"Lions At the Wall"
at the National Zoo
Washington, DC.
An Original Photographic
by mkrause,
copyright, 2002 and 2011,
at mkrause54@yahoo.com or
mkrause381@google.com
Who is not fascinated by the power and strength of these 2 lions prowling the walls of their enclosure? Natural? Yes. But few would dare breach their space.
Natural food products and supplements are a growing market within the US food and nutrition industry. But as with these prowling forces of nature, caution is advised.
It is true that most of our foods, supplements, medicines, makeups and all the other products of everyday life are derived from natural sources, plants, animals, and other organisms. But just because it is natural doesn't mean it is good for you.
Chemicals are the basis of all of these natural as well as synthetic products. Over the centuries, cooking and other chemical processes have been invented or developed
to refine the chemistry of these products to make them safer or more efficacious.
Yerba mate is a South American tea made from leaves and twigs from a plant, Ilex paraguariensis. I. paraguariensis is a species of holly. Traditional holly, with rectangular spiked leaves and red berries generally is considered poisonous in the US. Children are warned not to puncture their fingers on the spikes or eat the pretty red berries.
Yerba mate is not FDA approved. Yerba is under study in many agricultural chemistry laboratories. However, Yerba Mate can be found in the refrigerated juice case in brand name juices in major convenience stores.
Yerba mate often is referred to as simply mate, the word for "tea" in many Spanish South American dialects. Yerba mate often is translated "herb tea". Ironically, another meaning of the Spanish mate is "killed".
Surprisingly, "Minute Maid", Produced by Coca-Cola, Atlanta, GA, USA, has chosen to add Yerba Mate to its new antioxidant, 'enhanced joice drink' fruit beverages. The words 'Yerba Mate" appear on the Minute Maid label in small print under the large print 'NATURAL ENERGY' in the 'POMEGRANATE/BERRY flavored juice drink, made of a blend of pear, pomegranate, blueberry, raspberry and strawberry juices from concentrate and other ingredients'.
The other ingredients include '37-43 mg of natural caffeine per bottle for an energy lift'. The label is best read with a magnifying glass. Juice customers who have recently discovered pomegranate and pomegranate antioxidant fruit juice mixtures may reach for this product, unaware of the 'yerba mate' or 'natural caffeine' within.
Yerba mate is described as containing Potassium, Magnesium, and Manganese. Yerba is thought to have anti-obesity properties in those eating a high-fat diet, in part due to an LDL-Cholesterol lowering effect, particularly in those taking 'statin' lipid lowering medicines.
Yerba mate contains Xanthines: caffeine which is thought to be different from other plant caffeine, theobromine, and possibly small quantities of theophylline, a chemical in asthma medicine. Yerba mate caffeoyl derivatives relax smooth muscle tissue while stimulating heart muscle. Central nervous system effects are similar to other 'natural stimulants'.
2 properties raise the flag for caution: energy claims and its cancer-fighting vs. cancer-causing potential.
Energy claims involve an increased level of EXTRAcellular ATP, ADP, and AMP. Basic Biology, Chemistry, and Biochemistry students will recall that ATP is cellular fuel, metabolized within an intracellular organelle, the mitochondria. An increased level of extracellular AMP, ADP, and ATP may be a hint that there has been cytotoxicity or cellular damage allowing ATP to leak from cell membranes. It could be related to the experimental design. Studies available are conducted by agricultural laboratories.
Cancer data are conflicting. A 2005 University of Illinois study found that yerba mate was rich in phenolic compounds, which appeared to inhibit oral cancer cell proliferation at some concentrations while it promoted oral cancer cell proliferation at other concentrations, due in part to inhibition of a yeast enzyme, topoisomerase II. Phenolic compounds like benzene have long been known to be carcinogenic.
Yerba mate consumption has been associated with an increased incidence of bladder, esophageal, oral, squamous cell head and neck cancer, and lung cancer in South Americans. The International Agency for Research on Cancer found an increased correlation with alcohol and tobacco consumption, and large quantities of 'hot water' yerba teas.
No conclusions were drawn due to the influence of water temperature (boiling, hot, warm, cold) on the chemical activity of yerba mate and the lack of data adjustment for age, alcohol, and tobacco use. Other issues raised by Mississippi researchers include the "wood burning" preparation of yerba mate which involves a high level of cancer-causing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
Paraguayans celebrate August with 'agosto poty', the addition of 'the flower of August', groundsels or ragworts of the lenecio species, to the 'matear' bowl. These plants contain pyrrolizide alkaloids, potentially toxic, and known to cause veno-occlusive disease of the liver. There is one case report of the death of a young British woman who consumed large quantities of 'adulterated' yerba mate from Paraguay.
Yerba mate 'matear' are group sharing rituals where participants sit in a circle and pass around a gourd from which each sips mate through a metal straw, rebrewing the yerba mate until the water runs out. "Gracias" signals a participants' "No thank you' to more mate.
Cultivated first by the Portuguese Guarini, yerba is grown in subtropical South America including Argentina,Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Southern Brazil and in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan in the Middle East.
Swiss botanist Moser Bertoni, who settled in Paraguay in 1895, classified the plant. Jesuit missionaries cultivated the plant in Ecuador and Chile.
Because Yerba mate has a bitter, smoky, 'vegetal' taste, it is often made with lemonade, other citrus and fruit flavors or milk. It is produced under a large number of trade names, some include the word 'mate'. Trade names include Andresito, Campesino, Berao de Cotegipe, Canerias, CBSe, Cruz de Matta, EcoTeas, Mate Factor, Mate Leao, Nativa, Selecta, Te Guarani, Union, La Hoja, and many others. Check www.wikipedia.com for more brand names and information.
People with high blood pressure, heart disease, liver, and other diseases should check with their family physician before taking these and other natural additives or medicinal herbs. Side effects may include headache, nervousness, insomnia, nausea, vomiting, or any other new symptoms. There is an anecdotal report of iincreased inflammation of a oral dental lesion with only one unintended bitter tasting mixed fruit juice serving. "Chronic ingestion" occurs in only 15 days.
Use caution when using any new products, natural or not. Some labels require a magnifying glass to read less organized small print ingredient lists.
Caveat Emptor: May the Buyer Beware. It is your health, protect it.
[Read more on these topics in "Caveat Emptor" on http://monthlynotesthirteen.blogspot.com (http://monthlynotes.blogspot.com) on www.google.com.]
Email mkrause54@yahoo.com or mkrause381@google.com to comment or request copies of this or other blogs posted by mary for monthlynotesstaff on http://monthlynotesthirteen.blogspot.com (http://monthlynotes.blogspot) on www.google.com.
Graphic: An Original Photographic of "Lions At the Wall", The National Zoo, Washington, DC, by mkrause, copyright, 2002 and 2011, at mkrause54@yahoo.com or mkrause381@gmail.com.
References: www.wikipedia.com, www.eHow.com, report Ray Sahelian, MD on www.google.com.
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