Yerba Mate (ilex paraguariensis) is a tea beverage with many health benefits widely consumed in Latin American countries, more specifically in northern Argentina, southern Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It exclusively grows in these regions due to their unique soil and climate. Mate is traditionally drank out of a gourd using a metal or wooden straw called “bombilla.”. The dry leaves are packed into the gourd and warm/hot water is poured over them. Loose leaf mate is alternatively commercially packed into individual tea bags or mate tea concentrate for use as an ingredient in the food or dietary supplement industries. Yerba mate is often termed South America’s green tea.

Among the health benefits of yerba mate tea are its low caffeine content compared to green tea, high levels of antioxidants, and a wide range of vitamins and minerals. The Pasteur Institute and the Paris Scientific society research on the properties of mate concluded "it is difficult to find a plant in any area of the world equal to mate in nutritional value".

Research has validated the majority of the medicinal beliefs towards yerba mate held among the native Guarani Indians for centuries. They used it to enhance immunity, cleanse and detoxify the blood, stimulate the nervous system, maintain youthful hair colour, slow aging, fight fatigue, stimulate the mind, control appetite, relieve debilitating disease, decrease stress, treat insomnia, and so forth. Read more.