Botanical Index No. 675

MatÉ

ilex paraguariensis

Medicinal Actions

Analeptic, Analgesic, Anorectic, Antihyaluronidase, Antirheumatic, Astringent, Carcinogenic, CNS Stimulant, Depurative, Diaphoretic, Digestive, Diuretic, Eupeptic, Glycogenolytic, Hepatotoxic, Laxative, Lipolytic, Narcotic, Positive Chronotropic, Positive Inotropic, Stimulant, Thermogenic, Thymoleptic, Tonic

Primary Conditions Treated

Aperient Bitter Poison Vasodilator Anemia Arrhythmia Asthenia Asthma Bladder Stone Cardiac Insufficiency Cold Constipation Debility Depression Diabetes Dyspepsia Dysuria Fatigue Fever Flu Gastrosis Headache Heart Infection Inflammation Kidney Stone Nerve Neuralgia Neurasthenia Obesity Pain Rheumatism Scurvy Sore Ulcer UTI Water Retention

General Dosage

1 tsp leaf/cup water; 2–4 g leaf, or in tea, 3 ×/day; 1 g leaf/cup tea; 3 g leaf/day; 2–4 ml liquid leaf extract 3 ×/day; 2.5–5 ml liquid leaf extract.

Safety & Contraindications

Class 2d. CNS-stimulant. Not recommended for excess or prolonged use. “Hazards and/or side effects not known for proper therapeutic dosages”. CAN cautions that xanthine-containing beverages may cause anxiety, insomnia, palpitations, tremors, and withdrawal headaches. Because of the caffeine, consumption should be restricted in pregnancy and lactation, and in patients with hypertension and cardiac problems. “As with all xanthine-containing beverages, excessive consumption ... by lactating mothers should be avoided. Caffeine is excreted in breast milk, but at concentrations too low to represent a hazard to breast-feeding mothers ... The fatal dose of caffeine in man is stated to be 10 g.” Veno-occlusive disease has been attributed to overconsumption of maté for years. In Uruguay, where esophageal cancer is major, heavy consumption of maté seemed to elevate relative risks of cancer by “6.5 and 34.6 in men and women, respectively”.

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