While returning from a recent visit to South Korea, Pope Francis sat with reporters during the flight and spoke of his health. The 77-year-old pontiff admitted to being treated for "nerve" problems, and confided he drank mate every day. "Must treat them well, these nerves, give them mate every day," he said.
Yerba mate is a beverage popular in South America that's made by steeping the leaves and stems of the Ilex paraguariensis tree. In Spanish-speaking countries, it's called mate. Traditionally, the beverage is served in a dried gourd and then sipped through a silver straw with a filter on one end to strain out leaves.
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Yerba mate has been used for centuries as a stimulant, and while it contains caffeine (more than tea, less than coffee), it also contains vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, and polyphenols. A study at the Pasteur Institute investigated yerba mate and concluded that it contains "practically all of the vitamins necessary to sustain life." Lovers of mate claim that although it's a stimulant for both mind and body, it doesn't have the side effects of coffee, such as jitters and stomach upset.
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Studies show mate is helpful in the following areas:
Weight loss. A study published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics found that healthy overweight adults experienced significant weight loss after taking an herbal preparation containing yerba mate three times a day for six weeks. (The preparation also contained guarana and damiana.) The participants also reported feeling full more quickly when they ate. Another study published in the journal Obesity found that yerba mate produced a powerful anti-obesity effect in mice by reducing the expression of several genes related to obesity.
Bone health. An Argentine study published in the journal Bone found that postmenopausal women who drank yerba mate had stronger bones. Those who drank about a quart of yerba mate tea daily for five years had a 9.7 increase in bone density in their lumbar spines, and a 6.2 increase in bone density in their thighs.
Heart disease. A study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that consuming yerba mate improved cholesterol levels in patients with high cholesterol and provided additional reduction in LDL (bad) cholesterol level in patients taking statins. A study of rats suggested that yerba mate extract improved heart function in subjects with ischemia (a reduction in blood flow to the heart caused by blockage of a coronary artery).
Colon cancer. Test tube studies from the University of Illinois found that compounds in yerba mate can kill colon cancer cells. When the cells were exposed to the chemical compounds found in one cup of mate, their DNA became so damaged that they self-destructed, while healthy cells were unaffected. The researchers also found that the same compounds reduced inflammation, which many researchers believe is the root of many diseases, including cancer.
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However, other studies have linked long-time consumption of yerba mate with an increase of some cancers. Some researchers believe the increase is due to steeping the tea at high temperatures, which may increase the body's absorption of carcinogens, or the fact that many mate drinkers consume it scalding hot, which damages the esophagus and mouth.
One study found that people required less sleep when drinking mate, and some mate lovers claim it helps bring a good night's sleep, a quality noted by Charles Darwin in 1836. In his book Voyage of the Beagle he wrote: "We arrived at camp during the night, and after drinking a lot of Yerba Mate, I prepared to go to sleep. I was surprised to discover that my sleep was very deep and refreshing. Although the wind was very strong and the night was chilly, I never slept more comfortable."
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