Purify Your Body In Moderation
Mate is a quintessential Argentine and Uruguayan infusion, which has spread around the world for its fantastic health benefits. It is prepared with crushed leaves of the mate plant, which are placed in a container and poured over with hot water.
You can drink it bitter, with sugar or with the zest of lemon or orange. It has been proven that this herb is very good for your body. Below we tell you why.
First of all, we would like to emphasize the two main properties of mate: it has an invigorating and cleansing effect. This is due to its strong diuretic properties, in addition to the amount of water you ingest when drinking the infusion. In addition, it also has antioxidant qualities, reduces the presence of ‘bad’ cholesterol (or LDL) and promotes the production of ‘good’ cholesterol (or HDL).
Research has also shown that mate encourages enzymes to work harder to protect your body from cardiovascular disease. It also contains high concentrations of xanthine, which is very good for your general well-being. In places where water is not drinkable, it acts as a filter for bacteria and parasites.
This traditional South American infusion increases your concentration and boosts your intellectual activity. It is an antidepressant, is not addictive and contains less caffeine than tea, cocoa and coffee. It also speeds up urine production, eliminating waste products that build up in your body more quickly.
Keep in mind that mate is not intended for anxious people, nor for those with sleep disorders or acute kidney disease.
A single study also indicated that many patients suffered from esophageal complaints. However, this was the result of drinking the hot drink and not the mate itself. There are also known cases where drinking it while fasting can have a negative effect on stomach acid.
While everyone agrees that “traditional mate” is bitter and that the water needs to boil before adding it, there are other ways to drink the infusion:
- Bitter: As we already mentioned, this is the typical way to drink mate. And so they do it almost everywhere in Argentina, Uruguay, southern Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. It is also known as ‘ cimarrón’ or ‘feral’ because of the horses that accompanied the gaucho , the first drinkers of the infusion.
- Sweet: Traditional drinkers say this isn’t the real thing. Sugar, stevia or sweetener is added to the barley. Mainly women and children in Buenos Aires drink it this way. This variation is largely the result of immigration from Spaniards and Italians, who wanted to put their own spin on the regional drink.
- With milk: Instead of adding water, milk with sugar is added. The milk should be lukewarm.
- With herbs: These have a popular name, ‘yoyus’, and the herbs are added on top or between the crushed leaves to add their specific flavor and medicinal properties to the drink. Examples are: chamomile, eucalyptus, mint, boldo or linden blossom.
- Like a tea: The mate leaves are not put in a container, but in a tea bag. It is popular with adolescents and children. You can also use a cup.
- Tereré: This is traditional in Paraguay and the Mesopotamia region of Argentina, where the Guarani live. Instead of water, they add juice (from oranges or grapefruit), herbs (usually peppermint or lemon verbana) and even lemon zest. It is prepared in a carafe and poured over the mate.
- Cooked mate: This infusion comes in drinks like tea. Although it is prepared like regular tea, it tastes like mate. It is common in Argentina and Uruguay.
You simply have to choose one of the variants in which the infusion consists and drink it every day. Experts say that when you drink it in the morning, the benefits for the body are even greater. Many people choose to drink mate with breakfast, with cookies or bread (or even muffins).
People who drink coffee with milk in the morning with a croissant or biscuits, drink their mate in the morning. If you don’t like the taste, try making it a bit sweeter or try drinking it the tereré way, with juice on a hot summer day.
Photos: Juan Pablo Olmo
