Green Mate Brochure- Unfermented Yerba Maté

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• Promotes Energy

• Improves the Oxidation of Fatty Acids

• Scavenges Free Radicals

• Gives Superior Antioxidant Protection

• Produced by the Patented Hyperpure™ Production Process

Yerba maté (or maté) is a tea-like beverage with a flavor characterized as being somewhat sweet with slightly bitter tones and a similarity to green tea (Camellia sinensis), although with less astringency. It is brewed from the dried leaves of the perennial tree Ilex paraguarensis, which is a member of the holly family. Consumed widely in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and southern Brazil, it is used in local traditional medicine and in commercial herbal preparations. Maté bars are commonplace in South America just as coffee bars are in North America and Europe.

Jarrow FORMULAS® Green Maté is related to typical yerba maté much as green tea is to black tea. Just as black tea has been fermented, green tea has not. Traditional maté is often aged for up to twelve months. Volatile and unstable compounds, such as antioxidants, are either destroyed or greatly changed by slow fermentation and by other procedures used to stabilize the herb. The parallel between tea and maté as beverages is very strong. Of the 196 volatile chemical compounds found in yerba maté, 144 are also found in tea. Fermentation is especially destructive to the caffeoylquinic acids, including chlorogenic acid, which gives maté much of its antioxidant “punch” and its digestive benefits.

Traditional Uses

South American traditional herbal systems employ yerba maté as a tonic, diuretic, stimulant (to reduce fatigue) and as an aid to gastric functions. It is also used to promote internal cleansing and the elimination of wastes from the body. In Europe, it is used for weight loss and to combat physical and mental fatigue. In Germany, it is the subject of an official monograph that lists its uses as including mental and physical fatigue. In France, yerba maté is approved for lack of energy and as an aid in weight-loss programs, among its other functions. Similarly, in the British Herbal Phamacopoeia (1996) it is indicated for the treatment of fatigue, for use in weight loss, etc. Yerba maté is now even being cultivated in India and is listed in the Indian Ayurvedic Phamacopoeia.

Modern Research: Active Ingredients Promote Digestive Health

The traditional uses of yerba maté enjoy support from modern research, which has uncovered the presence of a number of active compounds. The most important of these are known as caffeoylquinic acids, which include chlorogenic acid. These are powerful antioxidants that are also found in artichoke extracts and likely play a role in the digestive benefits associated with the intake of maté. Chlorogenic acid is linked to the improved secretion of bile and may inhibit the actions of toxins upon the liver. Bile is produced by the liver and stored and then released by the gall bladder. It is necessary for the digestion of fats. Insufficient bile flow is a common cause of many digestive disturbances. Choleretics (substances that increase bile flow) aid digestion, especially in cases of overindulgence and the consumption of excessive alcohol.

Jarrow FORMULAS® Green Maté standardized 5: 1 extract supplies not less than 20% caffeoylquinic acids, including 5% chlorogenic acid. Because Green Maté is not fermented, these active ingredients are present in the amounts at least twice those found in ordinary maté.

Proven Antioxidant Protection

Scientific studies performed in Europe and North America have demonstrated that maté exerts significant antioxidant activity. Not only the caffeoylquinic acids, but also other antioxidant phytochemicals found in maté leaf may be protective. The water extract of maté used in a test tube study designed to discover that nature of this antioxidant protection showed greater protection than vitamin C, the best known water-soluble antioxidant. Maté extract also turned out to be more protective than butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), an artificial antioxidant often tested in such studies to provide a convenient yardstick of activity.

Maté extract, similarly, inhibits lipid (fat) peroxidation, and this was recently proven in a human study. LDL (low-density lipoprotein) oxidation was decreased in this trial. This is an important finding since LDL oxidation is considered to be an initiating factor in artery wall damage and formation of plaques.

Another in vitro (test tube) study showed that yerba maté inhibits the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). The formation of AGEs is thought to play a part in the development of diabetic complications and is yet another marker to antioxidant protection. Clinical studies indicate yerba maté leaf inhibits the lipoxygenase enzyme.

A Safer, Gentler Energy Tonic for Fat Metabolism

Yerba maté traditionally is used to combat fatigue. This benefit is explained in part by the small amount of caffeine found in the herb – on par with what is found in tea – plus theobromine and some related compounds. However, the presence of this small quantity of caffeine does not explain the effect of the herb on fat metabolism. Swiss researchers performed a human study (published in 1999) that suggested that yerba maté might be beneficial as an aid to fat loss. In this trial, there was a drop in respiratory quotient, a marker that indicates a rise in the proportion of the body’s energy that is derived from fat as a fuel source.

A much harder to explain effect found that when maté is taken in combination with certain other herbs there is a change in appetite. In a clinical study, yerba maté was given in combination with the plants guaraná and damiana. This combination prolonged gastric emptying (slowed how fast food left the stomach) and led to reduced food intake and lessened body weight.

Usage And Safety

As a dietary supplement, take 1–3 capsules per day with food or as directed by your qualified health consultant. NOTE: Do not use if allergic to artichoke, pregnant or lactating, under the age of 18, or if using any medication. Individuals with gall bladder disease or bile duct blockage should not consume Green Maté extract.

References

Alikaridis, F. “Natural constituents of Ilex species.” J. Ethnopharmacol.
1987; 20(2): 121–44.
Anderson, T., et al. “Weight loss and delayed gastric emptying following
a South American herbal preparation in overweight patients.” J. Hum.
Nutr. Diet. 2001; 14(3): 243–50.
Filip, R., et al. “Antioxidant activity of Ilex paraguariensis and related
species.” Nutr. Res. 2000; 20(10): 1437–46.
Gorzalczany, S., et al. “Choleretic effect and intestinal propulsion
of ‘maté’ (Ilex paraguariensis) and its substitutes of adulterants.” J.
Ethnopharmacol. 2001; 75(2–3): 291–94.
Gugliucci, A. “Antioxidant effects of Ilex paraguariensis: induction of
decreased oxidability of human LDL in vivo.” Biochem. Biophys. Res.
Commun. 1996; 224(2): 338–44.
Gugliucci, A. “Low-density lipoprotein oxidation is inhibited by extracts
of Ilex paraguariensis,” Biochem. Mol. Biol. Int. 1995; 35(1): 47–56.
Kalousova, M., et al. “Advanced glycation end-products and advanced
oxidation protein products in patients with diabetes mellitus.” Physiol.
Res. 2002; 51(6): 597–604.
Kawakami, M., Kobayashi, A. “Volatile Constituents of Green Mate and
Roasted Mate,” J.Agric.Food Chem. 1991; 39: 1275.
Martinet, A., et al. “Thermogenic effects of commercially available plant
preparations aimed at treating human obesity.” Phytomedicine 1999;
6(4): 231–38.
Matsunaga, K., et al. “Inhibitory action of Paraguayan medicinal plants
on 5-lipoxygenase.” Natural Med. 2000; 54(3): 151–54.
Schinella, G. R., et al. “Antioxidant effects of an aqueous extract of
Ilex paraguariensis .” Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 2000; 269(2):
357–60.

Source: Jarrow Formulas