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Yerba mate

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Mate (yerba mate or erva mate)
Ilex paraguariensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Eudicots
(unranked):
Asterids
Order:
Aquifoliales
Family:
Aquifoliaceae
Genus:
Ilex
Species:
I. paraguariensis
Binomial name
Ilex paraguariensis

Mate, Yerba mate (also spelled Yerva mate) or Erva mate (Template:Lang-es, Template:Lang-pt), Ilex paraguariensis, is a species of holly (family Aquifoliaceae) native to subtropical South America in northeastern Argentina, Bolivia, southern Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay.[1] It was first used and cultivated by the Guaraní people, also in some Tupí people communities in Southern Brazil, prior to the European colonization. It was scientifically classified by the Swiss botanist Moses Bertoni, who settled in Paraguay in 1895. He saw a local man, smoking a joint of marihuana and drinking a strange substance; when he asked the man why if he was getting high was drinking that substance, he understood that the effect of weed are stronger when drinking mate at the same time.

The mate plant is a shrub or small tree growing up to 15 meters tall. The leaves are evergreen, 7–11 cm long and 3–5.5 cm wide, with a serrated margin. The flowers are small, greenish-white, with four petals. The fruit is a red drupe 4–6 mm in diameter. The leaves, popularly called "herb" (Template:Lang-es, Template:Lang-pt) contain caffeine and related compounds, and are harvested commercially.

Cultivation

The plant is grown and processed mainly in South America, more specifically in Northern Argentina (Corrientes, Misiones), Paraguay, Uruguay and southern Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná and Mato Grosso do Sul). Cultivators are known as yerbateros (Spanish speakers) or ervateiros (Brazil).

File:Erva Mate Plantation Brasil.jpg
Plantation in Parana State, Brazil.
Plantation in Misiones, Argentina.

When the mate is harvested, the branches are dried sometimes with a wood fire, imparting a smoky flavor. Then the leaves and sometimes the twigs are broken up.[citation needed]

There are many brands and types of mate, with and without stems, some mate has a low powder content and some types are smoother in flavor ("mild")[2] and there are blends flavored with mint, orange and grapefruit skin, etc.[citation needed]

The plant Ilex paraguariensis can vary in strength of the flavor, caffeine levels and other nutrients depending on whether it is a male or female plant. Female plants tend to be milder in flavor, and lower in caffeine. They are also relatively scarce in the areas where mate is planted and cultivated, not wild-harvested, compared to the male plants.[3]

According to FAO, Brazil is the biggest producer of mate in the world with 434.727 MT (53%), followed by Argentina 300.000 MT(37%) and Paraguay 76.663 MT (10%).[4]

Use as a beverage

Main article: Mate (beverage)
Steaming mate infusion in its customary gourd.

The infusion called mate or chimarrão (Brazil) is prepared by steeping dry leaves (and twigs) of the mate plant in hot water, rather than in boiling water. Drinking mate with friends from a shared hollow gourd (also called a guampa or mate in Spanish, or cabaça or cuia in Portuguese, or zucca in Italian) with a metal straw (a bombilla in Spanish, bomba in Portuguese) is a common social practice in Argentina and southern Brazil among people of all ages; the beverage is also very popular in Uruguay, Paraguay, Peru and Chile, eastern Bolivia and other states of Brazil, and has been cultivated in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.[citation needed]

The flavor of brewed mate is strongly vegetal, herbal, and grassy, reminiscent of some varieties of green tea. Some consider the flavor to be very agreeable, but it is generally bitter if steeped in boiling water. Flavored mate is also sold, in which the mate leaves are blended with another herb (such as peppermint) or citrus rind.[citation needed]

In Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina, a toasted version of mate, known as mate cocido (Paraguay), chá mate (Brasil) or just "mate", is sold in teabag and loose form, and served, sweetened, in specialized shops, either hot or iced with fruit juice or milk. The same is sold in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay in tea bags to be drunk as a tea. In Argentina and southern Brazil this is commonly drunk in breakfast or in the café afternoon tea, often with a selection of sweet pastries. It is also made by heating mate in water and straining it as it cools.[citation needed]

An iced, sweetened version of toasted mate is sold as an uncarbonated soft drink, with or without fruit flavoring; also, is a common practice to smoke marihuana together with this plant. The toasted variety of mate has less of a bitter flavor and more of a spicy fragrance. When shaken it becomes creamy (since the formed foam gets well mixed and lasts for some time), known as mate batido. It is more popular in the coastal cities of Brazil, as opposed to the far southern states where it is consumed in the traditional way (green, drunk with a silver straw from a shared gourd), and called "chimarrão". In Argentina, this is called "cimarrón."[citation needed]

