Yerba Mate – The Most Important Health Properties of the Infusion

Yerba mate is a plant from which Yerba Mate is obtained. The antioxidant and antimutagenic properties of the dried leaves play an important role in preventing many diseases, and also help reduce body fat. What features should you look for when choosing dried leaves? How does Yerba Mate work? Here are the key benefits of drinking Yerba Mate that help you achieve fantastic results in a reduction diet.

Properties of Yerba Mate that support a weight-loss diet

Yerba Mate has a supportive effect during the challenging process of losing weight, so it should interest anyone who wants to shed a few extra kilos. To achieve this, people usually switch to a reduction diet and try to limit their daily calorie intake. Reducing portion sizes and lowering the glycaemic index of meals aims to reduce body mass, in other words, to lose weight. The main goal here is to reduce the amount of body fat. This diet is based on a negative calorie balance, meaning it provides fewer kilocalories than the daily requirement. Following the diet generates what is known as an energy deficit, which is often accompanied by a feeling of hunger, which is why not everyone manages to stick to their resolution. Yerba Mate has properties that help curb the feeling of hunger, and regularly drinking an infusion of Yerba Mate leaves supports metabolism and fat processes, which are driven in part by the polyphenols contained in the dried leaves.

Polyphenols are a group of organic compounds found in fruits and vegetables, as well as in grains, legumes, nuts, Yerba Mate, coffee, tea and cocoa. These valuable plant compounds bring enormous health benefits. Polyphenols are divided into three groups: flavonoids, phenolic acids and phenolic compounds. Plant polyphenols have strong antioxidant properties, which means they have a positive effect on both health and beauty, helping you maintain a youthful appearance.

Yerba Mate – benefits of a high concentration of active substances

The effects shown by dried Yerba Mate leaves are directly related to their high concentration of active substances. Full-value, pure leaf-only dried leaves contain about 10% polyphenols, mainly in the form of chlorogenic acid and its isomers. An extract from finely crushed leaves contains the highest concentration of polyphenols, unlike raw material that consists of a mix of leaves and twigs. Yerbador offers dried leaves that are 100% organic leaves (without stems), dried with hot air and then aged for several years. If you want to support your weight reduction process as effectively as possible, choose exactly this type of dried leaves for brewing. The highest quality Yerba Mate is not only a wonderful combination of taste and health, but also brings the most benefits when it comes to losing weight.

What desirable effects does drinking Yerba Mate have on a reduction diet?

• Yerba Mate infusion can have a positive effect on reducing body fat.
• Drinking Yerba Mate hot speeds up metabolism.
• The alkaloids and polyphenols found in the dried leaves have antioxidant properties.
• Preparing a Yerba Mate drink helps with chronic fatigue, stimulates the body and helps reduce feelings of hunger.
• One of the benefits of drinking Yerba Mate is increased vitality and reduced effects of diet-related stress.
• Brewing Yerba Mate has a relaxing effect on the nervous system.

Yerba – nutritional properties and low calorie content

The properties of Yerba Mate make it worth including in your daily diet. The infusion is rich in vitamins and minerals that shouldn’t be missing from your body during weight reduction. Among the greatest benefits of Yerba Mate, dietitians list its wealth of nutrients, such as B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9) as well as vitamins C and E. In addition, Yerba Mate contains elements valuable for health: magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, iron, potassium, calcium and silicon. Its vitamin and mineral content makes Yerba Mate a natural dietary supplement.

On a weight-loss diet, every calorie counts. Above all, you should eliminate so-called empty calories, which offer no benefits from valuable nutrients. What does Yerba Mate offer? Vitamins and minerals as well as a high concentration of alkaloids and polyphenols that support weight reduction. The caloric value of the infusion varies depending on the type of dried leaves chosen. The number of kcal in a typically consumed portion of dried leaves (about 50 grams) ranges from 25 to 50 kcal.  That’s very little compared to the health benefits that come with drinking Yerba Mate.

Yerba Mate – what is it good for?

The benefits of Yerba Mate infusion are appreciated not only during weight reduction, and the drink’s health properties are not limited to fighting body fat. Many fans of the infusion made from Paraguayan holly leaves point out that drinking Yerba Mate increases the ability to concentrate during study or intense mental work. It’s therefore worth drinking Yerba Mate at work and while preparing for exams. The ability to focus one’s thoughts and concentrate on tasks is a benefit valued by everyone in everyday life amid information overload, noise and electromagnetic smog.

Paraguayan holly – health properties

The health properties of Yerba Mate stimulate the nervous system, energising without causing irritability. Regular drinking of Yerba Mate lowers excessively high blood pressure on the one hand, and improves blood circulation on the other. It is also known that Yerba Mate infusion has a relaxing effect on muscles, giving a pleasant feeling of relaxation. People struggling with asthma should brew Yerba Mate, as it contains mateine (alkaloids with stimulating properties similar to caffeine or theine) that soothe the symptoms of this condition.

