Editing Yerba mate (section)

==Use as a beverage==
{{Main|Mate (drink)}}
[[File:Mate 02.jpg|thumb|left|Steaming mate [[infusion]] in a cup that resembles a [[gourd]], the customary vessel]]

The infusion, called {{lang|es|mate}} in Spanish-speaking countries and {{lang|pt|chimarrão}} in Brazil, is prepared by filling a container, traditionally a small, hollowed-out [[calabash|gourd]] (described below), up to three-quarters full with dry leaves (and twigs) of ''I. paraguariensis'', and filling it up with water at a temperature of {{convert|70|–|80|C}}, hot but not boiling. Sugar may or may not be added. The infusion may also be prepared with cold water, in which case it is known as {{lang|pt|tereré}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rutadelayerbamate.org.ar/yerba-mate/hacer-un-buen-mate/|title=Cómo hacer un buen Mate &#124; Ruta de la Yerba Mate|website=www.rutadelayerbamate.org.ar|accessdate=9 January 2022}}</ref><!-- source for paragraph -->

Drinking mate is a common social practice in Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Southern Brazil, and Southern Chile among people of all ages, and is often a communal ritual following customary rules. Friends and family members share from the same container, traditionally a hollow gourd (also called a {{lang|es|guampa}}, {{lang|es|porongo}}, or simply {{lang|es|mate}} in Spanish, a {{lang|pt|cabaça}} or {{lang|pt|cuia}} in Portuguese, or a {{lang|it|zucca}} in Italian), and drink through the same wooden or metal straw (a {{lang|es|[[bombilla]]}} in Spanish or {{lang|pt|bomba}} in Portuguese). The gourd is given by the brewer to each person, often in a circle, in turns. The recipient drinks the few mouthfuls in the container, and then returns the mate to the brewer, who refills it and passes it to the next person in clockwise order. The recipient is not supposed to give thanks until they are done drinking the beverage, and if they do, they will not be served any more ''mates''. Although traditionally made from a hollowed calabash gourd, these days mate "gourds" are produced from a variety of materials including wood, glass, bull horns, ceramic, and silicone.<ref name="nativeleaf">{{cite web|url=https://www.nativeleaf.co.uk/guide-to-yerba-mate-gourds/|title=Guide to Yerba Mate Gourds|website=Native Leaf|date=12 February 2016 |access-date=28 March 2021}}</ref>

In the same way as people meet for tea or coffee, friends often gather and drink mate ({{lang|es|matear}}) in Paraguay, Argentina, Southern Brazil, Uruguay, and Southern Chile. In warm weather the hot water is sometimes replaced by [[lemonade]]. Paraguayans typically drink yerba mate with cold water during hot days and hot water in the morning and during cooler temperatures.

Yerba mate is most popular in Paraguay and Uruguay, where people are seen walking the streets carrying the {{lang|es|mate}} and often a {{lang|es|termo}} (thermal [[vacuum flask]]) in their arms. In Argentina, {{convert|11|lb|order=flip|abbr=on|0}} of yerba mate is consumed annually per capita; in Uruguay, the largest consumer, consumption is {{convert|22|lb|order=flip|abbr=on|0}}.<ref name="Mate: The Bitter Tea South Americans Love to Drink">[http://web.mit.edu/rjbarbal/Tea/yerba-mate "Mate: The Bitter Tea South Americans Love to Drink"]. Retrieved 30 May 2013.</ref> The amount of herb used to prepare the infusion is much greater than that used for tea and other beverages, which accounts for the large weights.

The flavor of brewed mate resembles an infusion of vegetables, herbs, and grass and is reminiscent of some varieties of [[green tea]]. Some consider the flavor to be very agreeable, but it is generally bitter if steeped in hot water. Sweetened and flavored mate is also sold, in which the mate leaves are blended with other herbs (such as peppermint) or citrus rind.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ma-tea.com/categories/Yerba-Mate/Loose-Leaf/Flavored/|title=Flavored Yerba Mate|publisher=Ma Tea|access-date=30 May 2013}}</ref>

[[File:Selection of Yerba Mate Gourds.JPG|thumb|Selection of yerba mate gourds and bombillas at a street vendor in Buenos Aires, Argentina]]

In Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina, a version of mate known as {{lang|es|mate cocido}} (or just ''mate'' or ''cocido'') in Paraguay and {{lang|pt|chá mate}} in Brazil is sold in teabags and in a loose-leaf form. It is often served sweetened in specialized shops or on the street, either hot or iced, pure or with fruit juice (especially [[Lime (fruit)|lime]], known in Brazil as {{lang|pt|limão}}) or milk. In Paraguay, Argentina, and Southern Brazil, this is commonly consumed for breakfast or in a café for afternoon tea, often with a selection of sweet pastries (''facturas'').

An iced, sweetened version of ''mate cocido'' is sold as an uncarbonated [[soft drink]], with or without fruit flavoring. In Brazil, this cold version of {{lang|pt|chá mate}} is especially popular in the south and southeast regions, and can easily be found in retail stores in the same cooler as other soft drinks.<ref name="saude.abril">{{cite web|url=http://saude.abril.com.br/emagrece-brasil/beneficios-cha-mate.shtml |title=Mate: o chá da hora |access-date=4 September 2012}}</ref> {{lang|pt|Mate batido}}, which is toasted, has less of a bitter flavor and more of a spicy fragrance. {{lang|pt|Mate batido}} becomes creamy when shaken and is more popular in the coastal cities of Brazil, as opposed to the far southern states, where it is more commonly consumed in the traditional way (green, with a silver straw from a shared gourd), and called {{lang|es|chimarrão}} ({{lang|es|cimarrón}} in Spanish, particularly Argentine Spanish).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://que-significa.com.ar/significado.php?termino=cimarron|title=Significado de 'cimarrón'|access-date=5 July 2013}}</ref>

In Paraguay, Southern Brazil ([[Mato Grosso do Sul]], west of [[São Paulo]] and [[Paraná (state)|Paraná]]), and the [[Argentine littoral]], a mate infusion, called {{lang|es|[[tereré]]}} in Spanish and Portuguese or sometimes {{lang|pt|tererê}} in [[Gaúcho dialect|Gaúcho]], [[Caipira dialect|Caipira]] and Sulista Portuguese, is also consumed as a cold or iced beverage, usually sucked out of a horn cup called a {{lang|es|guampa}} with a {{lang|es|bombilla}}. The Guarani used to drink it in this format, but without the ice as they did not have the technology for it, reason why, it is accredited to be the first and original way of consumption.<ref name="Cervantes"/> {{lang|es|Tereré}} can be prepared with cold water (the most common way in Paraguay and Brazil) or fruit juice (the most common way in Argentina). The version with water is more bitter; fruit juice acts as a sweetener (in Brazil, this is usually avoided with the addition of table sugar). Medicinal or culinary herbs, known as {{lang|es|yuyos}} (weeds), may be crushed with a [[Mortar and pestle|pestle and mortar]] and added to the water for taste or medicinal reasons.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ma-tea.com/pages/Terere.html|title=Terere|publisher=Ma Tea|access-date=30 May 2013}}</ref>

[[File:Yerba Mate shop, Puerto Iguazu, Argentina.JPG|left|thumb|Yerba mate shop, Puerto Iguazu, Argentina]]

Paraguayans have a tradition of mixing mate with crushed leaves, stems, and flowers of the plant known as {{lang|es|flor de agosto}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mec.gov.py/cmsmec/?attachment_id=20625|title=Flor de agosto|accessdate=9 January 2022}}</ref> (the flower of August, plants of the genus ''[[Senecio]]'', particularly ''[[Senecio grisebachii]]''), which contain [[pyrrolizidine alkaloid]]s. Modifying mate in this fashion is potentially toxic, as these alkaloids can cause [[veno-occlusive disease]], a rare condition of the [[liver]] which results in liver failure due to progressive occlusion of the small [[Vein|venous channels]].<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1136/jcp.29.9.788 |title=A case of veno-occlusive disease of the liver in Britain associated with herbal tea consumption |year=1976 |last1=McGee |first1=J |last2=Patrick |first2=R S |last3=Wood |first3=C B |last4=Blumgart |first4=L H |journal=Journal of Clinical Pathology |volume=29 |issue=9 |pages=788–94 |pmid=977780 |pmc=476180}}</ref>

