Yerba mate: properties, benefits and contraindications

What is mate and where is it taken?

Mate is much more than a simple invigorating infusion: it is a tradition inalienable, a social ritual and a lifestyle. Any Argentine, Uruguayan or Paraguayan that one knows can say wonders about mate, and no matter how little one has traveled to those countries, it will already have been perceived.

But the first thing that would become clear to us is that the correct thing to do is to call “yerba mate” or “mate grass” –and not “mate”– to the plant ilex paraguaiensisfrom which this infusion is obtained.

It’s about a evergreen shrub that can reach 15 meters high, with oval-lanceolate leaves, toothed on their margins, white flowers and spherical red fruits.

grows on hot and humid subtropical environments from Paraguay, southern Brazil (Matogrosso), northern Argentina (Misiones and Corrientes) and Uruguay.

The infusion has a somewhat bitter taste and a clear stimulating effect. Not in vain is it said in Argentina: drink mate and revive, without the accent, of course.

The custom is to take it in company, passing the mate from hand to hand

Properties of yerba mate

Yerba mate contains alkaloids –xanthines, theophylline, caffeine (or matein) and theobromine–, polyphenols, saponins, tannins and ursolic acid.

Provides vitamins C and group B.

It stands out, indeed, for its stimulating power on the central nervous system, and It is indicated against asthenia, melancholy and demotivation.Yerba mate also acts as a diuretic and natural antioxidantand helps combat fluid retention and the constipation.But above all it stands out for its satiating function, as an appetite suppressant. Drinking yerba mate helps to be less hungry, since it has lipolytic and glycogenolytic effects, and acts as a thermogenesis activatorAll this makes it a tool effective for burning calories and fat and allows it to be used as an adjuvant in slimming treatments.

Contraindications of yerba mate

Yerba mate, as is logical, is not recommended at night and is not recommended if you suffer episodes of anxiety, palpitations, arrhythmias, insomnia or hypertension,

It is also not recommended in case of gastritis and gastroduodenal ulcer.

It should not be taken during pregnancynor enter under 16 years old.

How to drink mate

Today it is very easy to find yerba mate of various flavorscombined with citrus (orange, lemon, grapefruit), with cinnamon, with plants such as sage, with milk or coffee or even with brandy. He tereré –from the Guarani tirirú, also referring to the pumpkin–, for its part, is a cold matte very popular in Paraguay and northern Argentina.

In phytotherapy, the dry leaf for infusion, sometimes mixed with other parts of the plant, the pulverized leaf wave tincture. It is also sometimes included in dietary product to lose weight, in ointments and in supplements.

How to prepare the mate

The mate, to be exact, is the container. Initially, the infusion was prepared in an empty gourd (Mate in Quechua means “pumpkin”), but there are wooden, porcelain, metal or leather-lined containers.
The dried and crushed leaves are arranged in them, and hot water is added, which is called “to prime the mate”.
It is usually sucked with the help of a metal tube or bulbwith perforations at the ends.

Advisor: J Mª Teixé, herbalist at “El Manantial de Salud”