In Argentina, Paraguay but also in the rest of South America, mate is a national drink and very popular among the population. In Europe, mate tea is also a popular slimming drink. This is because mate, as a tea preparation from the leaves, relieves cravings and stimulates the metabolism.
Occurrence and cultivation of mate
In the vernacular are also called Paraguay tea or yerba mate. Mate is a so-called shrub and native to the Araucaria forests of South America. The mate tree is evergreen and can reach heights of up to 14 meters. However, this is only true in the wild, as cultivated mate trees usually remain below 10 meters. Botanists still have no explanation for this phenomenon, despite the best soil conditions and fertilization. The leaves of the mate tree are about 20 centimeters long, roundish-oval in shape and with a distinctly notched edge. The flowers of the mate tree are white, their growth occurs in clusters of about 50 individual flowers. Later, the typical red mate fruits develop from these flowers. Mate is the English name of the tree, which has also become established in Europe. The botanical name is Ilex paraguariensis. In the vernacular, the names Paraguay tea or Yerba mate are also used. Like black or green tea, mate also contains a not inconsiderable amount of caffeine, which in a tea preparation is called teein. However, mate tea contains significantly less caffeine than these other teas.
Effect and application
The mode of action of preparations from mate is explained by the wide variety of ingredients, which in their entirety are responsible for the pharmacological effect. A lot of effective individual substances have already been isolated from mate, including, in addition to caffeine, theobromine, essential oil, tannic acid, chlorophyll, vanillin, various vitamins, inositol, trigonelline, and ursolic acid. The latter two are also responsible for the typical fine tart mate tea flavor. Although it is an evergreen plant, the collection period is limited to the period between May and September. The tea preparation from mate can be enjoyed hot or cold. The tasty tea is considered both a refreshing drink and a remedy for a variety of ailments and diseases. Side effects of the tea preparation from the leaves are practically unknown due to the high digestibility, unless there was an overdose of the drink. The then occurring undesirable phenomena such as anxiety, restlessness, trembling or palpitations are exclusively due to excessive caffeine intake. Leaves of mate are commercially available as finished medicines, there is no prescription requirement. Consumers can choose between the unroasted and roasted leaves of the mate shrub. There is no difference in effect, only in taste. In terms of taste, tea preparations made from the roasted leaves resemble black tea, while tea made from unroasted mate leaves has a taste reminiscent of green tea. However, more than 3 grams of mate leaves should not be consumed per day. For preparation, 2 teaspoons of the dried leaves are poured over boiling, low-cal water, the infusion time is 5 to 10 minutes. Analogous to black tea, the stimulating effect is significantly higher with short infusion times. Recent studies have detected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in mate. Mate tea should therefore not be consumed permanently or in too high concentrations.
Health significance, treatment, and prevention.
Mate has high health significance as a folk remedy. As a stimulant of the metabolism, mate is particularly helpful for weight loss, because some of the ingredients curb the feeling of hunger. Especially in case of cravings, a cup of mate tea can be very helpful to better control one’s eating behavior. The main application of mate tea is therefore overweight and obesity (adiposity). Caffeine and theobromine increase strength and beating function of the heart and stimulate the central nervous system. A cell protection factor comes from ingredients that have the potential to scavenge so-called free radicals. This antioxidant and germicidal effect also benefits patients with a tendency to infections of the descending urinary tract. After drinking mate tea as a flushing therapy, the complaints usually subside quickly. Also rheumatic diseases, depression, inflammations, fever or skin irritations respond well to the effect of mate.Scientific evidence on the effectiveness is also already available. Pregnant women, as well as children and adolescents should not drink mate tea, because for these age groups there are still no verified studies that safely exclude a harmlessness. Other contraindications are high blood pressure, stomach ulcers, cardiac arrhythmia or hyperthyroidism. This is because drinking mate tea could aggravate the symptoms of these medical conditions. Mate tea is also used preventively for gout, because it has a uric acid excreting effect, even already manifested gout attacks can be mitigated by the consumption of mate tea in duration and intensity. Prophylactically, the effect of mate tea has been shown to be helpful in gastrointestinal disorders. The mechanism of action is still unknown, but it is believed that certain ingredients in the tea preparation have a mucosal protective effect. This would also explain the healing and analgesic effects of mate tea on gastric and duodenal ulcers. Another theory is that mate tea neutralizes excess stomach acid, which in turn would explain its effect on heartburn. It is recommended never to enjoy mate tea on an empty stomach, but always after a meal. The tea can be drunk hot, but also after complete cooling. In the prepared tea infusion, the valuable ingredients remain almost unchanged even up to 48 hours. Those who take mate tea for a long period of time should inform their doctor.
