Paraguayan mate tea appeared in Russia relatively recently, but is already very popular. The taste of a fragrant tonic drink resembles both tea and coffee at the same time. However, it is not addictive. Mate surpasses green tea in its antioxidant and tonic qualities. And all thanks to the fact that it contains more than 200 vitamins, trace elements and other substances that are beneficial to the human body.
Mate tea is of plant origin, therefore it is a dietary product. 100 grams contains only 5 calories, there are practically no fats and carbohydrates.
Scientists have conducted a number of studies and confirmed that the drink contains substances that benefit the body.
The following table lists the beneficial components of mate tea and their effects on humans:
| Components | Effect on the body |
| Caffeine, mateine, theophylline |
|
| Ursolic acid |
|
| Rutin, Quercetin |
|
| Choline |
|
| Tannin |
|
| beta carotene |
|
| Vitamin C |
|
| Vitamin E |
|
| Vitamin P |
|
| Vitamin B |
|
| Pantothenic acid |
|
| Sodium |
|
| Potassium |
|
| Iron |
|
Thanks to such a rich and varied composition, mate tea has a beneficial effect on the human body as a whole, namely:
Along with numerous beneficial properties, this tonic drink can also harm the body. It contains a large amount of carcinogens that can stimulate the development of malignant tumors. Oral and esophageal cancers are caused by the tradition of drinking mate tea very hot. Because of this, there is a possibility of developing diseases of the bladder.
In the composition of mate, a high content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was found. Therefore, the combination of a large amount of drunk Paraguayan tea with alcohol, tobacco or fried meat has a negative effect on the human body.
This tonic drink has a number of contraindications. So, it can not be used:
The taste and medicinal qualities of the drink depend on how it is brewed.
In special dishes - calabash (otherwise calabash) you need to pour tea leaves - so as to fill 2/3 of the volume. Then shake the vessel and tilt it. This is done so that all the leaves accumulate at one wall. In a free place, you need to install a tube with a filter - a bombilla. After that, you should pour a small amount of warm water with a temperature of 35-40 degrees and wait until the liquid is absorbed. Next, add hot water to the calabash (its temperature should be 70 degrees) to the brim. After a few minutes, the tea is ready to drink.
Mate is an aromatic drink that is not addictive. Paraguayan tea has many medicinal properties and is recommended for use in various diseases. But before that, it is necessary to study and take into account the contraindications and harm that it can cause to health.
The benefits and harms of Mate tea is a topic of interest to everyone who loves delicious and unusual tea drinks. It is curious to know what properties Latin American tea has and how it should be drunk.
An unusual golden-green drink is of Latin American origin - the raw materials for it are the leaves and shoots of the Paraguayan holly. Finding out the history of the origin of Mate is no longer possible for sure - this drink is shrouded in too many legends. However, researchers agree on one thing - for the first time in Europe, Mate tea appeared in the 16th century, and it was brought from South America.
In the 19th century, Paraguayan holly began to be widely cultivated in Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina. Tea has gained unheard of popularity both at home and in countries around the world, true connoisseurs have developed a whole drinking ceremony that maximizes the taste properties of the drink.
Despite the fact that Latin American tea attracts attention with its unusual taste, the main value lies in its beneficial properties. And they are due to the presence of the following components in the composition of tea:
The calorie content of Latin American tea per 100 g is only 2 calories. This is very small, so drinking a healthy drink under no circumstances contributes to weight gain.
The drink has a number of beneficial properties for the body. Specifically, tea
Important! The composition of Mate is similar to green tea, but its tonic properties are milder, since it contains not caffeine, but mateine. Cheerfulness from drinking the drink is not accompanied by tachycardia, and the tonic effect lasts for several hours.
Mate for women lies primarily in the fact that tea helps to lose weight very quickly and without any problems. It starts fat-burning processes in the body, regulates appetite and thus facilitates even the most strict diets. In addition, tea improves mood and restores vigor, which can be beneficial during PMS.
South American tea is considered a strong natural aphrodisiac because it contains a large amount. It also gives strength and increases endurance, which is why it is recommended for use by athletes.
