In fact, human studies so far have sounded a note of caution for avid mate drinkers.
He adds that effects seen in lab dishes and animals rarely hold up in human clinical trials. We can’t rely on consumption of antioxidants as a safe way to prevent cancer” or other diseases. For one thing, he says, “high antioxidant content doesn’t always translate into a health benefit. In lab rats, the tea improves the flow of blood through blood vessels and reduces fat accumulation.īut Yeung, who also manages Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center’s “About Herbs, Botanicals & Other Products” website, cautions against drawing conclusions from such studies. In test tubes, the herb and its components reduce oxidative stress on heart and liver cells, protect DNA from damage in yeast cells and kill human liver cancer cells. Lab tests have suggested a host of benefits from yerba mate. Studies have suggested that both sets of plant compounds have the potential to reduce risk for heart disease and cancer, but the research on both is far from conclusive.
The two teas have very different arrays of antioxidants: Green tea is rich in epigallocatechin gallate compounds, while yerba mate’s main antioxidant is chlorogenic acid. But that is slightly misleading, says Elvira de Mejia, associate professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The tea does contain a long list of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, including B vitamins and vitamin C manganese, potassium and zinc and the beneficial plant compounds quercetin, theobromine and theophylline.īecause of yerba mate’s high antioxidant content, comparisons to green tea are common (one commercial yerba mate blend claims to contain 90% more antioxidants than green tea). Simon Yeung, clinical coordinator and research pharmacist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. If that is true, it could be because yerba mate contains about 80 milligrams of caffeine per cup - almost twice the amount in black tea but less than half that of coffee, which usually contains 100 to more than 200 milligrams per cup.īut scientists disagree about the bottom line on yerba mate, says K. A small but growing number of companies, however, sell the loose or bagged tea leaves, and some are now offering cold bottled blends of the tea.Īds, Web chatter and positive press promote yerba mate’s clean buzz - a caffeine high without the shakes and “crash” that sometimes follows. In the U.S., the tea is rarely served in gourds (although a few upscale tea lounges preserve the tradition).
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