Yerba Mate: Health Benefits and More
Diet & NutritionFood & Ingredients

Health Benefits of Yerba Mate

Health Benefits of Yerba Mate
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Published on June 28, 2024
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Yerba mate is an herbal tea steeped in traditional South American culture. It may also offer health benefits.

The slightly astringent tea is made from the leaves and stems of Ilex paraguariensis, an evergreen tree found in South America. The name comes from the Spanish and Quechua languages, and means “herbs from the calabash.” (Calabash is a type of gourd.)

“Yerba mate is most commonly enjoyed in South America as a shared beverage, drunk out of the same specialized straw called a bombilla and a cup or gourd,” says Julia Sarreal, PhD, an associate professor of arts and cultural studies at Arizona State University in Tempe and the author of Yerba Mate: The Drink That Shaped a Nation.

You can drink yerba mate hot or cold, sweetened or unsweetened. “When hot water is used, it's called mate, and when cold water is used, it's called tereré,” Dr. Sarreal says. “Most hard-core enthusiasts drink it amargo, or bitter, but others add sugar or stevia.”

Thanks to its increasing popularity, this tea can easily be found online and at big-box retailers.

5 Potential Health Benefits of Yerba Mate Tea

Besides its status as a traditional South American tea, yerba mate is a beverage with potential health benefits.

1. Reduced Inflammation

Research shows that yerba mate is rich in antioxidants like polyphenols, which are plant compounds that help scrub damaging free radicals out of the body’s cells.

According to Stephen Dahmer, MD, the director of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona in Tucson, polyphenols could help reduce systemic inflammation by combating oxidative stress. Oxidative stress occurs when there aren’t enough antioxidants to neutralize damage from free radicals, which can lead to inflammation and inflammatory conditions such as heart disease and arthritis.

Consider two polyphenols found in yerba mate: saponin and quercetin. Test-tube studies suggest that the antioxidant properties of saponin may play a role in cancer treatment and prevention.

 Meanwhile, quercetin has anti-inflammatory effects, making it a potentially helpful compound in therapies for inflammatory conditions.

 Still, more research is needed to determine whether yerba mate offers anti-inflammatory benefits.

2. Weight Loss Helper

“Some studies suggest that yerba mate might help with weight loss by boosting metabolism, reducing appetite, and increasing fat burning, but the evidence isn't definitive,” says Alyssa Simpson, RDN, who is based in Phoenix and specializes in digestive health.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of 22 clinical trials in people with obesity concluded that yerba mate generally had a positive effect on reducing weight, body mass index, and waist circumference.

In an earlier study in 30 adults with obesity, those who received 3 grams (g) of a yerba mate supplement daily for 12 weeks lost significantly more body fat than those who took a placebo. More research is needed to understand how yerba mate works for weight loss, but the researchers suggest that the antioxidants in yerba mate may help burn fat and prevent fat from accumulating.

Still, yerba mate shouldn’t be used as a replacement for other healthy weight loss strategies. “[Yerba mate] could be worth trying as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle, but it's important not to rely solely on it for significant weight loss,” Simpson says.

3. Increased Alertness and Mental Clarity

Thanks to its caffeine content — about 80 milligrams per cup, which is comparable to the amount found in a cup of coffee — yerba mate can boost alertness and focus.

Dr. Dahmer says that compounds in yerba mate — theobromine, theophylline, and L-theanine (an amino acid) — may also increase alertness and mental clarity.

Theobromine and theophylline work with caffeine as mild stimulants, Dahmer says. They prompt your body to produce more dopamine, a brain chemical and hormone involved in motivation and thinking.

Meanwhile, L-theanine might prevent the caffeine in yerba mate from making you overly jittery.

 “L-theanine promotes relaxed attentiveness by counteracting caffeine's anxiety effects,” Dahmer says.

4. Boosted Exercise Performance

For enhanced athletic performance, you might add yerba mate to your rotation of sports drinks. “Yerba mate improves exercise performance by boosting energy and stamina, thanks to its caffeine content,” says Simpson.

A small study found that trained cyclists who consumed 5 g of yerba mate in capsules daily for five days showed a significant increase in power output during a 30-minute time trial compared with those who took a placebo.

However, studies on yerba mate and exercise often include small groups of participants. More research is needed to determine whether yerba mate offers performance benefits.

If you decide to use yerba mate before exercise, take it 60 minutes before your workout to give your body time to digest. This can help reduce stomach upset during exercise.

 Note that some people may be more sensitive to the effects of caffeine and may want to avoid it before exercise altogether.

5. May Improve Heart Health

In one small study, consuming three servings of yerba mate tea daily for eight weeks lowered total cholesterol, LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood), and blood pressure in people with and without high cholesterol.

“Yerba mate might help lower cholesterol because it has antioxidants that reduce oxidative stress and inflammation,” Simpson explains. “It also contains saponins that block cholesterol absorption

 and compounds like caffeine and theobromine that boost metabolism and fat processing.”

However, most studies on yerba mate and cholesterol are done on small groups of people, and the findings are mixed. For example, the authors of a review and meta-analysis of 13 studies concluded that yerba mate didn’t create a significant change in cholesterol levels and that more research is needed.

Are There Any Risks Linked to Drinking Yerba Mate Tea?

Despite these potential benefits, there are a few potential downsides to drinking yerba mate, too.

Dahmer notes that yerba tea has been linked with an increased risk for cancer, in particular, cancer of the esophagus, larynx, and oral cavity.

 The risk may stem from drinking high amounts of very hot yerba mate tea and using alcohol and tobacco. The tea's hot temperature may damage tissues and accelerate the formation of carcinogens from alcohol and tobacco use.

 Dahmer recommends letting your yerba mate cool to a pleasantly drinkable temperature before sipping.

In addition, yerba mate contains caffeine and should be consumed in moderation. Drinking high amounts of caffeinated beverages like yerba mate can cause side effects like insomnia, nervousness, and increased heart rate, says Simpson. “Individuals sensitive to caffeine or those with heart conditions should also be cautious,” she says.

The Takeaway

Yerba mate is a tea made with the leaves of a South American evergreen tree. The tea may enhance mental focus, improve heart health, promote weight loss, reduce inflammation, and boost workout performance. Yerba mate contains caffeine and should be consumed in moderation.

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Kayli Anderson, RDN

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Kayli Anderson has over a decade of experience in nutrition, culinary education, and lifestyle medicine. She believes that eating well should be simple, pleasurable, and sustainabl...

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