Yerba mate

Yerba mate or hierba mate ({{IPA2|'ɟɛrβa 'mate}}), or sometimes called simply yerba, is a shrub in the holly family Aquifoliaceae, native to South America, used as a herbal tea. Mate is the correct spelling, but it is often misspelt "maté" or even "matte", a sort of hypercorrection intended to signal that the word is foreign, or does not have a silent e, or is otherwise distinct from the normal English word "mate". (Cf. the occasional English spelling "saké" of the Japanese loanword "sake")

Chemical composition and properties

Mate contains xanthines, which are alkaloids in the same family as caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine, well-known stimulants also found in coffee and chocolate. Mate also contains other elements, such as Potassium, Magnesium and Manganese http://www.mundomatero.com/yerba/Chemical-Features.html.

Related Topics:
Xanthine - Alkaloid - Caffeine - Theophylline - Theobromine - Coffee - Chocolate - Potassium - Magnesium - Manganese

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Sellers of mate products often claim that the primary active xanthine in mate is "mateine" a stereo isomer of caffeine, which they say is similar to caffeine but with fewer of its negative effects, but can not be true as caffeine does not have a stereo center; some mate products are marketed as "caffeine-free" alternatives to traditional coffee and tea. However, they are wrong; mateine is simply another name, like guaranine, for caffeine.

Related Topics:
Mateine - Caffeine - Guaranine

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Researchers at Florida International University in Miami have found that yerba mate does contain caffeine, but some people seem to tolerate it better than coffee or tea.

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From reports of personal experience with mate, its physiological effects are similar to yet distinct from more widespread caffeinated beverages like coffee or tea. Users report a mental state of wakefulness, focus and alertness reminiscent of most stimulants, but often remark on mates unique lack of the negative effects typically created by other such compounds, such as anxiety, diarrhea, "jitteriness", and heart palpitations.

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Reasons for mates unique physiological attributes are beginning to emerge in scientific research. Studies of mate, though very limited, have shown prelimary evidence that the mate xanthine cocktail is different from other plants containing caffeine most significantly in its effects on muscle tissue, as opposed to those on the central nervous system, which are similar to those of other natural stimulants. Mate has been shown to have a relaxing effect on smooth muscle tissue, and a stimulating effect on myocardial (heart) tissue.

Related Topics:
Muscle tissue - Central nervous system - Smooth muscle tissue - Myocardial (heart)

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Mates negative effects are anecdotally claimed to be of a lesser degree than those of caffeine, though no explanation for this is offered or even credibly postulated, except for its potential as a placebo effect. Many users report that drinking yerba mate does not prevent them from being able to fall asleep, as is often the case with some more common stimulating beverages, while still enhancing their energy and ability to remain awake at will. However, the net amount of caffeine in one preparation of yerba mate is typically quite high, in large part because the repeated filling of the mate with hot water is able to extract the highly-soluble xanthines extremely effectively. It is for this reason that one mate may be shared among several people and yet produce the desired stimulating effect in all of them.

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There have been numerous epidemiologic studies on the association between mate-drinking and cancer in humans. There is limited evidence that drinking hot mate may cause esophageal cancer in humans. Some researchers have suggested that this effect is almost entirely a consequence of hot mates temperature — similar links to cancer have been found for other beverages generally consumed at high temperatures. On the other hand, in-vivo and in-vitro studies are showing yerba mate to exhibit significant cancer-fighting activity. Researchers at the University of Illinois (2005) found yerba mate to be "rich in phenolic constituents" and can "inhibit oral cancer cell proliferation".

Related Topics:
Epidemiologic - Esophageal cancer

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