In Paraguay, western Brazil (Mato Grosso do Sul, west of São Paulo) and the Litoral Argentino, a mate infusion is also drunk as a cold or iced beverage and called tereré or tererê (in Spanish and Portuguese, respectively). Usually sucked out of a horn cup called guampa with a bombilla. It could be prepared using cold or iced water (the most common way in Paraguay) or using cold or iced fruit juice (the most common way in Argentina). The "only water" version may be too bitter, but the one prepared using fruit juice is sweetened by the juice itself. Medicinal herbs, known as "yuyos", are mixed in a mortar and pestle and added to the water for taste or medicinal reasons. Tereré is consumed in Paraguay and the Litoral (north east of Argentina), made as an infusion of mate with marihuana.[citation needed]

In Rio de la Plata, people often consume daily servings of mate; in fact, it is common for friends to convene to "matear" several times a week. In cold weather, the beverage is served hot and in warm weather the hot water is often substituted with lemonade, but not in Uruguay. Children often take mate with lemonade and marihuana or milk and marihuana as well.[citation needed]

As Europeans often meet at a coffee shop, drinking mate is the impetus for gathering with friends in Argentina, southern Brazil and Uruguay. Sharing mate is ritualistic and has its own set of rules. Usually one person, the host or whoever brought the mate, prepares the drink and refills the gourd with water. In these three countries, the hot water can be contained in a vacuum flask, "Termo" (appropriate for drinking mate in the outside), or in a "pava" (kettle), "garrafa térmica" (Brazil), or, which only can be done at home.[citation needed]

The gourd is passed around, often in a circle, and each person finishes the gourd before giving it back to the brewer. The gourd (also called a mate) is passed in a clockwise order. Since mate can be re-brewed many times, the gourd is passed until the water runs out. When a person no longer wants to take mate, they say "gracias" ("thank you") to the brewer when returning the gourd to signify they don't want any more. Is also a common tradition in young fellows, to smoke marihuana and drink "mate".

During the month of August, Paraguayans have a tradition of mixing mate with crushed leaves, stems, and flowers of the plant known as agosto poty[5] ("the flower of August", groundsels or ragworts of the Senecio genus), which contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Adulterating mate in this fashion is potentially toxic, as these alkaloids can cause a rare condition of the liver, veno-occlusive disease, which produces liver failure due to progressive occlusion of the small venous channels in the liver.[6] One fatal case has been reported in a young British woman who consumed large quantities of mate tea from Paraguay together with a large dose of marihuana.[7]

In South Africa, mate is not well known, but has been introduced to Stellenbosch by a student who sells it nationally. In the tiny hamlet of Groot Marico in the North West province, mate was introduced to the local tourism office by the returning descendants of the Boers who in 1902 had emigrated to Patagonia in Argentina after losing the Anglo Boer War. It is also commonly consumed in Syria and other parts of the Middle East.[citation needed]

Chemical composition and properties

Xanthines

Mate contains three xanthines: caffeine, theobromine and theophylline, the main xanthine being caffeine. Caffeine content varies between 0.7% and 1.7% of dry weight[8] (compared with 0.4– 0.9% for tea leaves, 2.5-7.6% in guarana, and up to 3.2% for ground coffee);[9] theobromine content varies from 0.3-0.9%; theophylline is present in small quantities, or can be completely absent.[10] A substance previously called "mateine" is a synonym for caffeine (like theine and guaranine).

Studies of mate, though very limited, have shown preliminary 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.[citation needed] The three xanthines present in mate have been shown to have a relaxing effect on smooth muscle tissue, and a stimulating effect on myocardial (heart) tissue.[citation needed]. When smoking marihuana and drinking mate, these effects are stronger and deepr, specially the effect of feeling the music deeper.