Any drink that raises the tone of the body can be dangerous during childbearing - Mate is no exception here. The properties of tea provoke unnecessary muscle contractions, and they can be harmful and cause miscarriage or premature birth. In addition, when drinking tea, iron is absorbed worse - and this is also harmful for both the mother and the fetus.
Thus, throughout pregnancy, a healthy drink is a potentially risky product - it is better to stop drinking.
In a normal situation, the tonic properties of tea are very useful, but during lactation they can harm the baby. Components that have a stimulating effect on the nervous system will enter the baby's body along with mother's milk - and lead to sleep disturbances in the child.
Until 7 - 8 months of a baby's life, it is not recommended to return the drink to the diet. Later, tea can be consumed again - but not strong and only in the morning.
A drink that stimulates the nervous system is also prohibited for young children. It is forbidden to offer Mata to a child up to 8 years old, and Latin American tea can be given to schoolchildren only in the morning and no more than once a week.
Attention! Since Mate has a number of strict contraindications, it is possible to give an unusual tea to a child only after permission from the pediatrician.
The drink not only stimulates the metabolism, but also drowns out the feeling of acute hunger. These properties of tea make it very beneficial for the diet. True, you can’t drink Mate all the time - you need to take it no more than three times a week. It is best to drink the drink in the morning, but if there are no problems with sleep, then you can drink some tea with dinner to avoid night hunger.
The taste and useful properties of tea largely depend on whether it is brewed correctly. For Mate tea, there is a whole ceremony that fully reveals this drink. First of all, it is recommended to purchase a special teapot. It is called a calabash and looks like a ceramic or metal round vessel with a narrow high neck.
As for the brewing process itself, the algorithm is very different from the traditional one.
Brewing Mate in an ordinary teapot with boiling water is not recommended - this will harm the taste of the drink, it will become bitter. In addition, useful properties will also decrease.
Advice! you can add hot water to the calabash several times in a row. This will not bring harm - on the contrary, gourmets believe that the true taste of tea is revealed only after 3 - 4 brewing.
For the simplest brewing recipe, all you need is calabash, high-quality mate tea and some clean water. The tea leaves are poured into a special teapot, poured into it using a special technology, first with cold and then with hot water, leave for a couple of minutes and drink delicious and healthy tea.
It is the classic recipe that allows you to truly get acquainted with the taste of undiluted Mate and useful properties.
If in hot weather you really want to cheer up, but hot tea does not cause delight, you can make cold Mate. It is brewed very simply - in this case it is not necessary to keep the tea leaves in cold water, they are immediately poured with hot water. But such tea is insisted for a little longer - for 10 minutes.
Then the drink is allowed to cool a little more and ice cubes are added to Mate. Optionally, tea can be flavored with sugar, honey, vanilla.
Healthy South American tea can also be prepared according to the "European" recipe - with the addition of milk. Usually the drink is made like this:
After that, tea with milk is drunk, as usual - with or without sugar.
Tea with the addition of mint and ginger has an excellent warming and fat-burning effect.
A little fragrant mint is added to the finished tea - and they drink Mate, enjoying an even more unusual taste and unconditional benefits.
Latin American tea with the addition of citrus fruits is perfect for the winter season, as it strengthens the immune system. It is very easy to prepare it:
South American tea has an invigorating effect even in the classic version - but if desired, the tonic effect can be enhanced. To do this, pour a teaspoon of Mate and a teaspoon of natural ground coffee into 1 glass of water, and then hold the mixture for a couple for 4 minutes. Ready tea is filtered and drunk as needed.
Important! You can take such a drink no more than twice a month - otherwise Mate will harm the blood vessels and heart.
In order for unusual tea to bring only benefit to the body and not cause harm, it must be consumed according to the rules.
Calabash, intended for brewing Mate, and the bombilla tube are washed regularly so that toxins do not accumulate on them and bacteria do not appear.
Reviews of doctors about the benefits and harms of Mate tea indicate that when drinking the drink, you need to be careful - and take into account your state of health. In some cases, the volume of tea must be reduced, sometimes it is worth completely abandoning the drink.
In the presence of diabetes, the properties of Mate certainly benefit - tea lowers glucose levels. Despite this, it is still impossible to drink it in large quantities - the drink is taken only twice a week, 1 cup in the morning.
