Key points
- Yerba is an antioxidant-rich traditional beverage from South America
- Research demonstrates benefits for body fat loss, improvements in blood lipids, and markers of metabolic syndrome
- Like tea and coffee, it might also be neuroprotective
- Yerba improves HDL, an effect not seen from green tea
- Overall, yerba mate is a safe, non-toxic, antioxidant-rich drink likely to be of similar benefit to health as other similar beverages like tea and coffee
Yerba mate is a traditional South American drink made from yerba (loosely meaning ‘herb’ and referring to the plant Ilex paraguariensis) and typically consumed from a hollowed-out gourd (a maté) through a metal straw.
I travelled through South America for some time in the mid-2000s and spent about 4 months in Argentina and Uruguay where Yerba Mate were practically the national pastimes! While the locals drank the brew far too strong for me, I did end up, during my time in Argentina becoming a regular Yerba Mate consumer. Despite having used it a lot then and carrying on the habit for some time after returning to Aotearoa, I had never really investigated the evidence behind the health benefits of yerba apart from a general understanding that it is a high antioxidant drink with similar benefits to tea and coffee.
Yerba contains caffeine and other xanthines, polyphenols and flavonoids (such as quercetin), and saponins and cinnamic compounds.1
Overall health benefits of yerba mate might include1:
- Increased antioxidant capacity
- Increased fat loss
- Reduced cancer activity
Body fat loss
In a randomised controlled trial of people with obesity, 12 weeks of yerba mate supplementation resulted in a significant reduction in body fat compared to control.2
Cardiovascular health
Yerba mate tea (5 g/day for 6 weeks) improved microcirculation and blood viscosity compared to placebo.3 Consumption of more than 1 litre of yerba mate tea per day was associated with a significantly reduced risk of coronary disease, dyslipidaemia, and hypertension.4 Yerba mate supplementation has also resulted in increases in HDL and antioxidant markers not seen with green tea supplementation.5 Additionally, habitual yerba mate use does not appear to affect heart rate or cardiac arrhythmia.6
Diabetes and metabolic syndrome
Yerba might help to protect against diabetes. In a randomised, controlled, cross-over study, 8 weeks of use (3 servings of yerba mate tea per day) resulted in reduced fasting glucose, insulin, glucagon, and GLP-1.7
Brain health
There is an inverse association (hinting at a protective effect) between regular yerba consumption and Parkinson’s disease similar to that of coffee and tea.8
Bone health
It has been suggested in the research that coffee might increase the risk of fractures and tea reduce them. Yerba mate has been linked to increased bone mineral density and in an analysis from Brazil there was no effect of yerba mate consumption on fracture incidence nor on markers of bone health (total calcium, phosphorus, PTH, vitamin D, P1NP, and CTX).9
Safety
Studies have not demonstrated toxicity from even high consumption of yerba mate (i.e., >1 litre per day). There is an association between higher consumption of yerba mate and oral cancers, but this is similar to the effect on oral cancers also seen from tea and coffee and results from irritation from the hot liquid and not from the drink itself. No association is seen between cold yerba mate and cancer. The effects are also confounded by tobacco smoking, alcohol, and poor oral health.10 Irrespective, there is unlikely to be an increase in risk if yerba mate is consumed at reasonable (not excessively hot) temperatures.
Conclusion
Yerba is a healthy, nutrient-dense drink. It has a long history of traditional use and does not exhibit toxicity at even high levels of consumption. It exhibits similar overall health effects to coffee and tea and might have some benefits to HDL and certain antioxidants not seen to the same extent from these other common beverages.
References
1. Heck CI, De Mejia EG. Yerba Mate Tea (Ilex paraguariensis): A Comprehensive Review on Chemistry, Health Implications, and Technological Considerations. Journal of Food Science. 2007;72(9):R138-R51.
2. Kim S-Y, Oh M-R, Kim M-G, Chae H-J, Chae S-W. Anti-obesity effects of Yerba Mate (Ilex Paraguariensis): a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. BMC complementary and alternative medicine. 2015;15(1):338.
3. Yu S, Yue Sw, Liu Z, Zhang T, Xiang N, Fu H. Yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) improves microcirculation of volunteers with high blood viscosity: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Experimental Gerontology. 2015;62:14-22.
4. Da Veiga D, Bringhenti R, Copes R, Tatsch E, Moresco R, Comim F, et al. Protective effect of yerba mate intake on the cardiovascular system: a post hoc analysis study in postmenopausal women. Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research. 2018;51.
5. Balsan G, Pellanda LC, Sausen G, Galarraga T, Zaffari D, Pontin B, et al. Effect of yerba mate and green tea on paraoxonase and leptin levels in patients affected by overweight or obesity and dyslipidemia: a randomized clinical trial. Nutrition Journal. 2019;18(1):5.
6. Cuesta A, Guigou C, Varela A, Ferrero L, Charlin MC, Lluberas R. Acute effect of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) consumption on heart rhythm in patients referred for Holter study. Archivos de cardiologia de Mexico. 2018;88(5):468-73.
7. Sarria B, Martinez-Lopez S, García-Cordero J, Gonzalez-Ramila S, Mateos R, Bravo L. Yerba mate may prevent diabetes according to a crossover, randomized, controlled study in humans. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. 2020;79(OCE2):E245.
8. Gatto EM, Melcon C, Parisi VL, Bartoloni L, Gonzalez CD. Inverse association between yerba mate consumption and idiopathic Parkinson’s disease. A case–control study. Journal of the Neurological Sciences. 2015;356(1):163-7.
9. da Veiga DTA, Bringhenti R, Bolignon AA, Tatsh E, Moresco RN, Comim FV, et al. The yerba mate intake has a neutral effect on bone: A case–control study in postmenopausal women. Phytotherapy Research. 2018;32(1):58-64.
10. Loria D, Barrios E, Zanetti R. Cancer and yerba mate consumption: a review of possible associations. Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública. 2009;25:530-9.
