Mate: definition, benefits, taste, dangers

 Mate, or Yerba mate, is a drink native to South America. Antioxidant, slimming, stimulating... It would have many health benefits. What does it taste like? How to prepare it? What are the dangers? Answers with Dr. Marie-Antoinette Séjean, the nutritionist.

What is mate? 

'Mate, also called yerba mate, is a drink made from mate tree leaves, which are very similar to those of tea. It is traditionally found in South America, but also in the Middle East, such as Lebanon or Syria," explains Dr. Marie-Antoinette Séjean, a nutritionist doctor. 'The name 'mate' comes from Spanish and means 'gourd' because this drink is consumed in Latin America in a small gourd resembling a gourd, with a filter straw called the 'Brambilla's.

For whom? 

'Mate can be drunk by anyone who likes it! However, given its caffeine content, I do not recommend it to children, pregnant or lactating women," says the nutritionist doctor. 'It is sometimes offered during diets because mate grass would help promote weight loss, provided you do not sweeten it or you will cause the opposite effect.'

What does mate taste like? 

'Traditional mate has a powerful and bitter taste. It can be sweetened with milk, spices, orange peels...' explains Dr. Séjean. 'To short-circuit the bitterness, it is also available in milder flavours, with lemon or citrus, mint or red fruits for example.' Finally, if you prefer a softer mate, you can turn to a green mate, a variety of mates with a much less bitter taste. 

'Pour hot, but not boiling water, otherwise, the drink will be even more bitter.'

What are its health benefits? 

► Antioxidant: 'Mate is renowned for its strong antioxidant power significantly superior to that of green tea and wine, thanks to its great richness in polyphenols' according to Dr. Séjean. 'Antioxidants act at the cellular level, which limits the proliferation of free radicals and their deleterious effects. Polyphenols would also prevent the appearance of degenerative diseases such as cancers and cardiovascular pathologies.'

► Slimming: 'Mate would have benefits if you want to lose weight, but only when consumed plain, without sugar' warns the nutritionist doctor. 'Its richness in potassium also gives it a diuretic effect, so it promotes the renal elimination of water. Finally, it would reduce the sensations of cravings.'

► Stimulating on energy, concentration and memory: 'Mate naturally contains caffeine which gives a little boost. If it is less exciting than coffee, it provides theobromine, which has a stimulating effect that lasts longer. Mate is therefore interesting in case of chronic fatigue both physical and mental which makes it appreciated by athletes.'

How to prepare it?

'Classically it is drunk like a cup of tea, prepared in the famous calabash and bombilla, it's straw that allows to infuse and filter the leaves. The latter can be infused a dozen times," explains the nutritionist doctor. 'Remember to pour hot, but not boiling water, otherwise, the drink will be even more bitter.'

What are the dangers or contraindications? 

The dangers or contraindications are essentially related to the caffeine content in people who are sensitive to it. "These effects can occur if consumption is too high or too late in the day. This reaction to caffeine is specific to everyone, some heavy consumers do not feel it, "warns Dr. Séjean. Mate can cause: 

• Difficulty falling asleep or even real insomnia: 'It is recommended not to exceed 4 infusions per day and to avoid any intake at the end of the day under penalty of disturbing sleep.'
• Palpitations and high blood pressure.
• Anxiety and nervousness.
• Headaches. 
• Upset stomach and gastroesophageal reflux.

Where to buy it? 

'You can easily find it in tea shops, herbalism or organic shops' informs the specialist. 'There are also a lot of online shops that even sell kits with bombillas to prepare it.'