Yerba Mate tea is native to the countries of Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina. It is traditionally prepared in a small hollowed gourd and consumed through a metal straw that contains a filter at one tip, called a bombilla. In recent years, Yerba Mate has become a popular item on the international market. There are two different types of Yerba Mate that you can purchase: smoked Yerba Mate and unsmoked Yerba Mate. The two different types have slightly different flavors and are produced using different methods. Yerba Mate has been advertised as a healthy alternative to coffee; however, recent research shows that regular consumption of Yerba Mate tea may actually have negative health effects.
The Mate Plant
Yerba Mate is produced from the leaves of the Ilex paraguariensis tree which is native to Paraguay and Argentina. The tree is a member of the holly, or Aquifoliaceae, family and can grow up to 16 m. Generally, the plants used to cultivate Yerba Mate tea are no taller than 6 m. The leaves of the tree are large, around 15 to 20 cm long, and dark green in color.
Production Process
Traditionally mate leaves were processed for tea by first "toasting" small branches of leaves over an open fire to lessen the initial moisture content. Then the branches were placed above an open fire, on a platform, for 12 to 24 hours to completely dry the leaves. Another common method was to spread the branches around a dome-shaped structure, called a barbaqua, where hot air would be drawn from a nearby fire into the structure, through a tunnel. The common modern process for production involves placing branches in a wire metal container that is rotated over an open fire. This method is much more time efficient. The barbaqua method is still utilized as well to avoid drying mate leaves over an open fire and smoke.
Caffeine Content
Dry Yerba Mate leaves contain around 0.9 to 2.2 caffeine depending on the age of the leaf. When hot water is added to the mate leaves, only about half of the caffeine is released. This results in around 19 to 28 mg of caffeine per 100 g of Yerba Mate tea. Caffeine naturally occurs in coffee beans, tea leaves, cocoa beans and kola nuts, and it is the most commonly consumed drug worldwide. Caffeine can cause an increase in heart rate, heighten alertness, elevate blood pressure and increase production of acid in the stomach. According to the UCLA Student Nutrition Awareness Campaign, there is no research that shows that caffeine consumption can increase your risk of cancer or heart disease.
Yerba Mate and Cancer Risk
According to research done by the Instituto de Oncologia in Buenes Aires, Argentina, the consumption of hot mate has been shown to increase the risk for esophagus cancer, larynx cancer and oral cavity cancer. Although a variety of studies have shown a link between mate consumption and cancer of the head and neck, it is not completely clear what the primary cause is. It appears that there may be a variety of culprits, such as the temperature at which mate is traditionally drank, the traditional metal straw that is used in consumption, or the presence of carcinogens naturally or due to the mate production process.
Smoked Food Products
According to a study performed by the Chemistry Department of the Federal University of Technology in Nigeria, "smoking and/or grilling, when carried out with traditional methods involving direct contact with wood combustion fumes, is responsible for high contamination levels with carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)." (See Reference 4) The Instituto de Oncologia states in their review that few studies focus on "carcinogenic contaminants introduced during the industrial processing of the leaves." According to their review conclusion, more research needs to be performed to determine the level of cancer risk associated with the different forms of mate processing and consumption. (See Reference 3)
References
- International Agency for Research on Cancer: Monographs -- Volume 51
- UCLA: Student Nutrition Awareness Campaign -- Get Stimulated About Caffeine
- PubMed: Instituto de Oncologia -- Cancer and Yerba Mate Consumption
- PubMed: Federal University of Technology -- Determination of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHS) in Commonly Consumed Nigerian Smoked/Grilled Fish and Meat
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