Primary Key Points
Mental Functions: Yerba Mate contains moderate caffeine levels, enhancing mood, memory, and alertness. It stimulates neurons and promotes brain activity, improving focus and productivity.
Cardiovascular Health: Yerba Mate can reduce cholesterol levels and improve cardiovascular health.
Bone Density: Yerba Mate increases bone density, even in those who don't exercise.
Oxidative Stress Prevention: Rich in polyphenols, Yerba Mate has powerful antioxidant properties that protect cells from oxidative stress and support overall health.
Weight Management: Yerba Mate helps with weight management by boosting metabolism, reducing body fat, and aiding in fat loss when combined with exercise.
What Is Yerba Mate?
Consumed for hundreds of years by the Guarani Indians of Paraguay, Yerba Mate herbal tea has become popular as a natural and safe alternative to coffee.
Yerba Mate’s dried leaves are ground and brewed in hot water, traditionally using a dried gourd and a metal straw. A French coffee press can also strain the Mate dried leaves. Mate can also be found packed as tea bags.
Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) is a plant that originates from the subtropical region of South America. It is common in the South of Brazil, North of Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It has been consumed as a social drink and tea or supplement. (1)
When Gauchos - South American “cowboys” - rode across the country on long journeys, Yerba Mate was their lifeline, providing vitamins and minerals.
Like coffee and other teas, Yerba Mate stimulates the nervous system and is commonly consumed as an energy booster.
Other benefits include cardiovascular benefits, stimulation of the central nervous system, cholesterol-lowering effects, antioxidant properties, anti-cancer properties, anti-inflammatory properties, anti-gestational diabetes, and anti-obesity properties. (2)
Why is it healthy?
Yerba mate contains many compounds that are beneficial to health. (3) These compounds include:
Vitamins
Such as A, C, E, B1, B2, Niacin (B3), B5, B Complex, and Vitamin C Complex.
Polyphenols and Antioxidants
Yerba Mate has a high concentration of polyphenols. They act similarly to the body’s 293 natural antioxidant enzymes and may potently support the body’s systems.
Minerals
Such as aluminum, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, nickel, potassium, and zinc.
Saponins
Saponins are anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting compounds. They’re responsible for Mate’s bitter taste and foamy appearance. The saponins are also effective in decreasing lung inflammation associated with cigarettes.
5 Surprising Benefits of Yerba Mate
1. Yerba Mate and mental functions
Who among us doesn’t want to be more productive and focused? Mate contains a moderate amount of caffeine (sometimes called “Matina”) known to enhance mood, memory, and alertness. (4)
Mate stimulates neurons and promotes brain activity, conscious awareness, memory, and reasoning. It also contains xanthines, theobromine, and theophylline, whose relaxing effects help regulate all body systems.
2. Yerba Mate and cardiovascular health
Many studies have shown that Yerba Mate improves cardiovascular health by reducing cholesterol levels between 15% and 18%, which can prevent diseases such as arteriosclerosis.
Also, it may benefit those with high blood pressure because it has a slight hypotensive and vasodilating effect. This is because Yerba Mate boosts the activity of cardio-protective enzymes called saponins, which contribute to the body’s ability to lower LDL cholesterol, known as “bad cholesterol”, much faster than usual.
In turn, saponins increase HDL cholesterol, known as “good cholesterol”, preventing cardiovascular diseases. (5)
The body needs cholesterol to form healthy cells. But when too much cholesterol circulates in the blood, it becomes oxidized. It builds into fatty deposits that clog the arteries, increasing the risk of certain diseases such as arteriosclerosis and other cardiovascular conditions.
The antioxidant power of polyphenols and the action of vitamin C, magnesium, and manganese in Yerba Mate reduce cholesterol oxidation and prevent its accumulation in the arteries. Yerba mate also acts as a hypotensive vasodilator agent and contributes to cardiovascular health.
3. Yerba Mate and bone density
One of Mate's remarkable and surprising benefits is that it increases bone density even in people who don’t exercise.
Throughout four years, a study compared 146 postmenopausal women who drank at least one liter of mate a day with 146 non-drinkers. The result showed a 9.7% higher bone density in the lower back and a 6.2% higher bone density in the hip region. (6)
4. Yerba Mate and oxidative stress
Yerba Mate helps prevent oxidative stress, which, when present, greatly diminishes the body’s biological ability to react against disease.
Mate contains a high number of polyphenols, which have antioxidant properties. Antioxidants are responsible for neutralizing harmful, disease-causing molecules known as free radicals.
Scientists have found that the antioxidant properties of Yerba Mate can protect from anemia. Because it helps protect red blood cell membranes from destruction. (7)
5. Yerba Mate and weight management
Mate helps prevent weight gain by preventing fluid retention and eliminating toxins. It also boosts metabolism and helps you burn more calories, especially when combined with exercise.
Consuming Yerba mate (3 grams/day for 12 weeks) reduced body fat mass, body fat percentage, and fat around the hips of 30 obese participants with no side effects. (8)
Consuming Yerba Mate before exercise helps with fat loss and increases energy metabolism. (9)
Yerba Mate's side effects
While yerba mate is typically safe for most to consume, it does contain caffeine, which can cause issues for those who are more sensitive to it.
Pregnant women should not have more than 3 cups of yerba mate tea daily. (10)
Conclusion
Yerba Mate is one of the healthiest herbal teas, rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
It provides a caffeinated boost without jitters. It can also increase short-term memory and protect the brain from oxidative damage.
It naturally provides lasting physical and mental energy. It increases metabolism, elevates mood, reduces fatigue, improves cardiovascular health, and counters the health effects of obesity.
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FAQ
How does Yerba Mate improve mental functions?
Yerba Mate contains caffeine, which enhances mood, memory, and alertness. It stimulates neurons and promotes brain activity, helping improve focus and cognitive function.
Can Yerba Mate help with cardiovascular health?
Yes, Yerba Mate has been shown to reduce LDL ("bad") cholesterol and increase HDL ("good") cholesterol, improving cardiovascular health and helping prevent heart diseases.
Does Yerba Mate affect bone density?
Studies suggest that Yerba Mate can increase bone density, even in people who don't exercise. Research has shown higher bone density in Yerba Mate drinkers compared to non-drinkers.
Is Yerba Mate good for weight management?
Yes, Yerba Mate helps boost metabolism, reduce body fat, and support fat loss, especially when combined with exercise. It also helps prevent fluid retention and eliminate toxins.
Are there any side effects of Yerba Mate?
Yerba Mate is generally safe, but it contains caffeine, which can cause issues for those sensitive to it. Pregnant women should limit their intake to 3 cups daily.
Resources
(4)Understanding caffeine: A biobehavioral analysis. - PsycNET (apa.org)