produce corticosteroids. This mechanism of action may account for the commonly observed action of Yerba Mate to decrease the severity and incidence of allergies and high fever. This adrenocortical action may also help to explain the reported cases in which Yerba Mate helps balance the blood levels of glucose.
Other researches have shown that Yerba Mate extract also retards the development of hyperglycemia in mice, suggesting the presence of potentially useful antidiabetic agents in Yerba Mate. It also has a thermogenic effect in healthy individuals, indicating a rise in the proportion of fat oxidized, being useful as a weight loss aid.
REFERENCES
ALIKARIDIS, F. Natural Constituents of Ilex Species. J Ethnopharmacology 20(20), 121-144, 1987
EASTERLING, J. Traditional Uses of Rainforest Botanicals. 1994.
FOSSATI, C. On the Virtue and Therapeutic Properties of "Yerba-Mate" (Ilex paraguayensis or paraguariensis St. Hilaire 1838) Clin Ter 78(3), 265-272, 1976.
GUGLIUCCI, A. Antioxidant effects of Ilex paraguariensis: Introduction of decreased Oxidability of Human LDL in Vivo. Biochem Biophys Res Commum. 224(2), 338-344, 1996
GUPTA, M.P. 270 Plantas Medicinales Iberoamericanas. Bogotá: Andres Bello, 1995.
MARTINET, A.; HOSTETTMANN, K.; SCHUTZ, Y. Thermogenic Effects of Commercially Available Plant Preparations Aimed at Treating Human Obesity. Phytomedicine. 6(4), 231-238, 1999.
MOWREY, D.B. Herbal Tonic Therapies. Keats Publishing, 1993.
PDR for Herbal Medicines. 2nd ed. New Jersey: Medical Economics Company, 2000.
SANZ, T. Mineral Elements in Mate Herb (Ilex paraguariensis St. H.). Arch Latinoam Nutr. 41(3), 441-454, 1991.
SCHINELLA, G.R. et. al. Antioxidant effects of an aqueous extract of Ilex paraguariensis. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 269(2), 357-360, 2000.
TYLER, V.E. Herbs of Choice: The Therapeutic use of Phytomedicinals. Haworth Press, 1994.
YERBALATINA OFFERS
REGULAR GREEN YERBA MATE
REGULAR ROASTED YERBA MATE
ORGANIC GREEN YERBA MATE
ORGANIC ROASTED YERBA MATE
YERBA MATE POWDER EXTRACT SOLUBLE 4%, 6%, 8% CAFFEINE
YERBA MATE POWDER EXTRACT INSOLUBLE 4%, 6%, 8% CAFFEINE
YERBA MATE POWDER EXTRACT SOLUBLE 17% POLYPHENOLS
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