Mate is considered one of the richest trees in vitamins, as confirmed by many well-known scientific centers in the world, such as the French Pasteur Institute. Dr. Bernardo Houssay (Argentinian doctor who won the Nobel Prize in Philosophy in 1947) said: The active principle contained in the herb yerba mate, which is commonly known as nebulizers, is a stimulant with great capacity, but it works for the benefit of the organs of the body. Poets and writers in the diaspora agree to attribute all the good qualities to this plant. They say that it is nourishing, joyful, removes stress and worry, repels germs, and saves humans from diseases. There are one hundred million human beings from all classes in America: Indians, Argentines, Brazilians, Peruvians, and well-accustomed foreigners. All of these do not stop eating traditional mate throughout their day. Poets and writers in the diaspora agree to attribute all the good qualities to this plant. They say that it is nourishing, joyful, removes stress and worry, repels germs, and saves humans from diseases. There are one hundred million human beings from all classes in America: Indians, Argentines, Brazilians, Peruvians, and well-accustomed foreigners. All of these do not stop eating traditional mate throughout their day. It is worth noting that the amounts of tannins found in yerba mate are much lower than their amounts in tea, and the percentage of tannins in yerba mate does not affect the stomach membrane and does not prevent its secretions, as is the case in tea. Therefore, it is indigestible if it is taken after food. In addition, yerba mate is a drink that benefits everyone who performs muscular or mental work. Travelers noticed that eating yerba mate before traveling or before taking long trips on foot helps them to overcome difficulties and they can climb mountains if they want, as it prevents the feeling of fatigue and helps to endure hardships. They also believe that yerba mate prevents them from developing a fever and helps heal wounds. This is in addition to the fact that yerba mate is a nutritious infusion that helps silence the sense of hunger. Mate is useful for people with neurological diseases and neuropathy (neurosthenia), who complain of headaches and migraines (pain affecting specific parts of the head) and who complain of difficulty breathing.
“Dr. E. Monin, former Secretary General of the French Health Association: “mate is considered a real beverage, and in a climate that weakens the body or in an environment where climate affects the human body, it is a tonic for muscle strength and a regulator of nutritional functions. We can say that mate is an excellent drink.
Through its clear benifits and the low price, yerba mate can provide great services at the health level, mainly in large cities, as it has been spread in Europe. Mate has become the favorite drink of Americans in the southern part of the continent, which gives it the advantages of a medicine that treats every disease. Its massive consumption indicates its nutritional properties.
Mate replaces a large part of the vegetarian food (vegetables) for the population that lives mainly on eating meat and does not eat bread. This liquid do not only treats the problems caused by a bad diet, but also reduces fatigue, revitalizes energy and boosts morale. Its ability to facilitate digestion, sweating and urination, stimulates the absorption of nutrients and speeds up the functions of the organs.
Mate activates muscle strength, heartbeat, and breathing, and gives a sense of comfort in terms of activity and apparent professional clarity. Based on what was mentioned, his pain relieves fatigue and the feeling of tropical heat, giving the life of the organs its requirements. The action of mate as a stimulant is also less than the effect caused by coffee, because mate does not cause insomnia or nervous anxiety states caused by coffee, and this characteristic distinguishes this type of infusion. Mate is considered the most effective food among the stimulants on muscle strength.
- Stimulant effects of coffee and tea: short
- The stimulant effects of yerba mate: longer (range: from 16 to 20 hours)
- Unwanted effects: (irritability - insomnia ... etc.) It is not found in yerba mate, but it is present in tea and coffee.
- The concentration of caffeine in tea is high compared to yerba mate, in which it is relatively low and in different proportions.
