Medicinal Properties of Yerba Mate

Yerba Mate, the hot, new beverage, is said to contain many medicinal properties. It has a long history as a medicinal herb utilised for everything from increasing immunity and purifying the blood to minimizing stress and fighting insomnia. Throughout South America, yerba mate is utilised as a tonic, diuretic, and as a stimulant to reduce fatigue, curb the appetite, and helps with gastric functions. In Brazil, yerba mate is believed to stimulate the nervous and muscular systems and is used for digestive problems, renal colic, nerve pain, depression, fatigue, and obesity.

In addition, Guarani Indians have relied on the beverage for years as a main component of their diet. They believe it is good for boosting immunity, detoxifying the body, lowering blood pressure, toning the nervous system, controlling appetite, curing insomnia, retarding aging, reducing fever.

Some of these claims have now been backed up by scientific research.

In 2005, Researchers at the University of Illinois found yerba mate to be "rich in phenolic constituents" and in addition, was found to "inhibit oral cancer cell proliferation". Another study, published in Mutation Research in 2004, discovered that Yerba mate's antioxidant content, which is similar with green tea's, makes it a potentially powerful preventive against cancer.

An additional study published in June 2001 in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, states that yerba mate also appears to slow digestion and speeds up metabolism, which may aid in weight loss.

Yerba Mate has also been found to be thermogenic, which means that this herb encourages the body to burn calories as evidenced in a study conducted by the University of Lausanne, Switzerland in 1999. The participants of that study showed an increase in the amount of fat their bodies burned for energy.