Mate has also become popular outside of South America. In the tiny hamlet of [[Groot Marico]], [[North West Province (South Africa)|North West Province]], South Africa, mate was introduced to the local tourism office by the returning descendants of the [[Boer]]s, who in 1902 had emigrated to [[Patagonia]] in Argentina after losing the [[Second Boer War|Anglo Boer War]]. It is also commonly consumed in Lebanon, Syria, and some other parts of the Middle East, mainly by [[Druze]] and [[Alawite]] people. Most of its popularity outside South America is a result of historical emigration to South America and subsequent return. It is consumed worldwide by expatriates from the [[Southern Cone]].<ref>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1017/S0010417509990314| title = Stimulating Consumption: Yerba Mate Myths, Markets, and Meanings from Conquest to Present| journal = Comparative Studies in Society and History| volume = 52| pages = 6–36| year = 2009| last1 = Folch | first1 = C. | s2cid = 145175412}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.yourmiddleeast.com/features/mate-tea-a-longtime-lebanese-hit_22142|title="Mate" tea a long-time Lebanese hit|newspaper=Your Middle East|access-date=6 January 2017}}</ref>

[[Materva]] is a sweet, carbonated soft drink based on yerba mate. Developed in Cuba in 1920, and produced since the 1960s in [[Miami, Florida]], it is a staple of the Cuban culture in Miami.<ref name="Wong-2014">{{cite news |last=Wong |first=Samantha |title=Materva: Un Buchito de Cuba |url=http://www.jwu.edu/uploadedFiles/Documents/Academics/studentwork/JWUStuFoodWritingNMI.pdf |access-date=10 September 2020 |newspaper=Johnson and Wales: Student Food Writing |page=8 (PDF p.&nbsp;11) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140113000105/https://www.jwu.edu/uploadedFiles/Documents/Academics/studentwork/JWUStuFoodWritingNMI.pdf |archive-date=13 January 2014}}</ref><ref name="Roque-2011">{{Cite book |title=The Cuban Kitchen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vmJlvl1mVUgC&pg=PA6 |first=Raquel Rábade |last=Roque |date=2011 |edition=1st |page=6 |publisher=Alfred A. Knopf |access-date=10 September 2020 |isbn=9780375711961 |language=en}}</ref>

===Chemical composition and properties===
[[File:Yerba Mate on Market Shelf.jpg|thumb|right|Yerba for sale in the open-air market of [[La Boqueria]] in [[Barcelona]], Spain]]