Of course, you can not add sugar to the drink - this will harm the body.
With a sharp exacerbation of the disease, Mate is excluded from the diet - up to the onset of the remission phase. After the pain and nausea in pancreatitis subside, it will be possible to drink Mate from time to time - but not hot, but only warm, and no more than once a week.
Mate has choleretic properties, therefore, with cholecystitis, its use will be beneficial. You need to drink tea literally a few sips in the daytime.
But if cholecystitis is accompanied by stones in the gallbladder and ducts, the drink will have to be abandoned. It can contribute to the movement of stones, which, of course, will cause harm.
During an exacerbation of ulcers and gastritis, Mate will have to be excluded from the diet - the properties of tea have an irritating effect on the mucous membranes. During the period of the calm course of the disease, you can drink tea, but you need to brew it weakly - and it is better to drink no more than half a cup once a week.
The benefits and harms of the Mate drink are important not only for internal, but also for external use. Paraguayan holly is actively used in cosmetology - Mate extract is part of skin care products, it is used in SPA procedures. The product has a rejuvenating, tightening and anti-cellulite effect, which is why it is highly valued by women.
At home, you can prepare a scrub that will remove dead skin particles from the skin all over the body, noticeably soften the epidermis and nourish the skin with useful substances. They do it like this:
The effect will be noticeable after the first application, and after several procedures the skin will become much softer and cleaner.
Mate helps to get rid of cellulite - for this you need to carry out useful wraps using Latin American tea a couple of times a week.
After 30 minutes, the mixture is washed off. With regular procedures, cellulite is reduced, and the outlines of the body become more toned.
No matter how great the benefits of South American tea, sometimes its properties can be harmful. Contraindications to the use of Mate are:
Side effects from too frequent drinking of the drink are expressed in sleep problems, tachycardia. There is an opinion that an excess of Mate can lead to the appearance of oncological diseases. Mate is not recommended to be combined with alcohol and smoking.
Useful Mate tea must certainly be of high quality. When buying exotic tea, you need to pay attention to:
The benefits and harms of Mate tea are a matter of competent use of an exotic drink. If you brew Latin American tea rarely and according to all the rules, then it will please you with a bright taste and will benefit your health.
Mate is a herbal drink of South American origin. It has a tonic effect on the body due to the high content of caffeine analogues.
The raw material for the preparation of the drink is the young shoots of the Paraguayan holly plant.
The process of preparing raw materials is very simple - the leaves and young shoots of holly are simply crushed and dried.
It is brewed in a special vessel - , drunk through a special tube with a mouthpiece at the end - “bombilla”. The tube acts as a filter that traps herbal particles.
Mate is an integral part of the culture of Argentina and other South American countries such as Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia, Ecuador and others.
Even before the arrival of the conquistadors in South America, its indigenous inhabitants - the Guarani Indians and the Incas - drank this drink. True, then it had a different name.
The word “mate” was introduced by the Spanish colonialists: this was the name of the vessel made of gourd, in which the drink was prepared.
The Indians considered mate a sacred drink and called it the “elixir of life”. It was believed that mate was given to people by the gods.
At the very beginning of colonization, the Spanish clergy tried to ban the use of the drink, considering it to be the "devil's potion" of the pagans. But sailors and soldiers, having tasted the drink and appreciated its tonic properties, soon began to use it everywhere.
Then the monks began to drink mate, and even monopolized its production. In the 17th century, mate was called the “Jesuit drink” and cost more in Europe than tea or even coffee.
In the 19th century, due to the wars and revolutions that swept South America, the drink was forgotten. Only in the 20th century was it rediscovered by Europeans.
Mate is often referred to as “Paraguayan tea,” although it has little in common with tea, except perhaps a tonic effect.
Mate has a tart sweet taste. The drink contains:
There are several varieties of mate - golden, green and fried. The raw materials are the same for all varieties, the difference lies in the methods of its preparation.
- a ceremonial process that requires certain skills. In Argentina, brewing mate can take up to an hour and a half.
The culture of drinking mate suggests a peaceful state of mind, relaxation. South Americans drink mate for friendly conversations and as a morning tonic.
