Yerba Mate

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Mate plant, or Yerba mate (Spanish: [ˈʝerβa ˈmate]; also spelled in English as maté, from the Spanish: yerba mate, Portuguese: erva-mate, IPA: [ˈɛʁvɐ ˈmatʃi]), binomial name Ilex paraguariensis, is a species of holly (family Aquifoliaceae), well-known as the source of the mate beverage. Though the plant is called yerba in Spanish ("herb" in English),it is a tree and not a herbaceous plant. It is native to subtropical South America in northeastern Argentina, Bolivia, southern Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay.[1] It was first used and cultivated by the Guaraní people, and also in some Tupí communities in southern Brazil, prior to the European colonization. It was scientifically classified by the Swiss botanist Moses Bertoni, who settled inParaguay in 1895.

The mate plant, Ilex paraguariensis, is a shrub when young and a tree when adult, growing up to 15 meters tall. The leaves are evergreen, 7–11 cm long and 3–5.5 cm wide, with a serrated margin. The flowers are small, greenish-white, with four petals. The fruit is a red drupe 4–6 mm in diameter. The leaves are often called yerba (Spanish) or erva (Portuguese), both of which mean"herb". They contain caffeine and related compounds and are harvested commercially.

|Contents |
|  [hide]  |
|1 Cultivation |
|2 Use as a beverage |
|3 Chemical composition and properties |
|3.1 Xanthines|
|3.2 Mineral content |
|4 Health effects |
|4.1 Lipid metabolism |
|4.2 Cancer |
|4.3 Obesity |
|5 Mechanism of action |
|5.1 E-NTPDaseactivity |
|5.2 Antioxidants |
|6 History |
|7 Nomenclature |
|8 The Argentine market |
|9 Curative properties |
|9.1 A medicinal drink |
|10 See also|
|11 References |
|11.1 Footnotes |
|11.2 Bibliography |


[edit]Cultivation

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Plantation in Misiones, Argentina.

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new growth evident on young yerba mate plant

The plant is grown and processed mainly inSouth America, more specifically in northern Argentina (Corrientes, Misiones), Paraguay, Uruguay and southern Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paranáand Mato Grosso do Sul). Cultivators are known as yerbateros (Spanish) or ervamateiros (Brazilian Portuguese).

When the mate is harvested, the branches are dried sometimes with a wood fire, imparting a smoky flavor. Then the leaves andsometimes the twigs are broken up.[citation needed]

The plant Ilex paraguariensis can vary in strength of the flavor, caffeine levels and other nutrients depending on whether it is a male or female plant. Female plants tend to be milder in flavor, and lower in caffeine. They are also relatively scarce in the areas where mate is planted and cultivated, not wild-harvested, compared to the maleplants.[2]

According to FAO, Brazil is the biggest producer of mate in the world with 434,727 MT (53%), followed by Argentina with 300,000 MT (37%) and Paraguay with 76,663 MT (10%).[3]

[edit]Use as a beverage

Main article: Mate (beverage)

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Steaming mate infusion in its customary gourd

The infusion, called mate in Spanish-speaking countries or chimarrão in south Brazil, is...