Yerba Mate and Vitamin A – Is It a Good Source?

This question comes up regularly in messages to our customer service: since yerba mate is dried leaves, dark green and full of chlorophyll, maybe it also contains a lot of vitamin A? We’re checking this just as honestly as with every other ingredient in this series — without bending the conclusion to fit a marketing slogan.

Where does this association come from

The leaves of the Paraguay holly (Ilex paraguariensis), from which yerba mate is made, do indeed contain carotenoids — a group of plant pigments that includes beta-carotene, i.e. provitamin A. This is normal for a leafy plant: chlorophyll and carotenoids occur together in leaf tissue. However, the mere fact of their presence in the raw material doesn’t automatically mean that an infusion brewed from these leaves provides a significant dose of vitamin A.

Why an infusion isn’t the same as a dry leaf

Yerba mate is drunk as an infusion — the dried leaves are steeped in water, and the leaf remnants stay in the matero or are strained out, just like with classic tea. Only part of the water-soluble compounds pass into the infusion, mainly xanthines (caffeine, theobromine), tannins and some polyphenols. Carotenoids, including beta-carotene, are fat-soluble compounds, not water-soluble — they pass poorly into a hot infusion, much worse than into the body when eaten with fat, as with carrots served with a bit of olive oil. Water infused with yerba mate simply isn’t a good carrier for this group of compounds.

How much vitamin A does yerba mate actually have

To be honest: our yerba mate has no declared vitamin A value on the label, because this isn’t a raw material we certify for that — we don’t state a figure we’re not sure of. Available data on dried yerba mate leaves show the presence of carotenoids in the leaf at trace level relative to a typical brewing portion (7–10 g of dried leaves per matero), and even that mostly in the leaf itself, not in the infusion you actually drink, for the reasons described above. That’s not enough to treat yerba mate as a dietary source of vitamin A, and not enough to build a sales pitch on — so we don’t.

What yerba mate actually offers — caffeine, tannins, manganese

Yerba’s strengths lie elsewhere. The infusion provides xanthines responsible for stimulation (caffeine together with theobromine and theophylline, hence a milder, longer-lasting effect than from coffee alone), tannins giving the characteristic, slightly astringent note, and manganese — we’ve written about this separately, because here it actually performs surprisingly well compared to other infusions. Vitamin A simply isn’t one of these strengths, and that’s fine — every raw material has its own profile.

What in our range is actually a good source of vitamin A

If you’re looking in our range for something that actually delivers vitamin A, we have an honest answer: Acai Berry Powder. On the packaging we explicitly declare the natural content of vitamins A, C and E — that’s not a slogan, but a composition confirmed on the label. Acai pairs well with yerba mate in a morning smoothie or as an addition to a cold infusion — the green bitterness of yerba and the fruity depth of acai balance each other out in flavor.

Check out the product: Acai Berry Powder – Source of Vitamins A, C and E

Why vitamin A matters at all

Vitamin A has one of the longer lists of officially approved health claims among vitamins under EU food law. Among other things, it contributes to maintaining normal skin and mucous membranes, to normal vision, and to the normal function of the immune system. That’s why the topic comes up at all — and why we prefer to honestly point you toward a raw material that actually contains it, rather than promise it for yerba.

Is too much vitamin A dangerous

Yes, unlike vitamin C, vitamin A is fat-soluble and accumulates in the body, so it’s easier to get too much of it through ill-considered high-dose supplementation, especially for pregnant women, where excess retinol can be dangerous for the fetus. This is an additional reason not to treat yerba mate as a source of this vitamin and not to add it from nowhere — if you’re considering supplementation, that’s a topic for a conversation with your doctor, not something yerba changes in any way.

Yerba mate compared to other vitamins and minerals — what we’ve already checked

This is another article in the series where we break down the composition of yerba mate into its basic elements, instead of promising everything at once. We’ve already written about, among others, yerba mate and vitamin C, B vitamins, and manganese, where the result is surprisingly good. Each of these texts follows the same rule: we write what the raw material actually contains, and just as readily state what it doesn’t contain in any significant amount.

Frequently asked questions

Does yerba mate have more vitamin A than regular tea?
They don’t differ significantly — both are infusions of leaves, in which carotenoids barely transfer into the water. Yerba’s advantage lies in manganese and focus-supporting xanthines, not vitamin A.

Does dried yerba mate leaves eaten directly have more vitamin A than the infusion?
Theoretically yes, because carotenoids stay in the leaf rather than the water — but dried leaves aren’t eaten, they’re brewed, so this distinction is purely theoretical, not practical.

How much vitamin A does acai have compared to carrots?
We don’t make numerical comparisons without our own laboratory testing of both raw materials using the same methodology — we can only confirm that our acai powder naturally contains vitamin A, as stated on the packaging.

Is it worth combining yerba mate with a vitamin A supplement?
There are no contraindications at typical doses, but there’s also no reason to do it routinely — the decision to supplement is a matter to discuss with a doctor, independent of drinking yerba.

Can children drink yerba mate with added acai?
Due to the caffeine content in yerba, it’s better to limit the amount of dried leaves for younger children, or skip the yerba altogether, leaving just acai with fruit in a smoothie.