Yerba Mate
Name
Yerba Maté, also known as Paraguay tea, Jesuit tea, Missionary tea and South American holly
Latin Name
Ilex paraguariensis
Origin
Maté is a dioecious (has male and female forms) evergreen tree which grows up to 18m in height. It grows wild in Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Brazil, but is most abundant in Paraguay where it is also cultivated.
Cultivated/Parts Used
Leaves dried
History of Use
Traditional popular South American beverage widely used as a nourishing tonic and stimulant.
Tribes and missionaries alike were commonly reported to have gone many weeks or months without food, being nourished solely by Mate with no ill effects other than a little weight loss. Maté is the most popular household drink in Argentina and Paraguay across all social classes, and is more widely drunk than tea, coffee or other herbal preparations. It’s use with a gourd and bombilla make it a sociable drink to share with friends, each person taking a few sips, passing it along and topping up with hot water until there is no longer any taste.
Properties
Alterative, aperient, aromatic, astringent, bitter, diuretic, febrifuge, purgative, stimulant, sudorific.
Nutritional Breakdown
There is the usual array of resins, fibre, volatile oil, and tannins that characterize many plant substances. But then there is the growing list of vitamins and minerals, including carotene, vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2, B complex, riboflavin, nicotinic acid, pantothenic acid, biotin, vitamin C complex, magnesium, calcium, iron, sodium, potassium, manganese, silicon, phosphates, sulphur, hydrochloric acid, chlorophyll, choline, inositol and Matéine. Different assays find different nutrients; there is probably no single assay that has found all of them. There are certainly still other nutrients that have not been identified as yet.
How it works
In terms of its energising qualities Maté contains Matéine which has the same chemical make up as caffeine, but with the molecules arranged in a different way structurally. Mateine has a unique pharmacology and it is unfair to compare it to caffeine. Matéine appears to possess the best combination of xanthine properties possible. For example, like other xanthines, it stimulates the central nervous system, but unlike most, it is not habituating or addicting. Likewise, unlike caffeine, it induces better, not worse, attributes of sleep. It is a mild, not a strong, diuretic, as are many xanthines. It relaxes peripheral blood vessels, thereby reducing blood pressure instead or raising it as do most xanthines. We also know that it improves physical and mental activity without the typical xanthine-induced depressant after effects.
Dr. Jose Martin, Director of the National Institute of Technology in Paraguay, writes, "New research and better technology have shown that while Matéine has a chemical constituency similar to caffeine, the molecular binding is different. Matéine has none of the ill effects of caffeine."
Horacio Conesa, professor at the University of Buenos Aires Medical School, states, "There is not a single medical contraindication for ingesting Maté. Clinical studies show, in fact, that individuals with caffeine sensitivities can ingest Maté without adverse reactions”.
Effects on the Gastrointestinal System
Perhaps the main area of application of Yerba Maté is the gastrointestinal tract. Reported effects range from the immediate improvement in digestion to the ability to repair damaged and diseased gastrointestinal tissues.
Constipation, acute or chronic, can easily be overcome through the use of mate'. Considering the seriousness of this health problem across developed countries, a simple and effective solution such as drinking a pleasant beverage should be a welcome addition to treatment regimens. Maté appears to work mainly by softening the faecal mass, but it also appears to stimulate normal peristalsis to some degree.
Sometimes, haemorrhoidal relief can also be obtained through drinking the tea, since the bowel movement will reduce the pressure on blood vessels caused by the hard stool.
Dieters also use Maté to suppress the appetite, while providing necessary nutrition, energy and improved elimination to compensate for a reduction in ingested calories.
Effects on the Cardiovascular System
Heart ailments of all kinds have been treated and/or prevented through Yerba Maté. It supplies many of the nutrients required by the heart for growth and repair. In addition, it increases the supply of oxygen to the heart, especially during periods of stress or exercise. This prevents the onset of lactic acid build-up and fatigue that occur when cellular oxygen levels fall below a critical point and low-energy producing, anaerobic glycolysis sets in.
Reports of Yerba Maté reducing blood pressure are not uncommon.
Maté is also classed as an alterative. This means it restores healthy functioning of the circulation and lymphatic system, detoxifying the body and promoting healthy tissue growth.
Effects on the Immune System
A consistent observation in most South American literature on Maté is that it increases the immune response capability of the body, stimulating the natural resistance to disease. This also involves a nourishing and strengthening effect on the ill person, both during the course of the illness and during convalescence, sometimes dramatically accelerating recovery times.
Exact mechanisms of action have not been worked out, but they must certainly involve both a direct antimicrobial action against certain infectious organisms, and a general non-specific effect on overall resistance. The nutritional content of the plant probably plays a major role here, but it is also probable that other constituents contribute to the action by stimulating the production and activity of white blood cells.
Effects on the Nervous System
Better than any other xanthine alkaloid, Maté has the ability to quicken the mind, increase mental alertness and acuity, and do it without any side effects such as nervousness and jitters. These observations have been made time and time again by qualified medical experts as well as by the user.
