Tea

Yerba Mate (has a safety note)

BotanicalIlex paraguariensisAlso calledMate, Paraguay tea, Erva mate

The grassy, earthy, caffeinated leaf of a South American holly, shared from a gourd for centuries. Best sipped warm rather than scalding.

* Safety note: Contains caffeine; never drink it very hot, and read the cautions first. Read the cautions

Yerba Mate, leaf

Yerba mate is made from the leaves and small stems of an evergreen holly that grows in Paraguay, Uruguay and parts of Brazil and Argentina. The Guarani people drank it long before it spread across the region, and today it is passed around in a hollow gourd with a metal straw, topped up again and again with hot water.

The taste is green, grassy and a little smoky, with a bitter edge. Like coffee and tea, mate contains caffeine along with its cousins theobromine and theophylline, so it wakes you up in a familiar way. It is not part of Ayurveda, and we have not found a reliable Ayurvedic profile for it, so this page sticks to how it tastes, how to brew it and how to drink it safely.

Ayurvedic Properties

Not described in classical Ayurveda, and we have not found a reliable modern Ayurvedic profile, so most of its energetics are shown as unknown.

RasaTastes
  • Bitter
ViryaHeating or cooling
Not known
VipakaPost-digestive effect
Not known
AgniEffect on digestion
Not known

No Ayurvedic source describes its effect on digestion.

GunaQualities
Not known
TridoshaEffect on Vata, Pitta and Kapha
  • Vata: not known
  • Pitta: not known
  • Kapha: not known
  • decreases (calms that dosha)
  • increases (can aggravate it)
  • neutral or balancing
  • not known
  • V Vata · P Pitta · K Kapha

There is no classical or reliable modern Ayurvedic profile for yerba mate. Its bitter taste and stimulating caffeine suggest it will feel best to people who run slow and heavy, and least comfortable for anyone already wired, dry or overheated, but take that as a common-sense guess rather than a teaching.

Traditional Uses

  • Traditionally used to support wakefulness and mental focus.
  • Traditionally used to support stamina through long working days.
  • Traditionally used to support connection, as a shared drink passed among friends.

How People Use It

  • TeaUse 1 to 2 teaspoons of leaf per cup. Pour water that has cooled well below boiling (around 160 to 175 F) and steep 3 to 5 minutes. Then let the cup cool further until it is comfortably warm before you drink.
  • WaterMate is also traditionally drunk cold. Soak 1 to 2 tablespoons of leaf in a jar of cold water for 20 minutes or overnight in the fridge, then strain.
Try This

Cool Mint and Lemon Mate

A refreshing iced version for warm afternoons, with no scalding involved.

  • 2 tablespoons yerba mate
  • 1 teaspoon dried peppermint
  • 3 cups cold water
  • Squeeze of lemon
  • A little honey (optional)
  1. Place the mate and peppermint in a jar and add the cold water.
  2. Cover and leave in the fridge for 4 to 8 hours.
  3. Strain, then add lemon and honey to taste.
  4. Pour over ice and sip before mid-afternoon, so the caffeine does not keep you up.

Pairs Well With

Cautions

  • Do not drink mate, or any beverage, very hot. The World Health Organization's cancer agency (IARC) classifies drinking very hot beverages, above about 65 C (149 F), as probably carcinogenic to humans, linked to cancer of the esophagus. Mate is traditionally drunk at about 70 C. Mate drunk warm or cold was not classified as a cancer hazard. Long-term heavy use has also been linked in studies to head and neck cancers.
  • Yerba mate contains caffeine at levels similar to tea and coffee. Too much can cause palpitations, nervousness, headaches and poor sleep.
  • If you are pregnant, might be pregnant or are breastfeeding, limit caffeine and talk with your doctor or midwife before drinking mate.
  • Liver injury from yerba mate is very rare but has been reported (NIH LiverTox rates it a possible but rare cause). One older case involved mate contaminated with pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Buy from a trusted source and stop and see a doctor if you notice dark urine or yellowing skin or eyes.
  • Caffeine can interact with stimulants, some antibiotics, asthma medicines and heart medicines. Check with your doctor if you have heart rhythm problems, high blood pressure, reflux or a sleep or anxiety condition.
  • Please consult a qualified practitioner or your doctor before drinking yerba mate regularly.

In Our Shop

Organic Yerba Mate

Organic Yerba Mate, from $4.75. Weighed and packed by hand at our Rockville Centre studio.

Shop Yerba Mate →

Sources and Further Reading

This page shares how herbs are traditionally used in Ayurveda and other herbal traditions. It is for general education only and is not medical advice. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, and herbs are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Please talk with your doctor or a qualified practitioner before using herbs, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or managing a health condition.