Argentines cannot imagine life without mate - it is served at parties, diplomatic receptions, business meetings. Refusal of a drink by a guest can be perceived as an insult.
Mate is a symbol of relaxation, communication and harmony.
Mate has a tonic effect on the body, but at the same time it acts more gently than coffee.
As for the positive effect on sleep, many people note that with the constant use of mate, they need less time to fully sleep.
After drinking mate, sleep comes quickly, and a night's rest completely relieves fatigue and stress. The charge of vivacity, which gives the mate, is enough for 8-10 hours.
Mate does not act like coffee on the heart, increasing the heart rate, and is not addictive. This drink can be used to eliminate caffeine addiction.
Based on the mate extract, other tonic and energy drinks are produced, in particular, Club Mate.
The drink has a positive effect on the intestines, helping it to cleanse itself of accumulated toxins and toxins.
It also contributes to the normalization of metabolism. These actions affect weight loss, relieving the healthier body of extra pounds.
It is enough to drink mate for a month twice a day, and the metabolism will return to normal, which will have a direct impact on weight.
The drink itself affects the feeling of hunger, eliminating it and at the same time almost without supplying calories to the body, as it does. The mate helped the Indians during times of food shortage, replacing vegetables and cereals.
It was not for nothing that the Indians called mate “the elixir of life.”
The drink helps to normalize the pressure in a person: it lowers it if it is elevated, and raises it if it is low.
A healthy effect of mate on blood vessels is noted - the drink helps to cleanse them and keeps the vessels in good shape. This is achieved due to the presence of vitamin R in the composition.
"Paraguayan tea" also helps to fight excess cholesterol in the blood, and hence atherosclerosis.
Mate is useful to use after physical exertion and stress - it eliminates muscle tension and increases endurance.
The influence of mate on the immune system is known. During colds, drinking warm mate promotes a speedy recovery. The presence of beneficial vitamins and minerals helps the body fight infection.
The positive effect of mate on human sexuality is noted. The substances contained in the drink help to increase the production of sex hormones in the body.
When drinking a drink, diuresis (the volume of urine production in the body) increases, which contributes to a more intense work of the bladder, and this, in turn, can be considered as the prevention of diseases of the genitourinary system.
Any drink with excessive use can have a certain harmful effect on systems and organs.
Studies show that the drink, although it does not contain carcinogens in itself, however, when consumed very hot, can be potentially dangerous.
South American scientists warn that if you drink the drink hot, it can cause cancer of the esophagus. However, any hot drinks - coffee, cocoa or.
Mate is contraindicated for children under 12 years of age. It is worth refraining from the use of mate.
People with kidney disease are also better off without this drink.
In case of intolerance to theophylline and theobromine mate, it is also better to refrain from drinking mate.
The drink will also have a bad effect on people with mental and nervous diseases due to the stimulating effect it has.
When preparing “Paraguayan tea”, you need to follow a few simple rules:
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In general, the taste of mate and its beneficial properties outweigh the possible harmful effects. So it is highly recommended for quite healthy people to use a South American drink.
Drinking this amazing tea will bring harmony, peace and well-being into your life.
Paraguayan holly mate has "the power of coffee, the health benefits of tea and the euphoria of chocolate" all in one drink. One of the six most used stimulants in the world. Among coffee, tea, nuts, cola, cocoa and guarana, it triumphs as the most balanced, energy and nutritional supplier.
Mate (Yer-bah Mah-Tay) is made from naturally occurring caffeine and the nourishing leaves of the famous South American tropical holly tree (Ilex Paraguariensis). For centuries, in South America, Ache Guayaki has been sipping traditional pumpkin mate for its rejuvenating effects.