- Stimulant for the body
- Antioxidant
- Increases food absorption
- Strengthens memory
- Helps in losing weight
In 1937 "Dr. Pedro Escudero", director of the Municipal Institute of Nutrition was interested in Mate, he wrote: “Currently three types of food are approved: food that gives energy, food that provides the organs of the body with (calories) ) and food that gives energy for work; this group also includes the carbon hydrates, fats and fibers that make up our tissues; they are also joined by various proteins, substances that regulate nutrition and control the processes that lead to the better use and exploitation of food, among which be a multivitamin. In the laboratories of this institute, it has been definitively proven that this infusion of yerba mate is a rich and useful source of vitamin C. In order to prove the presence of vitamin C in yerba mate, the reactor known worldwide as Tillmann was used. When this reactor was applied to the mate herb that is sold in the market, it was proven by testing it on 11 samples of different brands and different prices that all of them contain vitamin C in variable quantities, ranging between 15 and 30 mg of ascorbic acid (ácido ascorbico). vitamin C” in every 100 grams of yerba mate, which means a general average of 22 mg of the vitamin, which is equivalent to 440 units of vitamin C. "Dr. Escudero", in his book "Nutrition", in the chapter that talks about the importance of yerba mate, where he tells us, through his diagnosis, the reasons that prove and with practical evidence the presence of vitamin C in yerba mate. The aforementioned doctor says that during many years our workers in the plains ate only meat, corn, and a little sweet, but mainly they drank a lot of yerba infusion. In exceptional and very rare cases, these people consumed fruits or legumes and vegetables, and this means that they were subject to a system devoid of vitamin C. However, with all this, it was never known the cases of drilling disease in the plains of the “Pampas” (plains in South America). (Scurvy or hoof, a disease that affects those who have a deficiency of vitamin C as a result of not eating fruits or vegetables)
First, yerba mate is harvested, collected, and spread on sheets, then the (sabikado stage) begins. - sabicadu: In the beginning (sabicadu and thambika stage) takes place,it means: “opening the eyes”(Guarani word) (the Indian tribes who inhabited the region), during this stage the mate herb is quickly passed over the fire, this sudden action cause an evaporation of water in mate leaves. the herb undergoes a reduction in enzymatic activity in order to avoid fermentation. This approach is called Sabicado, and it is just to pass the flowering Mate leaves at a high temperature between 350 and 400 degrees Celsius within (2.5) minutes, in order to kill the germs and sterilize the Mate leaves. After that, it is cooled by air for two and a half hours. (Alknchado): the word Kanchada means the final dried herb, it is just spreading the herb on covers maintaining the temperature of 110 degrees Celsius, due to the hot air flow during 4 and a half hours. It is obtained starting from the leaves and stems of the tree, the petiole of the leaf, and the flower stalk of the cultivar Ilex paraguariensis (the botanical name for the mate). After that, it is placed in a special warehouses, where a person from the receiving staff empties each bag, by looking and sniffer checks each sample. The samples obtained from the bags are collected, mixed, divided and sent to the laboratories, where they are analyzed in the chemical and agricultural terms. Processing: When Mate has been dried (i.e. in the case of Kanchada) later then the color and taste become similar to the case of green vegetables. After processing (aging and fermentation) in warehouses for 36 months, the herb acquires a greenish-yellow color, according to its origin. Maturity: As the term indicates, the herb has attained similar organoleptic properties to the treated herb. The approach taken in order to reach the aforementioned condition is completely natural as the herb is given the necessary period of time to ripen. It should be noted that samples are taken on a daily basis from the processing rooms, and on a monthly basis from the warehouses. When the raw material has reached maturity, homogeneity, and proper conditioning, it is then sent to the milling warehouses.
yerba mate stimulates the senses in the cerebral cortex, it increases observation and the ability to be guided. It also stimulates thinking, good judgment and accuracy of discrimination, and makes the person at the level of his natural intelligence, It also arouses joy and euphoria in the souls, all of this without having the effect of coffee stimulating the heart and nerves. It is useful, especially for smokers, because it slows down the vital reactions in the body, and although it contains tannins, which astringent the intestines, its low percentage makes it a digestive substance if one eats it after food. It has also been proven that yerba mate is useful in the case of migraines and anemia headaches. It has an effect by expelling toxic substances from the body, as well as stimulating breathing, so it is useful in asthma and bronchial flatulence, as it expands the bronchi and contributes to the excretion of sputum. It also stimulates the center for regulating blood circulation and the heart. Mate makes a person alert and replaces the tendency to sleep. This means that it increases activity in people with certain professions, such as typists or drivers. it contains sugar and protein which makes it a nutritious substance, and eating it eliminates the feeling of hunger.
The nutritional value of yerba mate has been verified, firstly by practical experiments and secondly by science itself. Practical experience has been proven through the life and people habits in the regions full of Yerba mate plants. It was traditionally known to the people of the region as helping resistance, and it was also known that drinking it while traveling or during harsh farming activities is very beneficial. those people spend their time drinking frequently and repeatedly without feeling any fatigue while maintaining their spirit and high spirits. The science present a powerful effort, When the mate was chemically analyzed, it shows that it had exactly the same composition as foods known which as stimulants. According to the experiments carried out, it was observed that yerba mate has a clear effect on the blood circulation, muscles and the digestive tract. Its nutritional effect is also important, especially because it integrates with the body's organs as an energy storage substance. From this point of view, we can say that mate is very necessary. drinking yerba mate helps for a long fast, In cases of poor nutrition, yerba mate helps to restore balance to the body, helps to avoid the destruction of organs. These two specifications in the mate herb turn it into an indispensable food for the worker, the employee, or everyone, those who eat a simple breakfast and are forced to work for continuous hours as a result of their circumstances and activities do not allow them to be regular between having one meal and another.
