There are many substances that can help in the treatment of some diseases, such as lowering cholesterol, for example. Within this field, yerba mate appears with much evidence. It can be consumed in the form of tea, as it retains all its properties. The drink made with the herb can also prevent cardiovascular disease and slow down the aging process.Despite being the cause of so many problems in the body, cholesterol is essential for the body to function. According to experts, the body needs a gram of cholesterol a day to produce hormones and to supply other tasks that depend on it. However, this necessary amount of cholesterol is produced by the liver daily, and the percentage ingested through unruly diet turns to excess and harms health.

Among the diseases that can be caused by high levels of cholesterol in the blood are: obesity, gastritis, diabetes, heart problems and hypertension.

HDL and LDL

Cholesterol is also popularly known as the blood fat. There are two types of cholesterol: HDL, known as “good cholesterol” and LDL, “bad cholesterol”. The difference between the two is in density: HDL is denser than LDL, which makes it harder to be absorbed by the body, being eliminated naturally. LDL, being less dense, is absorbed by the body and ends up harming it.

Benefits of yerba mate tea

After getting to know a little more about cholesterol and the harm it can bring to the functioning of the human body, it’s time to get inside all the medicinal properties brought by the consumption of yerba mate tea.

Yerba mate is rich in nutrients such as methylxanthine, theophylline and theobromine, folic acid and pantothenic. Furthermore, its components also include vitamins of the A, B, C and E complex, essential oils and mineral salts. Another substance that also appears in considerable amounts is caffeine. Its consumption stimulates mental and physical activity and can also benefit the digestive system and lung functions.

Regular consumption of yerba mate tea reduces the absorption of fat from food and prevents the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine, reducing bad cholesterol, in addition to having antioxidant action.

Through the substances that make up the yerba mate, the metabolism can also be stimulated to work, which ends up causing greater fat burning and, consequently, resulting in weight loss. In addition to the health benefits, the herb is also an important component in cosmetics for its antioxidant properties.

tea base

It was proven by a team from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) that drinking a liter of yerba mate tea per day can cause a drop of up to 40% in the level of cholesterol in the blood. In Brazil, yerba mate is the base of a typical drink, chimarrão. It is advisable that the yerba mate tea be ingested 10 minutes before, during or after meals.

Yerba mate Tea

In order for you to start adding tea to your diet, it is necessary to seek advice from a doctor. For people who are already properly oriented, here’s a recipe for how to prepare yerba mate tea: Just put 500 ml of water to boil and add three teaspoons of yerba mate. Then strain and let it cool down a bit.