Botanical name: Ilex Paraguariensis, Yerba Mate, Paraguayan Holly
The word "yerba" refers to leaves and means "plant" in Spanish, although the plant is not herbaceous. A conjugation plant is the holly (pronounced "Matay" or "Mate" depending on the sources) and it is a shrub when young and in natural rainforest conditions, grows into a tree 15–20 meters high. When grown in a garden, it cannot reach this height and can be kept as a small tree or shrub. Graceful branches hold dark green "holly-like" elongated leaves that have a tough, leathery appearance. Small, green or white flowers have four petals and give way to small, red fruits.
young tree
The Paraguayan holly is native to the subtropical regions of Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay, Brazil and Southeast Argentina. Mate was first classified in 1895, but there are records of its use by the Guaraní and Paraguayan Indians in the 16th century. It was then that Spanish researchers first reported that the Guaraní people, and the Tupi people of Brazil, brewed a drink that "raised the tone and relieved fatigue." The Spanish conquistadors were responsible for opening up a significant trade route for raw materials, which eventually led to huge commercial shipments in modern times.
Holly can sometimes be difficult to grow outside of native South American conditions. One difficulty is the need for seeds to pass through the digestive system of toucans. It is difficult for the plant to propagate because the seeds need to be stratified, or because of a cold period, and may take 2 months to a year to germinate. Propagation is best done by cuttings.
tree plantation
Under natural conditions, grows best in filtered sunlight under tall rainforest trees. Rainforests have fertile soil enriched with continuous leaf fall, microbial and insect activity. Ideally, it prefers rich soils and moist conditions, so the addition of organic matter is beneficial. The mate holly grows in subtropical areas where the average rainfall is very high and the temperature ranges from 15-29 Celsius. You can often find them in their natural habitat, where they grow in streams and thrive at an altitude of 500 meters above sea level.
In order to control the growth of the tree, you can prune the branches and maintain the plant as a taller shrub. The plant is best trimmed every 1-3 years to keep it at 4-8 meters. It also increases the yield and the ability to germinate new leaves.
For mate tea, it can also be grown in pots and indoors if the weather conditions are not ideal for outdoor growing.
Mate is known for its use as a stimulating, caffeinated drink in South America, where Mate bars are very popular. A drink based on it is of great cultural importance and occupies the same position as coffee in the rest of the world. In mate bars, the drink can be served flavored with popular toppings such as burnt sugar, lemon juice and milk. Some brands combine herbs such as or add citrus to complement the natural bitter taste. In Brazil, the drink may be called "chimarao".
One of the tonics in local bars
There are many commercial mate tea drinks available, some pure and others with additional flavors. There is even a non-carbonated low-alcohol drink. The natural aroma is described as bitter with a smoky, woody or herbaceous-vegetal tone. However, the plant is still commercially cultivated to produce higher quality wild rainforest flavors. Mature plants grown in rainforests have darker, emerald-colored leaves and have a higher nutrient content.
Mat's caffeine content is less than coffee but more than tea, so it's a "Jitterfree" drink - uplifting and antioxidant-free with no side effects. The caffeine content is approximately 80mg per cup, or twice that of tea, while coffee has 100-200mg per cup. In comparison, guarana has significantly more caffeine than coffee.
dried mate leaves 
calabash 
silver bombilla
Traditionally, the drink is steamed and served in a large, hollowed-out gourd. It is sipped through a cane straw, with a filter at the end, to stop the leaves. The Spanish word "mate" refers to a plant. Available data suggest that in Uruguay, the average person consumes 9-10 kilograms per year. Men also chewed the leaves on long hikes, against fatigue.
A simple home-made method of preparation - traditionally preparations are made from leaves or tea infusion from 2-4 g of leaves per 150 ml. hot water.
Holly leaves are high in many vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. The active ingredients found in the leaves include caffeine, theobromine and theophylline. Mate drink, compared to green tea, contains significantly more antioxidants. However, each tea has different groups of antioxidants, with different benefits, and they are not comparable. Some sources state that holly contains mateine and not caffeine. However, scientific studies have confirmed the caffeine content of holly leaves.
Medicinal health benefits of Paraguayan holly (mate) include:
There has been some preliminary research done, benefiting targets for fat burning, cardiovascular disease, and DNA repair, but further research is needed for conclusive evidence.
Despite the positive effect, there is always a risk that too good a drug can work in the opposite direction. Overspending can cause anxiety, insomnia, or headaches, and is best avoided by people who have heart disease, high blood pressure, and anxiety problems. Contraindicated in pregnant and lactating women.
There are indications that excessive consumption of mate can lead to cancer, including the esophagus, mouth, pharynx, larynx, and lungs. However, the risk is dose dependent and in the home country of the mate drinks are drunk in large quantities so this is hardly something to worry about.
