Mate herbal tea from young shoots and leaves of Paraguayan holly is distinguished by its unusual taste and entertaining history, but its useful properties are even more interesting.
In some ways, he can compete with ordinary tea and coffee. But, treating them, it is important to remember how and when it is harmful.
What is Paraguayan tea and how its composition is manifested in the benefits of mate
The unusual taste of mate is remotely comparable to green tea, but still mate in itself - there is unique bitterness and sweetness in it, which is explained not only by raw materials, but also by its slow gradual drying, during which the greens of the Paraguayan holly can undergo light smoking , and frying the tea leaves.
The popularity of mate came relatively recently, but it was known long before the discovery of the New World to its indigenous people, who appreciated an invigorating drink along with coffee grains and maize.
According to the original recipe, the mate is brewed and drunk in a vessel called calabash. Once they were made from dried pear-shaped pumpkin peel, metal-clad neck, but today you can buy wooden, ceramic, metal, and even silver, intricately decorated calabash - after all, drinking a mate is akin to a tea ceremony - without haste and very well, if in good company.
They pull the mate a little through the tube with a bomb. At the top, it ends with a mouthpiece, at the bottom - a strainer, which should always be sunk to the bottom of the calabash. The fact is that the mate is brewed in a very heterogeneous fraction - from broken pieces of a leaf to greens turned into dust, so you need to filter the drink.
But, of course, in the modern world everything is adaptable. Mate can be brewed in a teapot, and poured into ordinary mugs.
Usually it is brewed with water, but still delicious - with milk, and drink with the addition of sugar, honey or fruit syrup. Mate is good both hot and chilled.
The use of mate is preserved for eight consecutive infusions, and only the taste becomes thinner and softer.
Mate is a real storehouse of nutrients. Infusion from Paraguayan oak contains vitamins A, E, C and PP, as well as a group of vitamins B, sodium, sulfur, manganese, iron, magnesium, copper. And all this is of great importance.
• vitamins B1 and B2 (its content in the mat is very high) are indispensable for metabolism;
• Vitamin PP promotes the full assimilation of nutrients that enter the body from all food and drinks in principle, as well as their optimal distribution, depending on the needs of the human body;
• Magnesium is necessary for the release of carbohydrate energy, normal blood coagulation and the functioning of the musculoskeletal system.
Mate is recommended for diseases of the respiratory system, including asthma and bronchitis, a cough for a cold - all due to theophylline substance.
This active plant component of the Paraguayan holly has an expanding and antispasmodic effect on the bronchi, enhances their ventilation.
The addition of vitamins P and B8, theophylline and ursolic acid, gives the mate extremely beneficial properties for the heart, which are expressed in the following:
• strengthening the heart muscle and increasing its elasticity;
• improving the transport to the heart of nutrients and its saturation with oxygen;
• stabilization of coronary circulation;
• normalizing the rhythm of the heart, including reducing it during physical exertion.
Choline is indispensable for regulating and lowering the level of bad cholesterol in the blood, which turns into the prevention of atherosclerosis.
Chlorophyll supports the activity of the immune system, thus indirectly protecting the body from pathogenic viruses and bacteria, and in the event of a defeat by them, it accelerates recovery.
Pantothenic acid is involved in the renewal of the body at the cellular level, as well as in the production of adrenaline, which is necessary in order to tolerate stress without loss of health, as well as to mobilize the body in unusual, dangerous situations.
Therefore, mate can be advised to those whose work is accompanied by nervous tension, as well as fans of active sports.
And yet, a serving of mate, drunk at the right time, can reduce anxiety and irritability.
Benefits of Mate for Digestion and Weight Management
For those wishing to lose weight, mate has the beneficial properties of accelerating metabolism, reducing appetite and promoting the burning of body fat.
But, since these qualities do not differ in its magical power, Paraguayan tea will be of use in this area only if the diet is followed and physical exercises are performed according to a suitable program.
In relation to the gastrointestinal tract, mate acts as a mild antispasmodic, a remedy that restores damaged sections of the mucosa and normalizes the digestion process in general.
The benefits of mate versus tea and coffee
The composition of the mate is somewhat similar to green tea, but only partially:
• tannins in the mat are balanced by other elements of its composition, so that, in comparison with green tea, their effect on the human body is not so great;
• but there are much more antioxidants in the mat and they all act fully and accurately on the target, in particular, they resist varicose veins and have a rejuvenating effect that affects not only the appearance, but also the condition of the internal organs.
Separately, it is worth highlighting the unique substance contained in this drink - matein.
In many ways, it is similar to caffeine, but without its drawbacks.
Possessing properties tonic for the nervous system, helping to combat stress, including headaches and improving mood, matein, unlike caffeine, affects the body not 3, but all 10 hours.
But at the same time, there is no similar harm from the mate - it does not cause overexcitation of the body, does not speed up the heartbeat.
What else is the use of mate
For athletes and people engaged in heavy physical labor, mate is useful in that it prevents the accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles, accelerating its excretion, and the already mentioned matein relieves stress and pain from stretching.
With ice cubes, the mate perfectly refreshes and quenches thirst in the summer.
Plus - instantly increases the body's resistance to solar overheating.
In addition, mate also has other positive properties:
• normalizes blood pressure;
• improves the functioning of the liver, which is known to be responsible for cleansing the body of toxins and toxins;
• relieves nausea of an allergic origin.
Scientists explain the positive effect of mate on sleep by the fact that it presumably prolongs the phases of slow sleep, in which the human body relaxes most and replenishes strength, which means that after a portion of the mate you can sleep less and feel much better.
Regular use of mate reduces the attraction to such objects of bad habits, such as alcohol and cigarettes. But it is important not to overdo it with the mate. Despite the fact that in Latin America, many people drink it as often as we have tea and coffee, the norm of this drink is several servings per week.
What could be the harm from mate
The temperature of water or milk for brewing a mate should be 70-85 degrees and in no case more. And the point here is not only the risk of spoiling the taste of the drink and reducing its benefit, destroying the beneficial substances with high temperature.
Recent studies have confirmed that high temperature activates carcinogens contained in the mat, which, especially with regular use of the drink, provokes the appearance of tumors in the human body, sometimes malignant.
The use of mate should be limited in case of diseases of the genitourinary system, as well as during pregnancy and lactation. During these periods, the mate is harmful due to the high content of alkaloids in the drink, the reaction of which with other substances from the mate can affect the state of the baby’s nervous system. For the same reason, do not pour it to children.
A contraindication for mate is also an allergy to theophylline.
Drinking mate without measure causes dryness and tightness of the skin, perspiration of its tone and even the accelerated appearance of wrinkles on the face.
After eating the mate, it is necessary to brush or rinse the teeth, since mate is no less harmful to the teeth than sweets, also contributing to the occurrence of carious diseases.
