Yerba mate

Ilex paraguariensis , commonly called yerba mate, is a flowering tree. Traditionally, its leaves are brewed into a stimulating tea, popular throughout the Middle East and South America.

Yerba mate is marketed for its supposed ability to suppress appetite and burn fat. Evidence suggests its appetite-suppression effect can only be achieved through high doses, if at all. Yerba mate’s fat burning effect is attributed to its caffeine content. It has not been shown to be a more effective fat burner than compounds like green tea catechins, though it can help reverse some of the adverse health effects associated with obesity.

Yerba mate has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. It is able to reduce LDL cholesterol within 20 days of supplementation. Like many supplements derived from plants, it protects the heart and cardiovascular system.

Yerba mate contains a cocktail of xanthines (like caffeine), flavonoids (like quercetin), saponins (like ursolic acid), and cinnamic acid compounds (like chlorogenic acid).

Yerba mate is a healthy tea, but it is not necessarily healthier than other plant-based drinks, like coffee. It does, however, have a unique nutrient composition.

Studies typically use a dose of 3 cups (330mL each) of yerba mate a day, for up to 60 days.

It’s safe to drink up to 1.5 liters of yerba mate a day, though toxicity has not been shown to occur from higher doses either.

A daily supplemental dose of isolated yerba mate in a powdered supplemental form is between 1,000-1,500mg of yerba mate leaf.

The Human Effect Matrix looks at human studies (it excludes animal and in vitro studies) to tell you what effects yerba mate has on your body, and how strong these effects are.

Grade	Level of Evidence [show legend]
	Robust research conducted with repeated double-blind clinical trials
	Multiple studies where at least two are double-blind and placebo controlled
	Single double-blind study or multiple cohort studies
	Uncontrolled or observational studies only

Level of Evidence ? The amount of high quality evidence. The more evidence, the more we can trust the results.	Outcome	Magnitude of effect ? The direction and size of the supplement's impact on each outcome. Some supplements can have an increasing effect, others have a decreasing effect, and others have no effect.	Consistency of research results ? Scientific research does not always agree. HIGH or VERY HIGH means that most of the scientific research agrees.	Notes
	Fat Oxidation	Minor	High See all 3 studies	There is a possible increase in fat oxidation rates seen during rest, with one study confirming it during exercise; this may not coincide with an increase in metabolic rate.
	Heart Rate	Minor	- See study	A decrease has been noted with Yerba Mate consumption, which is somewhat notable as stimulants tend to increase heart rate
	Blood Pressure	-	- See study	No significant influences on blood pressure have been noted (although this may be due to it being underresearched; Mate may follow the same motifs as caffeine ingestion)
	Lactate Production	-	- See study	At rest and during exercise there does not seem to be any major modification of lactate levels in serum.
	Metabolic Rate	-	Very High See 2 studies	No significant influence on metabolic rate has been noted
	VO₂ Max	-	- See study	Supplementation of yerba mate prior to a VO2 max test does not appear to have any effect relative to placebo.
	Anti-Oxidant Enzyme Profile	Minor	Very High See 2 studies	Appears to increase the primary three antioxidant enzymes (glutathione, catalase, and SOD) in both healthy and diseased persons
	Apolipoprotein B	Minor	- See study	Somewhat of a decrease in hyperlipidemic patients consuming Mate tea
	Blood Glucose	Minor	- See study	A slight decrease in blood glucose has been noted with Mate consumption in type II diabetics; no evidence in otherwise healthy persons
	Bone Mineral Density	Minor	- See study	An association has been noted with increased bone mineral density and Mate consumption; insufficient evidence to suggest a causative role as no interventions exist
	General Oxidation	Minor	- See study	A decrease in serum oxidative parameters tends to be noted following Mate consumption
	HDL-C	Minor	- See study	An increase in HDL-C has been noted with Mate consumption
	HbA1c	Minor	- See study	A decrease in HbA1c levels has been detected in type II diabetics consuming Mate tea, although not to a remarkable degree
	LDL-C	Minor	Very High See all 3 studies	Decreases in LDL cholesterol have been noted in metabolically unwell persons following moderate Mate consumption (as brewed tea)
	Lipid Peroxidation	Minor	- See study	A decrease in lipid peroxidation has been noted with Mate consumption over 7 days
	Total Cholesterol	Minor	- See study	A decrease of total cholesterol has been noted with Mate consumption
	Esophageal Cancer Risk	-	- See study	Although associations exist between mate consumption and esophageal cancer risk, this appears to apply to any (scalding) hot beverage and is not associated with cooled mate. The increased risk is associated with the heat rather than the drink constituents.

Studies Excluded from Consideration

• Excluded due to being confounded with Guarana and Damiana Leaf (as YGD capsules)^[3]