Tea is one of the most common drinks in the world. The variety of types and ways of drinking this drink is simply amazing. Starting from traditional black tea and ending with the most exotic plants. One of these drinks is tea from the leaves of the Paraguayan plant - holly. This drink combines the properties of green tea and coffee, which makes it unique in its kind. In addition, it is recommended to make it in a special dish - calabash, and use it through a special tube - bombilla.
“Mate tea benefits and harms” is the topic of a huge number of articles and various publications. It is the subject of numerous disputes by scientists around the world, since depending on the methods of preparation and use of this drink, its beneficial properties differ significantly.
When used properly, mate tea is a great energy drink, due to the presence of a caffeine analogue called matenine by scientists.
But unlike caffeine, the invigorating effect of mate lasts more than eight hours and does not leave depressive effects behind.
The acids in holly leaves are excellent at breaking down fats, which is why many nutritionists recommend drinking this drink.
The impact of mate components on the human body:
The presence of phosphorus not only improves brain activity, but also promotes better absorption of matenine, metals - iron and copper in combination with sulfur compounds maintain skin elasticity, improve the appearance of skin, nails, hair.
To answer the question of why mate tea is harmful, studies were carried out in areas where the use of tea was introduced into local traditions. They found that if you use mate hot and in unlimited quantities, then there is a risk of cancer. It is also strictly contraindicated to consume more than 1 liter of tea per day, since the concentration of substances contained in holly leaves negatively affects the body as a whole. Studies by Uruguayan scientists have shown that with the traditional use of mate tea - using calabash, the risk of cancer of the larynx, lungs, and food system increases dramatically.
The leaves of Paraguayan mate tea contain about two hundred chemical compounds, among which there are vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, minerals and polyphenols. Despite such an impressive list of components, the drink is extremely useful in nutrition, as it contains a very low content of fats and carbohydrates. Its calorie content is only 152 calories per hundred grams of dry leaves.
The table shows the calorie content of mate per measure of volume.
In general, the harmful properties of the drink can be characterized as follows:
All the negative effects of the Paraguayan drink appear only if you use it in very large quantities. The younger generation is contraindicated in any form, since the analogue of caffeine in the composition of the drink has a stimulating effect on the cardiovascular system. At an early stage of development, such stimulation can lead to various diseases of the respiratory, musculoskeletal and vascular systems.
Paraguayan holly leaves contain many tannins, pantothenic acid, B-group vitamins, and some vitamins C, P, and E. The mineral composition is very similar to black tea. A large amount of chlorophyll has a positive effect on the immune system, restores the mucosa, and stabilizes digestion.
Nutritional value of mate at the rate of 100 gr. dry leaves.
The nutritional value of the drink from the leaves is especially appreciated by athletes, since the sufficiently high content of proteins and carbohydrates, with the practical absence of fats, is ideal for people associated with physical exertion. It has a tonic effect on muscle fatigue, contributes to a faster restoration of the vitality of the body.
Paraguayan tea is very rich in vitamins and minerals. Few drinks can boast the presence of such an amount of organic acids that are found in the leaves of this plant.
Vitamin B1 regulates the process of processing glucose, B2 - regulates metabolism, pantothenic acid controls the state of the nervous system, vitamin A improves eyesight, improves skin and hair, Vitamin C promotes cell regeneration.
Concentration of minerals in mate tea.
Sodium is necessary for the normalization of the volume of extracellular fluid and the regulation of heat transfer. Potassium - prevents the occurrence of paralytic reactions, magnesium - lowers cholesterol in the blood, prevents heart attacks.
The properties of a drink based on the leaves of the Paraguayan holly - mate tea, are used in many divisions of most countries of the world.
Numerous studies have shown that people who regularly consume mate tea get better sleep, fall asleep faster and recuperate during sleep. Mate improves the accumulation of phosphorus in cells, which improves memory, stimulates the depressed nervous system. Tea from the leaves of the Paraguayan holly is a means of preventing heart disease, prevents atherosclerosis. Also, one of the best properties of mate is the ability to break down lactic acid and prevent its accumulation in the muscles.
