Yerba mate
Ilex paraguariensis A.St.-Hil.Aquifoliaceae // leaf
Overview
Plant parts
leaf
Known constituents
caffeine, chlorogenic acids, saponins
Research corpus coverage
Chemistry notes
- CHEMISTRY: Relevant reported constituents include caffeine; chlorogenic acids; saponins; constituent presence alone does not establish clinical efficacy.
Uses & Evidence
Traditional / historical use
Documented traditional use — not a claim of established efficacy.
TRADITIONAL: Yerba mate has been used for alertness; fatigue; digestive support; this records historical/traditional use and does not establish efficacy.
MODERATE · regulatory monograph · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries
Modern evidence
EVIDENCE: For the major use set (alertness; fatigue; digestive support), the evidence assessment is insufficient: Insufficient clinical evidence for weight/metabolic claims.
LOW · regulatory monograph and mixed scientific literature · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries
Preparation
Forms used traditionally
A listed form does not imply it suits every plant part, or that one preparation is interchangeable with another — see the plant’s own notes below.
PREPARATION: The medicinal material is leaf; traditional and modern forms include infusion/tea, tincture, powder/capsule, extract. No dose or potency is specified.
MODERATE · regulatory monograph · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries
Preparation-specific evidence should not be generalized across extracts, teas, oils, or whole herb.
Safety
Additional safety notes (general, unstructured)
Free-text safety notes carried from their source — not broken out by species, route, or hazard type, and not equivalent to the structured records above. Each note names the kind of source it came from.
SAFETY: Major issues include Caffeine effects; very hot beverage consumption is associated with esophageal cancer risk, confounded by temperature/exposure. Contraindications/cautions include Caffeine sensitivity; arrhythmia.
MODERATE · observational/case series and expert review · LiverTox: Herbal and Dietary Supplements
SAFETY: Clinically relevant interaction concerns include Stimulants, MAOIs, sedatives and drugs affected by caffeine.
MODERATE · observational/case series and expert review · LiverTox: Herbal and Dietary Supplements
Some interactions are theoretical or based on case reports/pharmacokinetics rather than outcome trials.
SAFETY: Pregnancy/lactation reference: Caffeine exposure is relevant in pregnancy/lactation.
MODERATE · regulatory monograph or evidence synthesis · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries
Absence of evidence is not evidence of safety.
Preparation × species risk matrix
Unknown means insufficient evidence was located — not that a form is safe.
Cats
- tinctureCaution
- concentrated extractUnknown
- essential oilUnknown
- glyceriteUnknown
- infused oilUnknown
- salveUnknown
- smoke/combustionUnknown
- tea/infusionUnknown
- whole herbUnknown
Dogs
- tinctureCaution
- concentrated extractUnknown
- essential oilUnknown
- glyceriteUnknown
- infused oilUnknown
- salveUnknown
- smoke/combustionUnknown
- tea/infusionUnknown
- whole herbUnknown
Identity
- Synonym
GBIF resolves Ilex mate A.St.-Hil. as a synonym of Ilex paraguariensis. The older name still appears in herbal and taxonomic literature.
HIGH · GBIF Species Match API
Botanical synonym
Ilex mate A.St.-Hil.
Taxonomic identity note
- Yerba mate is treated here as Ilex paraguariensis A.St.-Hil. in the family Aquifoliaceae; recorded older names include Ilex mate A.St.-Hil..
Sources
Research records are source-linked but may not yet be editorially reviewed.
EMA monograph
NIH LiverTox monograph
- Plants of the World Online1 claim
botanical taxonomy database
WHO monograph
- GBIF Species Match API1 claim
authoritative taxonomic database