Yerba mate contains a variety of polyphenols, such as the [[flavonoid]]s, [[quercetin]] and [[rutin]].<ref name=Gambero2015>{{cite journal|vauthors=Gambero A, Ribeiro ML |title=The positive effects of yerba maté (Ilex paraguariensis) in obesity|journal=Nutrients|volume=7|issue=2|pages=730–50|date=January 2015| pmid= 25621503| pmc= 4344557| doi= 10.3390/nu7020730|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Yerba mate contains three [[xanthine]]s: [[caffeine]], [[theobromine]], and [[theophylline]], with caffeine content varying between 0.7% and 1.7% of dry weight<ref>Dellacassa, Cesio et al. Departamento de Farmacognosia, Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República, Uruguay, Noviembre: 2007, pp.&nbsp;1–15</ref> (compared with 0.4–9.3% for [[tea]] leaves, 2.5–7.6% in [[guarana]], and up to 3.2% for ground [[coffee]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/duke/chemical.pl?CAFFEINE |title=Activities of a Specific Chemical Query |publisher=Ars-grin.gov |access-date=5 June 2011}}</ref><ref name="Pichersky-Lewinsohn-2011">{{cite journal | last1=Pichersky | first1=Eran | last2=Lewinsohn | first2=Efraim | title=Convergent Evolution in Plant Specialized Metabolism | journal=[[Annual Review of Plant Biology]] | volume=62 | issue=1 | date=2011-06-02 | issn=1543-5008 | doi=10.1146/annurev-arplant-042110-103814 | pages=549–566| pmid=21275647 | bibcode=2011AnRPB..62..549P }}</ref> Theobromine content varies from 0.3% to 0.9%; theophylline is typically present only in small quantities or sometimes completely absent.<ref>{{cite journal |pmid=3821141 |year=1986 |last1=Vázquez |first1=A |last2=Moyna |first2=P |title=Studies on mate drinking |volume=18 |issue=3 |pages=267–72 |journal=Journal of Ethnopharmacology |doi=10.1016/0378-8741(86)90005-x}}</ref> In some circles, mateine is a referential term for caffeine when found present in yerba mate (similar to theine from tea or guaranine from guarana).<ref>{{cite book|last=Scully|first=Crispian|title=Medical Problems in Dentistry|url={{Google books|PHLvOVaB0AEC|page=693|plainurl=yes|text=Caffeine is called guaranine when found in guarana, mateine when found in mate and theine when found in tea.}}|page=693}}</ref> Yerba mate also contains [[mineral]]s, such as [[potassium]], [[magnesium]], and [[manganese]].<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Eunice |last1=Valduga |first2=Renato João Sossela |last2=de Freitas |first3=Carlos B. |last3=Reissmann |first4=Tomoe |last4=Nakashima |year=1997 |title=Caracterização química da folha de ''Ilex paraguariensis'' St. Hil. (erva-mate) e de outras espécies utilizadas na adulteração do mate |url=http://ojs.c3sl.ufpr.br/ojs-2.2.4/index.php/alimentos/article/viewArticle/14033 |language=pt |journal=Boletim do Centro de Pesquisa de Processamento de Alimentos |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=25–36|doi=10.5380/cep.v15i1.14033 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

===Weight loss===
There is no [[evidence based medicine|good evidence]] for yerba mate having an effect on [[Human body weight|body weight]] in humans.<ref>{{cite journal|vauthors=Pittler MH, Ernst E |title=Dietary supplements for body-weight reduction: a systematic review|journal= Am J Clin Nutr|volume=79|issue=4|pages=529–36|date=April 2004|pmid=15051593|doi=10.1093/ajcn/79.4.529|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|vauthors=Pittler MH, Schmidt K, Ernst E |title=Adverse events of herbal food supplements for body weight reduction: systematic review|journal=Obes Rev|volume=6 |issue=2 |pages=93–111|date=May 2005| pmid= 15836459| doi= 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2005.00169.x|s2cid=25448193}}</ref>

