Yerba Mate
•Last Updated: September 28 2022
Ilex paraguariensis, also known as yerba mate, is a tea brewed from a plant native to South America. It is a good source of caffeine and contains bioactive compounds like quercetin and ursolic acid.
Yerba Mate is most often used for
Last Updated: September 28 2022
Ilex paraguariensis , commonly called yerba mate, is a flowering tree. Traditionally, its leaves are brewed into a stimulating tea, popular throughout the Middle East and South America.
Yerba mate is marketed for its supposed ability to suppress appetite and burn fat. Evidence suggests its appetite-suppression effect can only be achieved through high doses, if at all. Yerba mate’s fat burning effect is attributed to its caffeine content. It has not been shown to be a more effective fat burner than compounds like green tea catechins, though it can help reverse some of the adverse health effects associated with obesity.
Yerba mate has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. It is able to reduce LDL cholesterol within 20 days of supplementation. Like many supplements derived from plants, it protects the heart and cardiovascular system.
Yerba mate contains a cocktail of xanthines (like caffeine), flavonoids (like quercetin), saponins (like ursolic acid), and cinnamic acid compounds (like chlorogenic acid).
Yerba mate is a healthy tea, but it is not necessarily healthier than other plant-based drinks, like coffee. It does, however, have a unique nutrient composition.
Note that Yerba Mate is also known as:
- Ilex paraguariensis
- Mate plant
- St. Hilaire
- Aquifoliaceae
Studies typically use a dose of 3 cups (330mL each) of yerba mate a day, for up to 60 days.
It’s safe to drink up to 1.5 liters of yerba mate a day, though toxicity has not been shown to occur from higher doses either.
A daily supplemental dose of isolated yerba mate in a powdered supplemental form is between 1,000-1,500mg of yerba mate leaf.
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