The effects of Maté on the nervous system are varied and not very well understood. The best guess is that it acts like a tonic, stimulating a weakened and depressed nervous system, and calming an overexcited one. Certainly the nutritional value of the plant cannot be overlooked as a possible substrate for improved health and function. Our knowledge of Maté effects are currently limited almost exclusively to observations on gross changes in behaviour such as an increase in energy and vitality, better ability to concentrate, less nervousness, agitation and anxiety, and increased resistance to both physical and mental fatigue.
One consistent observation is the improvement in mood, especially 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.
Reported improvements in memory have not been substantiated experimentally or clinically, but are logical, and may again be attributed to the nutrients, especially choline.
One of the remarkable aspects of Maté is that it does not interfere with sleep cycles, in fact, it has a tendency to balance the cycles, inducing more REM sleep when necessary, or increasing the amount of time spent in delta states. Many people report that they require less sleep when using Maté; usually such an experience is accompanied by a deeper, more relaxing sleep.
The non-addicting nature of mate' makes it an ideal substitute for people who are trying to kick the caffeine habit.
Effects on the Endocrine/Metabolic Systems
Maté has long been known to prevent and reduce fatigue. The most logical mechanism of action at this time seems to be a direct stimulating effect on metabolism in muscle cells.
Additionally, there is growing clinical evidence that Maté stimulates the adrenal glands to produce corticosteroids. This mechanism of action may account for the commonly observed action of Maté to decrease the severity and incidence of allergy and hay fever.
The adreno-cortical action may help explain reported cases of hypoglycaemic patients responding to Maté. It is possible that Maté, by stimulating the adrenal cortex to secrete gluco-corticoids, helps balance blood glucose levels. Similarly, it may also stimulate the production of mineral corticoids, thereby helping to regulate electrolyte metabolism.
Maté reduces the effects of stress on the body; this property probably involves a combination of effects on the endocrine system, the nervous system and the immune system, but is one of the most important of the herb's actions.
Miscellaneous Uses
Alcohol Substitute
One finds frequent reference to this property of Maté in South American literature on herbal medicine. Apparently, alcoholics find the ingestion of Yerba Maté a pleasant substitute for liquor. The detoxification action of Maté must certainly play a role here. The rapid regeneration of liver tissue and the observable increase in vigour, clarity of thought and health must all be involved in the effectiveness of Maté for this condition.
Degenerative Conditions
Related to its amazing nutritive value are the frequent applications of Maté to overcome the debilitating effects of neurasthenia, rheumatism, diabetes and senility. The special constellation of nutritive effects of Maté can sometimes be seen in a reduction or reversal of some signs of aging, including wrinkles, amount of time spent in convalescence and mood swings.
The combined effect of Maté on the nervous and cardiovascular system helps account for its ability to relieve various kinds of pain in the area of the skull.
Diuretic
There is no doubt that Maté can induce diuresis. But the effect seems to be tonic in nature, i.e., it only kicks in when you need it. This is good, because we wouldn't want to have our bodies continually trying to divest itself of intracellular water.
Hair Colour
It is felt by some Maté aficionados that use of the herb helps maintain a youthful hair colour. Admittedly far out, this claim may nevertheless contain a rudiment of validity to the degree that proper nutrition or the proper mix of nutrients might contribute to such a phenomenon.
Sexual Performance
Improvements in this rather subjective domain have been reported. Just how valid such reports are, even if truly believed by the participants, cannot be determined without considerable clinical research. Should Maté be proved to have a stimulating effect on the adrenal glands (which appears very likely), one could expect some effect on the production and regulation of androgenic hormones, with a resulting effect of some kind on sexuality.
Contraindications/Interactions
Yerba Maté has been reported to have MAO-inhibitor activity in one in vitro study. Those persons taking MAO-inhibitor drugs should use Yerba Maté with caution to monitor these possible effects.
Do not use when pregnant or breastfeeding.
Instructions For Use/Dosages
For therapeutic purposes drink anything up to 2-3 cups per day for 4-5 days. Another approach is to steep about two tablespoons for 4-5 minutes in 16-32 ounces of water, and drink this daily, first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Dieters drink one cup of tea 10-15 minutes before meals.
How to prepare a traditional Maté infusion
There are many different ways to prepare Maté. This is the traditional method.
• Fill the cup with Maté leaves to the desired level, a traditional cup would be filled up to ¾ of its capacity but for those new to the Yerba it’s best to start with about a ¼ of a cup until you get used to the taste.
• Pour in hot water, not boiling
• Drink (Maté is traditionally drunk with a strainer-straw called bombilla) and replenish the Maté with hot water.
• Repeat until there is no more flavour from the infusion. The repetitive extraction with hot water is the most efficient way of extracting the beneficial properties of the herb.
Some people add honey or herbs & spices (like mint, chamomile, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, or clove). You can also use warm milk instead of water to infuse the Mate.
Although the first taste will be an unusual flavour for newcomers, it is a haunting taste that beckons you back time and time again. It's almost as if the body knows how good Maté is for you and calls out for you to take in more.