What health properties does Yerba Mate have? 

An infusion of Paraguayan holly leaves:

• has a positive effect on the nervous system,
• increases the ability to concentrate,
• lowers excessively high blood pressure,
• improves the functioning of the circulatory system,
• has a relaxing effect on muscles,
• reduces feelings of fatigue and hunger.

Yerba Mate – Your Daily Health Ritual

Yerba Mate infusion cleanses the body

The cleansing properties of yerba mate are used to detoxify the body. Toxins have a negative effect on health and can cause many ailments. Many people who are aware of the beneficial effects of detox decide to start drinking Yerba Mate, because the infusion stimulates the natural processes that take place in our urinary system. Brewing this infusion is encouraged not only by faster fat burning, but also by the fact that Yerba Mate contains saponins with diuretic properties.

Saponins are chemical compounds belonging to glycosides. They are found both in yerba mate and other plants with health-promoting properties. Thanks to saponins, Yerba Mate infusion has an expectorant effect during respiratory ailments and a diuretic effect in case of water retention in the body. In addition, saponins support mucus secretion and stimulate the absorption of nutrients.

Is Yerba Mate healthy?

Scientists have conducted numerous studies confirming that brewing Yerba Mate and drinking the infusion regularly has a positive effect on many internal organs. Yerba mate exhibits anti-inflammatory properties, thanks to which it soothes inflammation and even contributes to cancer prevention.

It is also worth noting the antioxidant, i.e. anti-aging, properties of the infusion. The leaves and twigs of yerba mate have been studied, showing that they help neutralize free radicals. The effects of Yerba Mate have been researched over the past 30 years, among others, in terms of their impact on blood pressure and gastric juice secretion. However, it is worth emphasizing that dried leaves, without twigs, show the most beneficial effects on health. Leaf dried yerba has a higher concentration of polyphenols, including chlorogenic acid, which can slow down the release of glucose into the blood after a meal. It also increases cell sensitivity to insulin, which is why it is recommended for people with insulin resistance. Studies highlight the potential antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties of this substance  Due to these characteristics, it is sold in some countries as a dietary supplement.

Chlorogenic acid is an organic chemical compound from the polyphenol group, an ester of quinic acid and caffeic acid. It is a natural antioxidant found, for example, in Yerba Mate, as well as in green vegetable leaves and coffee fruit. This chemical compound is also found in raw coffee beans and coffee infusion, hawthorn, artichokes, nettle, black berries, raw potatoes, and in smaller amounts in common ivy, plums, cherries, apples, peaches or apricots. Source: Wikipedia

IARC studies – carcinogenic properties of PAHs

Many years ago, there were also reports, driven by coffee-producing companies, about the alleged carcinogenic properties of Yerba Mate, which have been decisively disproved. The research was conducted by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which was founded under the WHO (World Health Organization). The research concerned factors influencing the development of esophageal cancer. It was found that the harmful effects of Yerba Mate may be influenced by two elements: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and the high temperature of the beverage consumed.

PAHs are harmful substances that form as a result of burning organic matter. Their presence is linked to the use of fire and smoke in the thermal processing of dried leaves. Only some species of Yerba Mate are produced this way. In the Yerbador.pl shop we offer leaves dried exclusively with hot air, without generating harmful combustion by-products during the process.

The anti-inflammatory properties of Yerba Mate infusion

The healing properties resulting from regularly drinking Yerba Mate include, for example, easing inflammation thanks to the content of organic compounds called saponins. The anti-inflammatory properties of certain infusions of the plant are valuable as cancer prevention. Disease usually begins with inflammation that shows no clear symptoms and can only be detected through a series of laboratory tests. Choosing types of dried leaves that do not contain PAHs is completely safe for your health and can contribute to improving it. It’s also worth paying attention to the temperature of the infusion you drink. The water you pour over the dried leaves should not be hotter than 70–80 degrees Celsius. An infusion at the recommended temperature does not irritate the esophagus and poses no health risk.

The way Yerba Mate is brewed affects its health properties

The extraordinary properties of Yerba Mate result from perfectly dried leaves, and the high concentration of active ingredients comes from long-term aging. There are many health properties that shouldn’t be overshadowed by the negative effects created during the drying of leaves with fire and smoke flavouring or by drinking the infusion at too high a temperature. You’ll find the brewing method for ground Mate leaves that lets you extract all the valuable ingredients on our blog.

When including Yerba in your daily diet, keep in mind that, thanks to caffeine, it stimulates the blood to circulate faster through the blood vessels. This can have both negative and positive effects, depending on your state of health. Lowering cholesterol levels can contribute to better health, but in the case of excessively high blood pressure, which is often accompanied by being overweight, this type of energy drink should be consumed in moderation.

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