The existence of yerba mate origin and use is told of centuries ago, in its principles stories and legends are intertwining. Yerba mate was originally a wild tree. The Guaranis Indians (who were later called the Red Indians) prepared a drink or infusion from its dried leaves. In colonial times, it is told that Spanish sailors realized quickly the special properties of yerba mate and that its consumption prevented scurvy. It was also found that the Indians who were eating yerba mate had a permanent resistance to tiredness and exhaustion. It is said that the Indians were consuming it and they called it among themselves as “caa mate”, which is a word in the Guarani language (the language of the Indians who inhabited this region and who are considered the original inhabitants of Argentina), and this term is similar to the words used in the “Quechua language”, which is considered a very old language spoken by the Indians through the ages and is still in use in some areas of the northern center of Argentina. In the Guaraní language, this phrase means (Gerba is herb) and (mati is mate), and the word mate means the nut or cup in which this infusion is drunk. A hundred years after the discovery of America, the discovery of the use of Yerba Mate leaves (herb) has been attributed to )Hernando Arias de Saavedra( in 1592. this information has been strengthened by (Ruiz Diaz de Guzman) in his book )Historical Summary of the Conquest Phases ( which he wrote in 1612. According to these stories, the Indians who were attacking the Spaniards, carried with them in addition to their weapons, a small tanned leather bag, known as “guayacas”, Within this, they hided semi-ground and roasted yerba mate, as they were used to chewing on it during their long walks, or they added water to it and then suck its juice through a polished and dry reed pipe. At the beginning of the year 1800, a French specialist in natural sciences "Amado Bombland" was known as a doctor, presented the first study about yerba mate tree, which we can describe it as scientific study, because he studied its importance and uses. He was motivated and interested in the conclusions, this doctor, whose real name was “Aime Goupland”, moved to Paraguay between 1820 and 1821, in order to visit the fields of the Yerba mate and expand his research. The economic status of yerba mate has got to a point that they have called it green gold. because this herb was the cause of neighborhoods and cities creation where it was cultivated, and it was also considered as a used currency during the Spanish settlement period (Virrey Cevallos government) so that handful of yerba mate leaves was a worker's wage against one working day.
“Dr. A. Lenglet”: President of the International Society of Pure (Natural) Food, based in Paris: “The most remarkable observation regarding the effect of mate on natural organs is that it works directly with the group of the nervous system and the mind – the spinal cord.
Drinking mate during the morning before breakfast with a little of sugar gives a vital feeling of comfort, increases resistance to tiredness, and activates brain life. Yerba Mate is considered as one of the most important drinks, it can be the only natural way that the person have in order to use the most of its hidden energy, it is concidered as an energy saver.
(Dr. J. Sehunk de Goldfian) (a published research in Presse Medical):
“We can conclude that yerba mate is considered as a general tonic (occupational tonic, stimulant), it is a beverage of plant origin,
used for treating scurvy disease, and also a tonic for the heart, blood vessels and spinal cord.
Yerba mate is a mild anesthetic for the digestive mucous layer, reduces the feeling of hunger, and strengthens the flat fibers present in the intestinal walls.
Yerba mate helps to stimulate sexual feelings for people who suffer from sexual frustration, it is also a general antibiotic, it helps Wound healing, anti- satiety, anti-pyretic and antibacterial. These actions are produced by biochemical compounds, chlorophyll, mineral atoms, etc."
(Dr. Victor Do Amaral) the President of Paraná University in Brazil: “Mate is a tonic, stimulant, and urination aid. It is classified by health professionals and physiologists as a food that helps to provide the physical energy, it is also economical.
The famous professor “Adolpho Gubler” called it a dynamophorso, which means the engine that restores the strength of the tissues. It helps maintain the forces in the organs and relieves the feeling of hunger, the peasants living in the interior of the country and the cowherds of the plains can survive for a whole day without any sacrifice without eating solid food, but having yerba mate.
(Dr. M. Thévenard), from the University of Paris: “yerba Mate contains alkaloids, its appearance and instant interaction with the principles of the organs, are considered an important nutrient that restores the general activity of the body.
It is considered superior through its special composition in terms of health, because it contains little of the oils that are found mainly in other similar drinks, which do not cause insomnia and help digestion.
Thanks to its tonic and stimulant advantages and its absence of harm, the useful specifications of yerba mate is considered a drink which is able to counteract alcoholic beverages.