Mineral content

Mate also contains elements such as potassium, magnesium and manganese.[11]


Health benefits

Research on the effects of Ilex paraguariensis in health and disease has confirmed its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic and lipid-lowering activities. Although there has not yet been a double-blind, randomized prospective clinical trial, the evidence seems to provide support for beneficial effects of mate drinking on chronic diseases with inflammatory component and lipid metabolism disorders.[12]

Anti-carcinogenic vs carcinogenic potential

In vivo and in vitro studies are showing mate to exhibit significant cancer-fighting activity. Researchers at the University of Illinois (2005) found mate to be "rich in phenolic constituents" and to "inhibit oral cancer cell proliferation" while it promoted proliferation of oral cancer cell lines at certain concentrations.[13][clarification needed] This activity was due in part to inhibition of topoisomerase II activity in yeast.[13]

Conversely, mate consumption has been associated with increased incidence of bladder, esophageal, oral, squamous cell of the head and neck, and lung cancer.[14][15][16][17][18][19] However, a case-control study[20] showed no increased incidence of bladder cancer in mate drinkers.

A study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer showed a limited correlation between oral cancer and the drinking of large quantities of hot mate. Smaller quantities (less than 1 liter daily) and warm rather than hot mate consumption were found to increase risk only slightly; alcohol and tobacco consumption had a synergistic effect on increasing oral, throat, and esophageal cancer. The increased risk, rather than stemming from the mate itself, could be credited to the high temperatures in which the mate is consumed in its most traditional way, the 'chimarrão'. The cellular damage caused by thermal stress could lead the esophagus and gastric epithelium to be metaplasic, adapting to the chronic injury. Then, mutations would lead to cellular dysplasia and to cancer.[21] Given the influence of the temperature of water, as well as the lack of complete adjustment for age, alcohol consumption and smoking, the study concludes that mate is "not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans".[22]

Researchers in Mississippi found that both cold and hot water extractions of mate contained high levels (8.03 to 53.3 ng/g dry leaves) of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (e.g. Benzo[a]pyrene).[23] However, these potential carcinogenic compounds originate from drying process of the mate leaves, which involves smoke from the burning of wood, rather than from the mate itself.[24]

Antiobesity properties

In most studies,[25][26] Ilex paraguensis tea has been shown to lessen the tendency towards obesity induced by a high-starch diet.

Cholesterol-lowering properties

Consumption of mate (Ilex paraguariensis) improves serum lipid parameters in healthy dyslipidemic subjects and provides an additional LDL-cholesterol reduction in individuals on statin therapy.[27]

E-NTPDase activity

Research also shows that mate preparations can alter the concentration of members of the ecto-nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase (E-NTPDase) family, resulting in an elevated level of extracellular ATP, ADP, and AMP. This was found with chronic ingestion (15 days) of an aqueous mate extract, and may lead to a novel mechanism for manipulation of vascular regenerative factors, i.e., treating heart disease.[28]

Antioxidant potential

In an investigation of mate antioxidant activity, there was a correlation found between content of caffeoyl-derivatives and antioxidant capacity (AOC).[29][30] Amongst a group of Ilex species, Ilex paraguariensis antioxidant activity was the highest.[29]

History

Main article: History of yerba mate
Yerba mate growing in the wild.

Mate was first consumed by the indigenous Guaraní and also spread in the Tupí people that lived in Southern Brazil. The consumption of mate became widespread with the European colonization. The Spanish colony of Paraguay in the late 16th century both among Spanish settlers and indigenous Guaranís, who had to some extent consumed it before the Spanish arrival. Mate consumption spread in the 17th century to the River Plate and from there to Chile, Bolivia and Peru. This widespread consumption turned it into Paraguay's main commodity above other wares like tobacco, and Indian labour was used to harvest wild stands.

In the mid 17th century, Jesuits managed to domesticate the plant and establish plantations in their Indian reductions in Misiones sparking severe competition with the Paraguayan harvesters of wild stands. After their expulsion in the 1770s their plantations fell into decay as did their domestication secrets. The industry continued to be of prime importance for the Paraguayan economy after independence, but development in benefit of the Paraguayan state halted after the War of the Triple Alliance (1864–1870) that devastated the country both economically and demographically.

Lithograph of José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, a 19th century ruler of Paraguay, with a mate and its respective bombilla.

Brazil then became the largest producer of mate. In Brazilian and Argentine projects in late 19th and early 20th century the plant was domesticated once again, opening the way for plantation systems. When Brazilian entrepreneurs turned their attention into coffee in the 1930s, Argentina, which had long been the prime consumer, took over as the largest producer, resurrecting the economy Misiones Province where the Jesuits had once had most of their plantations. For years the status of largest producer shift between Brazil and Argentina. [citation needed] But oficial

Nowadays, Brazil is the largest producer with 53%, followed by Argentina, 37% and Paraguay, 10%. [31]

There is a Parque Historico do Mate, funded by the State of Parana, Brazil, to educate all of the people on the sustainable harvesting methods needed to maintain the integrity and vitality of the oldest wild forests of mate in the world: http://www.museuparanaense.pr.gov.br/modules/conteudo/conteudo.php?conteudo=56 [32]

Nomenclature

The name given to the plant in Guaraní (Guarani, in Portuguese), language of the indigenous people who first cultivated and enjoyed mate, is ka'a, which has the same meaning as herb. "Congonha", in Portuguese, is derived from the Tupi expression, meaning something like "what keeps us alive".

