20
1 Yerba Mate Tea, a Traditional South American …
1.6 The Safety Importance of Yerba Mate and Similar
Infusions
Yerba mate beverages have been often reported to have antioxidant power and consequently interesting healthy effects with relation to human safety. Substantially, all
above-mentioned bioactive molecules—phenolics, saponins, xanthines—seem to be
associated with positive features against several human diseases (Filip et al. 2010;
Frizon et al. 2018; Heck and Mejia 2007; Martins et al. 2009). In addition, I. paraguariensis contains a broad selection of elements and vitamins, and this fact may have
its own importance when speaking of human nutrition and supplementation against
nutritional deficiencies.
It should be recognised and highlighted that the regular assumption of yerba mate
infusions in notable amounts (500 ml at least per day) can explain partially sanitary
evidences with reference to antioxidant and hypoglycaemic power. Moreover, cardiovascular diseases linked to atherosclerosis, and the possible anti-cancer treatments
should be considered as the effect of the protection of cell membranes and also the
genetic code. For these reasons, the research of nutraceutical products has been also
concerned the possible addition of yerba mate extracts (chimarrão, tererê, and mate
tea) to non-South American typical products or beverages such as soy beverages
(Frizon et al. 2018).
On the other side, yerba mate has been sometimes reported to be an additive and
‘carrier’ beverage for characteristic medicinal plants. In detail, it has been reported
with reference to the Paraguayans that I. paraguariensis is not really considered
a medicinal plant. However, its use as infusion is recognised in association with
other plants which are widely considered medicinal remedies in Paraguay and in
Argentina. Consequently, it is still unknown whether yerba mate (as chimarrão,
tererê, and mate tea) has peculiar properties against hypertension, high cholesterol
amounts, and diabetes as the result of a pure addition to other medicinal plant extract
dissolved in I. paraguariensis infusions. The other possibility is that yerba mate
infusions can show a synergetic function in association with other vegetable remedies.
In this ambit, more research is surely needed at present (Arenas and Azorero 1977;
Kujawska et al. 2017; Schmeda-Hirschmann and Bordas 1990).
Finally, it has been sometimes reported that the notable yerba mate consumption
could be linked with increased risk of various tumours (Bates et al. 2007; Heck and
Mejia 2007). These findings have certainly confused normal yerba mate consumers
with obvious results. As a result, there is still a certain contrast between potential
health effects of I. paraguariensis (as hot or cold infusion) because of phenolics and
other bioactive principles on the one side, and the possible carcinogenic effects on
the other side (Frizon et al. 2018).
In general with explicit relation to positive claimed effects of yerba mate assumption in humans, the following effects have been reported so far (Baeza et al. 2017;
Cahuê et al. 2019; Cittadini et al. 2019a, b; Croge et al. 2020; Luís et al. 2019; Panza
et al. 2018; Tate et al. 2020):
(a) Interesting reduction of body weight
1 Yerba Mate Tea, a Traditional South American …
1.6 The Safety Importance of Yerba Mate and Similar
Infusions
Yerba mate beverages have been often reported to have antioxidant power and consequently interesting healthy effects with relation to human safety. Substantially, all
above-mentioned bioactive molecules—phenolics, saponins, xanthines—seem to be
associated with positive features against several human diseases (Filip et al. 2010;
Frizon et al. 2018; Heck and Mejia 2007; Martins et al. 2009). In addition, I. paraguariensis contains a broad selection of elements and vitamins, and this fact may have
its own importance when speaking of human nutrition and supplementation against
nutritional deficiencies.
It should be recognised and highlighted that the regular assumption of yerba mate
infusions in notable amounts (500 ml at least per day) can explain partially sanitary
evidences with reference to antioxidant and hypoglycaemic power. Moreover, cardiovascular diseases linked to atherosclerosis, and the possible anti-cancer treatments
should be considered as the effect of the protection of cell membranes and also the
genetic code. For these reasons, the research of nutraceutical products has been also
concerned the possible addition of yerba mate extracts (chimarrão, tererê, and mate
tea) to non-South American typical products or beverages such as soy beverages
(Frizon et al. 2018).
On the other side, yerba mate has been sometimes reported to be an additive and
‘carrier’ beverage for characteristic medicinal plants. In detail, it has been reported
with reference to the Paraguayans that I. paraguariensis is not really considered
a medicinal plant. However, its use as infusion is recognised in association with
other plants which are widely considered medicinal remedies in Paraguay and in
Argentina. Consequently, it is still unknown whether yerba mate (as chimarrão,
tererê, and mate tea) has peculiar properties against hypertension, high cholesterol
amounts, and diabetes as the result of a pure addition to other medicinal plant extract
dissolved in I. paraguariensis infusions. The other possibility is that yerba mate
infusions can show a synergetic function in association with other vegetable remedies.
In this ambit, more research is surely needed at present (Arenas and Azorero 1977;
Kujawska et al. 2017; Schmeda-Hirschmann and Bordas 1990).
Finally, it has been sometimes reported that the notable yerba mate consumption
could be linked with increased risk of various tumours (Bates et al. 2007; Heck and
Mejia 2007). These findings have certainly confused normal yerba mate consumers
with obvious results. As a result, there is still a certain contrast between potential
health effects of I. paraguariensis (as hot or cold infusion) because of phenolics and
other bioactive principles on the one side, and the possible carcinogenic effects on
the other side (Frizon et al. 2018).
In general with explicit relation to positive claimed effects of yerba mate assumption in humans, the following effects have been reported so far (Baeza et al. 2017;
Cahuê et al. 2019; Cittadini et al. 2019a, b; Croge et al. 2020; Luís et al. 2019; Panza
et al. 2018; Tate et al. 2020):
(a) Interesting reduction of body weight