Yerba Mate Profile
Also known as- Ilex paraguariensis, and Mate
Introduction
Yerba mate is the dried leaves and stems of a South American rainforest holly, and is the national beverage of Paraguay. The term mate is a Guarani Indian word for gourd, referring to the hollowed out gourds once used to hole the tea. In traditional use of yerba mate, the tea cup is often shared among close friends and family, all of whom use thee same straw, or bombilla. Sharing the same straw is considered a sign of total acceptance and friendship. Yerba Mate is one of the worlds most effective and healing beverages with over 196 active compounds which shadows the active compounds found in Green tea (Camellia sinensis) which has about 144.
Constituents
Tannins, antioxidants, polyphenols, amino acids, saponins, vitamins and flavonoids.
Parts Used
Dried leaves and leaf fragments, mixtures frequently include flowers.
Typical Preparations
Traditionally used as a tea, and sometimes available in tea bags, though less effective as such.
Combined with damiana and guarana or with green tea and Cambogia garcinia fruit in ephedra-free weight loss teas.
Summary
Yerba mate is diuretic, inotropic (increasing the strength of each heartbeat), chronotropic (making the heart beat faster), glycogenolytic (breaking down stored glycogen in the liver, allowing it to store calories from the next meal), lipolytic (breaking down fats), and analeptic (stimulating the central nervous system).
Yerba mate assists weight loss by increasing the transit time of food through the digestive tract, helping users feel fuller, longer. The British Herbal Compendium also recommends Yerba mate for treating fatigue and headache.
Shade grown Yerba mate is far more nutritious and tasty compared to sun grown Yerba mate. One can see the difference just by looking at the color of the dried material. Shade grown Yerba mate is a bold dark green and has a nice heavy taste. Sun grown Yerba mate is pale is color (a little like dried hay) and has a relatively flat taste.