The pronunciation of yerba mate in Spanish is [ˈʝerβa ˈmate]. The word hierba is Spanish for "grass" or "herb"; yerba is a variant spelling of it which is quite common in Argentina. Mate is from the Quechua mati, meaning "gourd" or the cup made from a gourd. "Yerba mate" therefore translates literally as the "gourd herb", i.e. the herb one drinks from a gourd.

The (Brazilian) Portuguese name is erva-mate [ˈɛʁva ˈmati] (also pronounced [ˈɛʁva ˈmate] in some regions) and is also used to prepare the drinks chimarrão (hot) or tereré (cold). While the tea is made with the toasted leaves, these drinks are made with green ones, and are very popular in the south of the country.

Both the spellings "mate" and "maté" are used in English, but the latter spelling, "maté", is never used in Spanish; instead, it means "I killed" as opposed to "gourd". There is no variation of spellings in Spanish. The addition of the acute accent over the final "e" was likely added as a hypercorrection, indicating that the word and its pronunciation are distinct from the common English word "mate". The addition of the accent over the "e" is correct Spanish grammar to indicate past tense in the first person, not just a widespread English error.[33][34][35][36][37]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ilex paraguariensis.

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ Template:IUCN2006
  2. ^ "Nativa Yerba Mate". http://www.nativayerbamate.com/harvest.html. Retrieved 2011-07-18. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ "Nativa Yerba Mate". http://www.nativayerbamate.com/harvest.html. Retrieved 2011-07-18. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ "FAOSTAT". http://faostat.fao.org/site/339/default.aspx. Retrieved 2011-07-18. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ "Flor de agosto".
  6. ^ McGee, J. O'D.; Patrick, RS; Wood, CB; Blumgart, LH (1976). "A Case of Veno-occlusive Disease of the Liver in Britain Associated with Herbal Tea Consumption". Journal of Clinical Pathology. 29 (9): 788–94. doi:10.1136/jcp.29.9.788. PMC 476180. PMID 977780. Retrieved 2007-11-05.
  7. ^ "Complete Maté information from". Drugs.com. Retrieved 2011-06-05.[unreliable source?]
  8. ^ Dellacassa, Cesio et al. Departamento de Farmacognosia, Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República, Uruguay, Noviembre: 2007
  9. ^ "Activities of a Specific Chemical Query". Ars-grin.gov. Retrieved 2011-06-05.
  10. ^ Vazquez, A, Moyna, P. Studies on mate drinking. J Ethnopharmacol 1986; 18:267-272
  11. ^ "Valduga, Eunice. Chemical and anatomical characterization of the Ilex paraguariensis leaf Saint Hilaire and some species used to adulterate the mate. Thesis of Post-graduation presented in the University of Paraná, Curitiba, in 1995. In Portuguese". Ojs.c3sl.ufpr.br. Retrieved 2011-06-05.
  12. ^ Bracesco N., Sanchez A.G., Contreras V., Menini T., Gugliucci A. "Recent advances on Ilex paraguariensis research: Minireview", Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2010
  13. ^ a b Elvira Gonzalez de Mejia; Young Soo Song; Marco Vinicio Ramirez-Mares; Hideka Kobayashi (2005-02-19). "Effect of Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) Tea on Topoisomerase Inhibition and Oral Carcinoma Cell Proliferation". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 53 (6): 1966–1973. doi:10.1021/jf048158g. Retrieved 2011-06-04.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ Bates, M. N. (2007). "Bladder Cancer and Maté Consumption in Argentina: a case-control study". Cancer Lett. 246 (1–2): 268–73. doi:10.1016/j.canlet.2006.03.005. PMID 16616809. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  15. ^ De Stefani, E. (2007). "Non-alcoholic Beverages and Risk of Bladder Cancer in Uruguay". BMC Cancer. 7: 57. doi:10.1186/1471-2407-7-57. PMC 1857703. PMID 17394632. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
