People tend to drink herbal drinks from time to time, but their love for coffee and tea remains ingrained, continuing in every time and place. But what if you get a drink with the invigorating properties of coffee, the health benefits of tea, with a rich taste of chocolate sweetness It would be a great drink if it were real, and you will realize this dream with the drink “mate” (Yerba mate).

The herbal mate drink Yerba mate is made from the leaves and roots of an evergreen shrub; namely “Ilex praguariensis” (Ilex paraguariensis).

Native to South America, it also comes into contact with the “holly” bush of North America, the green waxy leaves are harvested and dried to make the custom drink that is used as a coffee substitute all over the world.

The history of the Mate drink:

The historical value of the Mate drink dates back to the indigenous peoples of South America, where it was used to enhance the body’s endurance, its popularity and consumption increased with the exposure of this region to Spanish and European settlers and explorers; which eventually led to the existence of plantations dedicated to the cultivation of yerba mate (yerba mate); where the branches of the “Ilex praguariensis” plant (Ilex paraguariensis) harvested all year round.

Traditional methods of preparation call for soaking the crushed leaves, referred to as” yerba “or” mate herb “inside a hollow gourd bowl called mate and then adding enough cold water to cover the herbs and prepare them for pouring hot water on them.

When the “yarpa” plant is immersed in the pot, it is drunk through a metal instrument that has a filter and is called a “bombila”.

The earthy taste of the “Mate” drink balances with the sweet taste and creates one of the richest tastes for the body, which has been compared to drinking hot chocolate; drinking the “yerba mate drink” “mate” in many cultures is one of the traditional social rituals; passing a hollow “pumpkin” pot filled with “mate” drink to each member of the group.

Yarpa is dead (herb adaptogens):

The popularity of the “Yarrow dead herb” stretches for thousands of years, and the reason for the interest in this herb has been obvious since ancient times; the high caffeine content in the herb provides a source to boost energy, increase alertness, and may even help improve concentration.

The consumption of yampa mate herb is also associated with increased endurance, which – along with its energy-boosting properties for physical fitness; the motivational properties of the herb were known to the gauchos in South America, the “Spanish Cowboys” who used “cowboy coffee” to help maintain their alertness during exhausting cattle drives, and long days of hard agricultural work.

Modern medical science has linked regular consumption of mate to improving mood, which makes the possibility of using it in the treatment of mood disorders great, and the discovery of the effect of the combination of the drink “mate” as a kind of stimulant in enhancing good mood shows a glimmer of hope for its use in the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome and depressive disorders.

As with most plant medicines, the strength of the effect of the herb “yarpa mate” as a health tonic is due to the presence of a high concentration of “polyphenols”, microelements that produce antioxidant effects.

A 2008 study on the biologically active compounds of the herb “yarpa mate” found that they work to get rid of free radicals, and concluded that regular consumption of mate drink may help protect cells from damage and prevent the breakdown of “DNA chains” (DNA), as well as enhance the repair activity of “DNA chains”.

Health benefits of yerba mate (mate)drink:

Abundant circulating evidence supports the possibility of using mate drink to treat a variety of poor health conditions, Traditional uses include weight loss; perhaps this is due to the effect of reducing appetite; Recent scientific studies have confirmed the ability of mate drink to enhance metabolism by stopping food consumption naturally, which leads to reduced food intake and a decrease in the growth rate of adipose tissue “grease”.

The researchers noted an increase in basal metabolism in a group of mice fed with mate syrup, and the effects of mate syrup appeared in fat metabolism that can lead to lowering “blood cholesterol” and “triglycerides” (triglycerides), as well as “glucose concentrations” (glucose concentrations), the researchers have described the herb”yarpa mate” as a potential treatment for obesity and diabetes.

The consumption of mate drink was studied in Type II diabetics “pre-diabetic patients”, which aimed at a result that would be able to extend these benefits to human groups; the researchers grouped 58 types 2 diabetics and pre-diabetic patients into three groups:

• The first group: consumes “only the drink”; it consumes 330 milliliters of boiled mate drink three times per day.
• The second group: “dietary intervention only”, received dietary advice.
• The third group: was “drink and food intervention”, and this group drank the same amount of mate drink plus dietary advice over 60 days.

The researchers concluded that the consumption of the “Mate” drink contributed to better control of sugar and blood lipid levels for Type II diabetics, while the addition of the “Mate” drink with the dietary intervention of the herb was very effective in lowering the “cholesterol” in the blood in individuals at the pre-diabetes stage; which may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Far from the potential of the herb “yarpa mate” in the treatment of diabetes, this powerful plant medicine has been studied for its benefits in the treatment of many metabolic conditions, including “hyperinsulinism” (hyperinsulinism), “fatty liver disease” (fatty liver disease), “metabolic syndrome” (metabolic syndrome), treating the effects caused by a diet high in unhealthy fats.