YERBA MATE HELPS PREVENT DIABETES

Commonly used in teas and traditional drinks such as tereré and chimarrão, yerba mate helps combat diabetes. That’s the conclusion of research developed in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, in partnership with a French university.

The study may, in the future, lead to the creation of yerba mate capsules as a functional food.

In Brazil, consumption of the plant goes back thousands of years and originates from Indigenous peoples. The Guarani used yerba mate in rituals and traditional medicine.

This tradition continues in Amambai, a city in southern Mato Grosso do Sul near the border with Paraguay. The harvested leaves go through a furnace and are then placed in a bamboo structure called *barbaquá*. The heat from a clay oven helps dry the leaves.

Once dehydrated, they are ground and ready for consumption.

In Mato Grosso do Sul, yerba mate is used to prepare tereré, a drink served cold. The herb is placed in a gourd, and cold water is gradually added as it is consumed.

This tradition brings families together across the state—often without them even realizing the health benefits.

The yerba mate research

The research began as a PhD thesis in 2018, after pharmacist Karimi Sater Gebara decided to test the health benefits of daily yerba mate consumption.

Plant compounds were extracted in concentrations similar to those consumed daily and turned into capsules.

For more than three months, 36 volunteers took the capsules—half with the active compound, and half with placebos.

Once a month, the participants underwent lab tests at the university.

Initial results showed a reduction in blood sugar levels among those taking the yerba mate extract.

The study did not aim to cure diseases but focused on prevention.

The conclusion was that yerba mate reduces inflammation in the body and may even lower the risk of more serious illnesses like atherosclerosis.

According to Karimi, there is potential for standardizing yerba mate into capsules in the future as a functional food with preventive health properties.

A new phase of research is now set to begin.