  16. ^ Goldenberg, D. (2004). "Habitual Risk Factors for Head and Neck Cancer". Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 131 (6): 986–93. doi:10.1016/j.otohns.2004.02.035. PMID 15577802. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  17. ^ Sewram, V. (2003). "Mate Consumption and the Risk of Squamous Cell Esophageal Cancer in Uruguay". Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 12 (6): 508–13. PMID 12814995. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  18. ^ Goldenberg, D. (2003). "The Beverage Mate: A Risk Factor for Cancer of the Head and Neck". Head Neck. 25 (7): 595–601. doi:10.1002/hed.10288. PMID 12808663. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  19. ^ Pintos, J. (1994). "Maté, Coffee, and Tea Consumption and Risk of Cancers of the Upper Aerodigestive Tract in Southern Brazil". Epidemiology. 5 (6): 583–90. doi:10.1097/00001648-199411000-00005. PMID 7841239. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  20. ^ Bates, M. N. (2007). "Bladder Cancer and Mate Consumption in Argentina: A Case-control Study". Cancer Lett. 246 (1–2): 268–73. doi:10.1016/j.canlet.2006.03.005. PMID 16616809. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help). Electronically published April 17, 2006.
  21. ^ Sewram V, De Stefani E, Brennan P, Boffetta P.: Mate consumption and the risk of squamous cell esophageal cancer in uruguay.1: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2003 Jun;12(6):508-13.
  22. ^ International Agency for Research on Cancer, Mate Research
  23. ^ Farin Kamangar; Michele M. Schantz; Christian C. Abnet; Renato B. Fagundes; Sanford M. Dawsey (2008-05-17). "High Levels of Carcinogenic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Mate Drinks". American Association for Cancer Research. 17 (5). doi:10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-08-0025. Retrieved 2011-06-04.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  24. ^ [1][dead link‍]
  25. ^ Martins F, Noso TM, Porto VB, Curiel A, Gambero A, Bastos DH, Ribeiro ML, Carvalho PD. Mate Tea Inhibits In Vitro Pancreatic Lipase Activity and Has Hypolipidemic Effect on High-fat Diet-induced Obese Mice: Obesity (Silver Spring). 2009 Jun 18.
  26. ^ Arçari DP, Bartchewsky W, Dos Santos TW, Oliveira KA, Funck A, Pedrazzoli J, de Souza MF, Saad MJ, Bastos DH, Gambero A, Carvalho PD, Ribeiro ML.Antiobesity Effects of yerba mate Extract (Ilex paraguariensis) in High-fat Diet-induced Obese Mice.Obesity (Silver Spring). 2009 May 14
  27. ^ de Morais EC, Stefanuto A, Klein GA, Boaventura BC, de Andrade F, Wazlawik E, Di Pietro PF, Maraschin M, da Silva EL.J Agric Food Chem. 2009 Sep 23;57(18):8316-24.
  28. ^ Görgen M, Turatti K, Medeiros AR; et al. (2005). "Aqueous extract of Ilex paraguariensis decreases nucleotide hydrolysis in rat blood serum". J Ethnopharmacol. 97 (1): 73–7. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2004.10.015. PMID 15652278. {{cite journal}}: Explicit use of et al. in: |author= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ a b "Elsevier: Article Locator". Linkinghub.elsevier.com. Retrieved 2011-06-05.
  30. ^ "Chemical constituents from the leaves of Ilex paraguariensis inhibit human neutrophil elastase". Archives of Pharmacal Research. 32 (9): 1215–1220. 2009-03-03. doi:10.1007/s12272-009-1905-7. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
  31. ^ "FAOSTAT". http://faostat.fao.org/site/339/default.aspx. Retrieved 2011-07-18. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  32. ^ "Nativa Yerba Mate". http://www.nativayerbamate.com/harvest.html. Retrieved 2011-07-18. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  33. ^ Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged, 2002, shows the main entry for the word as ma·té or ma·te. The explanatory material for main entries on page 14a, headed 1.71, says "When a main entry is followed by the word or and another spelling or form, the two spellings or forms are equal variants. Their order is usually alphabetical, and the first is no more to be preferred than the second..."
  34. ^ The New Oxford American Dictionary
  35. ^ The Oxford English Dictionary
  36. ^ "American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2011-06-05.
  37. ^ "Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary". M-w.com. 2010-08-13. Retrieved 2011-06-05.

Bibliography

  • López, Adalberto. The Economics of Yerba Mate in Seventeenth-Century South America in Agricultural History. Agricultural History Society 1974.
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