Yerba mate

Researchers in Switzerland performed a study on human subjects (in 1999) that indicated yerba mate could be beneficial as a weight-loss aid. They noticed a thermogenic effect in healthy individuals indicating a rise in the proportion of fat burned as energy. In another study, yerba mate was given in combination with the plants guaraná and damiana. This combination prolonged gastric emptying (which made the subjects feel "fuller" longer) and reduced body weight. Clinical studies indicate yerba mate leaf inhibits lipoxygenase, an enzyme involved in inflammation and inflammatory diseases. Yerba mate extracts also have been shown to relax smooth muscle, to increase bile flow, and inhibit vasoconstriction. A recent (2002) U.S. patent cites yerba mate for inhibiting monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity by 40-50% in vitro, reporting that it might be useful for a variety of such disorders as "depression, disorders of attention and focus, mood and emotional disorders, Parkinson's disease, extrapyramidal disorders, hypertension, substance abuse, eating disorders, withdrawal syndromes and the cessation of smoking."