Yerba mate drinks seem to be everywhere these days. What used to be found only in specialty natural food stores is now a common ingredient in many mainstream energy drinks. What is yerba mate and is it safe to drink every day?

What is Yerba Mate?

Yerba mate drink is an herbal tea brewed from the twigs and leaves of a holly plant that is indigenous to South America. It has been a part of many South American cultures for centuries. More recently, the rest of the world has started to discover this uniquely flavored, energy-boosting beverage. With this increased consumption in North America comes questions over whether drinking yerba mate is a healthy choice.

Yerba mate drinks are traditionally made by adding hot water to the yerba mate herbs in a cup made from a gourd. A special straw called a bombilla was used to filter out the leaves and twigs. Yerba mate was meant to be passed around and enjoyed with friends. Once the liquid in the gourd was finished, more hot water was added and the gourd was passed around again.

In modern times, yerba mate drinks are still often enjoyed in a gourd with a bombilla, but not all the time. Yerba mate mugs and bombillas are available in a variety of materials. Consumers can also find yerba mate as an ingredient in many health or energy drinks in mainstream supermarkets.

Benefits of Yerba Mate Drinks

Most people who consume yerba mate drinks know the many health benefits of this tea. The main reason why people love yerba mate is the energy boost they get from each cup. Yerba mate contains more caffeine than green tea, but less than coffee. People love the energy boost of yerba mate because it does not give them the sharp increase of energy followed by a sharp decrease, like coffee does. Yerba mate offers a gentler boost of energy.

Some professional athletes use yerba mate drinks to help improve their sports performance. The energy boost combined with increased mental focus makes it a great pre-training drink. Some Olympic teams have studied the benefits of yerba mate on their athletes’ performance.

Yerba mate drinks also contain high levels of antioxidants, which help to build healthy immune systems and combat the signs of aging. On top of that, studies have shown that yerba mate can help to manage type II diabetes, reduce obesity, and lower the risks of certain diseases, like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Risks of Yerba Mate

Yerba mate drinks also have some drawbacks. Some medications that contain MAOIs (monoamine oxidase inhibitor compounds) like many antidepressants are believed to react negatively with the compounds found in yerba mate drinks. People who take prescription medications should check with their doctors before trying yerba mate.

Yerba mate drinks also contain cancer-causing hydrocarbons, which are the same compounds that are found in burnt food. Ingesting high levels of hydrocarbons is known to cause upper respiratory and digestive tract cancers. Some studies suggest that the amounts of hydrocarbons found in yerba mate drinks is quite low, though, so very large amounts of tea would have to be consumed regularly over a long period of time. People who are most at risk drink many cups of yerba mate drink every day for many, many years.

Drinking high temperature liquids in general, including yerba mate drinks, can cause respiratory and digestive problems. Combining long-term high temperature beverage consumption with tobacco and/or alcohol use further increases the risks of certain types of cancers. One study indicated that high yerba mate consumption could account for one fifth of these types of cancers in South America.

Final Word

Just like with everything in life, moderation is key. Consuming yerba mate in moderation is a good idea. Too much of a good thing is not always great. Restricting consumption of yerba mate drinks to 1 or 2 cups a day, like coffee, is generally thought to be safe.

Though there are studies that link yerba mate drink to cancer, the general consensus is that moderate yerba mate consumption will not cause harm. More thorough studies into the health benefits and health risks of yerba mate drinks will need to be done. In the meantime, people should always check with their doctors before using any medicinal herbs or teas.