===Cancer===
[[File:Oesophageal Cancer, Age-Standardized Rate (World) per 100.000 of Incidence Cases, Both sexes, Worldwide in 2022.svg|thumb|Incidence of oesophageal cancer in both sex per 100.000 population ([[Age standardisation|age-standardized]] rate) in 2022 {{legend|#cfe1f2|0–1}}
{{legend|#93c3df|1–1.8}}
{{legend|#4b97c9|1.8–2.9}}
{{legend|#1864aa|2.9–4.2}}
{{legend|#08306b|4.2–17.9}}
{{legend|#4F4F4F|No data / Not applicable}}]]
Hot mate consumption is associated with [[oesophageal cancer]]. Very hot beverages (above 65°C) are classified by the [[International Agency for Research on Cancer]] (IARC) as ''probably carcinogenic to humans'' ([[IARC group 2A|group 2A]]), which also includes hot mate, as it is typically consumed at a temperature of 70°C. This classification indicates that the link between very hot beverage consumption and cancer is likely, but the proportion of oesophageal cancer cases due to drinking very hot beverages is not yet known.<ref name="IARC News-15/06/2016">{{Cite web |url=https://www.iarc.who.int/media-centre-iarc-news-drinking-very-hot-beverages/ |title=FACT SHEET: CANCER OF THE OESOPHAGUS AND DRINKING VERY HOT BEVERAGES| volume= 116 |date=2016-06-15 |access-date=2024-04-29 |website=[[International Agency for Research on Cancer]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240429053159/https://www.iarc.who.int/media-centre-iarc-news-drinking-very-hot-beverages/ |archive-date=2024-04-29 |url-status=live |format=}}</ref> 
There is no such association for cold mate and, in general, preparations under 65°C are not considered carcinogenic and are evaluated as ''not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans'' ([[IARC group 3|group 3]]).<ref name="IARC-Book-2018">{{Cite book |title=Drinking Coffee, Mate, and Very Hot Beverages |year=2018 |publisher=International Agency for Research on Cancer |isbn=978-92-832-0183-0 |url=https://publications.iarc.fr/Book-And-Report-Series/Iarc-Monographs-On-The-Identification-Of-Carcinogenic-Hazards-To-Humans/Drinking-Coffee-Mate-And-Very-Hot-Beverages-2018 |format= |issn=1017-1606 |author-link=International Agency for Research on Cancer |access-date=2024-04-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240429063524/https://publications.iarc.fr/Book-And-Report-Series/Iarc-Monographs-On-The-Identification-Of-Carcinogenic-Hazards-To-Humans/Drinking-Coffee-Mate-And-Very-Hot-Beverages-2018 |archive-date=29 April 2024 |url-status=live |archive-format=}}</ref><ref name="Loomis-2016">{{cite journal |last1=Loomis |first1=Dana |last2=Guyton |first2=Kathryn Z |last3=Grosse |first3=Yann |last4=Lauby-Secretan |first4=Béatrice |last5=El Ghissassi |first5=Fatiha |last6=Bouvard |first6=Véronique |last7=Benbrahim-Tallaa |first7=Lamia |last8=Guha |first8=Neela |last9=Mattock |first9=Heidi |last10=Straif |first10=Kurt |title=Carcinogenicity of drinking coffee, mate, and very hot beverages |journal=[[The Lancet Oncology]] |date=July 2016 |volume=17 |issue=7 |pages=877–878 |doi=10.1016/S1470-2045(16)30239-X |pmid=27318851 |url=https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(16)30239-X/ |access-date=29 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.iarc.who.int/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Monographs-QA_Vol116.pdf |title=Q&A on Monographs Volume 116: Coffee, maté, and very hot beverages |access-date=2024-04-29 |website=[[International Agency for Research on Cancer]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240429074410/https://www.iarc.who.int/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Monographs-QA_Vol116.pdf |archive-date=2024-04-29 |url-status=live |year=2016 }}</ref><ref name="IARC-Press Release 244">{{Cite web |url=https://www.iarc.who.int/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/pr244_E.pdf |title=PRESS RELEASE N° 244 - IARC Monographs evaluate drinking coffee, maté, and very hot beverages |date=2016-06-15 |access-date=2024-04-29 |website=[[International Agency for Research on Cancer]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240429055633/https://www.iarc.who.int/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/pr244_E.pdf |archive-date=2024-04-29 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Benzo(a)pyrene Concentration in Processed Yerba Maté Leaves Sampled in 2006, 2008, and 2010 - Column Chart.svg|thumb|[[Column chart]] displaying [[Benzo(a)pyrene]] concentration in processed yerba mate leaves sampled in 2006, 2008, and 2010: {{legend|#8b5a2b|2006 batches}}
{{legend|#654321|2008 batches}}
{{legend|#423629|2010 batches}}]]
Since the traditional preparation of yerba mate leaves involves [[Smoking (cooking)|smoking]] them they contain a high number of [[polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons]] (PAHs), such as [[benzo(a)pyrene]], which are [[Carcinogen|carcinogenic]].<ref name="Golozar-2012">{{cite journal |last1=Golozar |first1=Asieh |last2=Fagundes |first2=Renato B. |last3=Etemadi |first3=Arash |last4=Schantz |first4=Michele M. |last5=Kamangar |first5=Farin |last6=Abnet |first6=Christian C. |last7=Dawsey |first7=Sanford M. |title=Significant Variation in the Concentration of Carcinogenic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in ''Yerba Maté'' Samples by Brand, Batch, and Processing Method |journal=[[Environmental Science & Technology]] |date=18 December 2012 |volume=46 |issue=24 |pages=13488–13493 |doi=10.1021/es303494s |pmid=23101992 |pmc=3525749|bibcode=2012EnST...4613488G }}</ref>