OK, so what exactly does Yerba Mate contain?

By Trish Harris

October 16th, 2009
Posted in Beginner's Guides to Tea, Health

Still more on our occasional Yerba Mate theme!  The questions keep flooding in.  Recently:  “What exactly does Yerba Mate contain?”.  Well, I had to seek the assistance of some of the scientific journals and Emily, my scientist next-door neighbour, but here goes:

Yerba Mate contains…

• Vitamin C
• Thiamine (B1)
• Riboflavin (B2)
• Carotene
• Potassium
• Magnesium
• Xanthine alkaloids (caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline)
• Novel saponins (named matesaponins)

Saponins are plant chemicals with known pharmacological activities, including, as recent research shows, stimulating the immune system.

And in more detail…

• Alpha-amyrin
• Alpha-terpineol
• Arachidic acid
• Beta-amyrin
• Butyric acid
• Caffeic acid
• Caffeine
• 5-o-caffeoylquinic acid
• Calcium
• Carotene
• Chlorogenic acid (10%)
• Choline
• Chlorophyll
• Chrysanthemin
• Cyanidin-3-o-xylosyl-glucoside
• Cyanidin-3-glucoside
• Essential oil
• Eugenol
• Geraniol
• Geranyl acetone
• Guaiacin b
• Iodole
• Inositol
• Ionone
• Iso-butyric acid
• Iso-capronic acid
• Iso-chlorogenic acid
• Iso-valeric acid
• Kaempferol
• Lauric acid
• Levulose
• Linalool
• Linoleic acid
• Matesaponins
• Neochlorogenic acid
• Nerolidol
• Nicotinic acid
• Nudicaucin c
• Octan-1-ol
• Octanoic acid
• Oleic acid
• Palmitic acid
• Palmitoleic acid
• Pyridoxine
• Quercetin
• Raffinose
• Safrole
• Stearic acid
• Tannins
• Theobromine
• Theophylline
• Trigonelline
• Ursolic acid

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Contact Trish Harris at trish@allabouttea.co.uk

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