Mate Tea: The Coffee Alternative Is So Healthy

Mate tea comes from South America and can be healthy in moderation. How your body can benefit from Mate, we have summarized in this practical tip for you.

Mate tea is a healthy drink

Various substances in mate tea make the tea a healthy drink.

• First of all: Mate tea is not a drug. As with all stimulants, it depends on the amount you drink. If you drink too much of it, the mate tea will boost you up like coffee.
• Mate is valued by many people as a caffeine supplier precisely because of its high caffeine content. However, the caffeine in mate works at a much slower rate and thus enters the body more slowly. In addition, the caffeine has a longer effect than is the case with coffee.
• Mate is rich in vitamins. It has vitamins A, B1, B2 and C. These support your immune system, for example. But they also have an effect on the better functioning of muscles and nerve tracts.
• Since mate tea is rich in tannins, it stimulates digestion. Tannins have antimicrobial properties and also help with wound healing.
• In addition to vitamins, mate tea also contains minerals, especially potassium and magnesium. The body needs potassium to regulate the water balance, among other things. Magnesium is involved in the communication between nerve cells.
• The tea stimulates kidney function, which has a diuretic effect.
• Mate tea is also used to help with weight loss when dieting. The metabolism is stimulated and fat burning boosted. In addition, the caffeine has an effect, which causes mild to severe nervousness and suppresses the feeling of hunger. So mate curbs the appetite.

What speaks against mate tea

Excessive consumption of mate tea can be problematic.

• If you have a good constitution and are healthy, you can enjoy mate tea in moderation. Undesirable side effects should not occur.
• If the dose of tea is too high and too many portions of tea are consumed, the high caffeine content can cause restlessness and palpitations.
• Excessive consumption of mate tea can also lead to stomach pain and discomfort.
• According to a study from 2008, drinking mate tea in higher amounts is also carcinogenic . The risks of such diseases in the esophagus, mouth and bladder are said to increase.
• If you suffer from a stomach ulcer, you should avoid drinking Mate tea anyway.
• The same applies to people with high blood pressure or an overactive thyroid, as well as to pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Mate tea FAQs

Is mate harmful?

According to a 2008 study, consuming too much yerba mate can cause cancer of the esophagus, lungs and bladder. However, critics point out that the study does not say exactly which variety was examined and that the harmful dose would also be far above normal consumption.

Is mate tea stimulating or calming?

The research group of the independent Hygiene Institute in Hamburg found that mate has a stimulating effect due to its special composition of xanthine, called matein in mate. So it’s not the caffeine that triggers the stimulating effect of mate.

What is mate tea good for?

What is the effect of mate tea ? Mate tea has a stimulating effect due to the caffeine , it accelerates the heartbeat. It can relieve mental and physical fatigue. Mate tea also has a diuretic effect and is said to strengthen the circulatory system and promote digestion.

Is mate good for the stomach?

Effect. Mate tea has a stimulating, diuretic and diaphoretic effect. It promotes digestion and reduces cravings, which is why many people like to drink it during a weight loss diet. For medical purposes, mate can be used for constipation, stomach problems, tiredness and poor circulation.

How much mate per day?

For the experienced mate tea drinker, 2-3 servings of mate tea per day should be the norm. Of course, one should always behave in moderation. Do not force yourself to drink mate tea by hook or by crook and regardless of further consequences. However, everything is for people, but in reasonable doses.

Can you drink mate tea in the evening?

Mate leaves contain a lot of caffeine – more than other caffeinated drinks like coffee or cola. Therefore, do not drink the tea before going to bed or during treatment with sedatives.

How do you drink mate tea correctly?

Traditional mate tea preparation. It is not drunk in sips, but sucked through a bombilla. So the leaves stay in the drinking cup. If you would also like to enjoy the pick-me-up in this way, the vessel and drinking tube are essential companions.

Where is mate tea drunk?

Mate was drunk by the natives of South America even before colonization . In the vicinity of the traditional cultivation areas, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay, in parts of Chile and in the Bolivian Gran Chaco, the majority of people nowadays regularly drink Mate or Mate.

What is healthier coffee or mate?

Ingredients. It has been scientifically proven that both coffee and mate tea are healthy drinks for humans. In addition to caffeine, coffee also contains B vitamins, minerals and acid. In addition to caffeine, mate also contains theobromine, theophylline, B vitamins, vitamin A and vitamin C.

How long can you let mate tea stand?

Mate tea preparation in Europe. There are also around five teaspoons of mate in one liter of water. Depending on how strong you want the tea to be, steep it for between three and five minutes.

How do you properly prepare mate?

It can also be prepared in the classic way in a teapot. To do this, put about five teaspoons of mate tea in a tea strainer and pour in a liter of boiling water. (You need a heaping teaspoon of tea for just one cup.) Let the mate steep in the hot water for 3-5 minutes and pour it up again up to three times.

Is mate tea the same as green tea?

In contrast to green tea , mate tea does not become bitter when steeped for a long time. It is a bit easier and more hygienic to drink mate from porcelain teacups. To do this, put a tea filter or a tea infuser with five spoonfuls of tea leaves in a teapot and add one liter of hot water.

Can you drink mate tea with milk?

The ratio of dry milk to milk can remain the same as when preparing an infusion with water. Pour part of the product into the mate cup, form a mound and then pour the milk over it. After a while you will feel an intense enticing aroma.

Is mate tea carcinogenic?

Another reclassification concerns mate , an infusion made from the leaves of Ilex paraguariensis, a species of holly, popular in South America. In 1991 , the IARC even classified the hot mate drink as “probably carcinogenic ” (group 2a), i.e. even higher than coffee.

Is mate stronger than coffee?

This makes it a natural nootropic, that is, an agent that supports mental performance. Mate has a very similar caffeine content to coffee , namely around 160 mg per cup. Mate thus achieves a similar invigorating effect.

What happens if mate tea steeps too long?

Tea that steeps too long can taste bitter and limit the invigorating effects of caffeinated teas. This effect is caused by the tanning agents already mentioned.

Why is mate tea going dark?

Is it because oxygen gets into the pot? These are the oh-so-healthy polyphenols in tea , which oxidize in the air and turn dark . Same effect as when cut apples turn brown.

What flavor is mate?

The taste of mate is very special. Some would describe it as very tart or almost bitter, like a black coffee. If you find mate too bitter, you can drink it with sweeteners, squeeze in lemon juice, add honey or neutralize the taste with other juices.