Yerba Mate, possible effect on Hair ?

It is very common in my area and i'm thinking of starting to consume it, Anybody know if it can be a benefit for the hair loss?

should be healthier than coffee especially if you don't add sugar yerbas got some magnesium and other minerals too,but besides that IDK if yerba is at all toxic I have read studies that drinking several cups a day can increase several types of cancer risks. I don't know if they are credible though.

Balthier wrote:should be healthier than coffee especially if you don't add sugar yerbas got some magnesium and other minerals too,but besides that IDK if yerba is at all toxic I have read studies that drinking several cups a day can increase several types of cancer risks. I don't know if they are credible though.

increase cancer risks ? I think that is a fake

erba Mate was introduced to colonizing and modern civilizations by the primitive Guarani Indians of Paraguay and Argentina. It has seemingly always been the most common ingredient in household cures of the Guarani. In modern Argentina and Paraguay, however, Mate tea has become almost pathologically ritualized in a manner reminiscent of coffee and tea abuse in Western and Eastern countries. Among the native Guarani, on the other hand, the natural use of Mate for healthful purposes has persisted. They use it to boost immunity, cleanse and detoxify the blood, tone the nervous system, restore youthful hair color, retard aging, combat fatigue, stimulate the mind, control the appetite, reduce the effects of debilitating disease, reduce stress, and eliminate insomnia.

Mate (flex paraguariensis) is an evergreen member of the holly family. It grows wild in Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Brazil, but is most abundant in Paraguay where it is also cultivated. The plant is classified vaguely, according to Western herbal medicine, as aromatic, stimulant, bitter, aperient (laxative), astringent, diuretic, purgative, sudorific (sweat inducing), and febrifuge (fever reducing). Mate contains numerous vitamins and minerals.


http://www.noborders.net/mate/index.html

Yerba Mate Inhibits AGE Formation
http://inhumanexperiment.blogspot.com/2009/05/yerba-mate-inhibits-age-formation.html


Yerba-Mate contains three xanthines: caffeine, theobromine and theophylline, Mineral content, Antiobesity properties, Cholesterol lowering properties, E-NTPDase activity and Antioxidant potential

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerba_mat%C3%A9

I think small amounts should be fine it contains potassium, magnesium and manganese and antioxidants. I'll guess I'll post some studies from both sides. I drink it myself so I'm actually curious to know.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerba_mat%C3%A9#Mineral_content
Conversely, yerba mate consumption has been associated with increased incidence of bladder, esophageal, oral, squamous cell of the head and neck, and lung cancer.[26][27][28][29][30][31] However, a case-control study[32] showed no increased incidence of bladder cancer in mate drinkers.

A study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer showed a limited correlation between oral cancer and the drinking of large quantities of hot mate. Smaller quantities (less than 1 liter daily) and warm rather than hot mate consumption were found to increase risk only slightly; alcohol and tobacco consumption had a synergistic effect on increasing oral, throat, and esophageal cancer. The increased risk, rather than stemming from the maté itself, could be credited to the high temperatures in which the mate is consumed in its most traditional way, the 'chimarrão'. The cellular damage caused by thermal stress could lead the esophagus and gastric epithelium to be metaplasic, adapting to the chronic injury. Then, mutations would lead to cellular displasia and to cancer.[33].Given the influence of the temperature of water, as well as the lack of complete adjustment for age, alcohol consumption and smoking, the study concludes that mate is "not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans".

http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/questions
Despite the general belief that mate is a health drink, the evidence suggests otherwise. When prepared and consumed in the traditional South American manner, yerba mate contains high levels of carcinogenic (cancer causing) chemicals called PAHs (26).

It is important to note that the traditional preparation of yerba mate involves adding water to the same batch of leaves several times and drinking all of these cups of tea. This will expose the person consuming mate to higher levels of PAHs than if the drink were prepared once and the leaves discarded. In this sense, enjoying a single cup of yerba mate tea that has been prepared from a fresh tea bag is unlikely to expose a person to the high levels of PAHs that are found in traditionally prepared brews.

The bottom line is that when consumed in the traditional South America way, yerba mate drinks contribute significant amounts of carcinogenic PAHs to the diet. If you have enjoyed a cup of yerba mate yourself from time to time, do not panic. You have not been exposed to PAH levels beyond what is found in many foods and drinks in the average American diet.

In summary yerba mate may not be the best choice of beverages for good health, but when consumed occasionally, yerba mate is very unlikely to be linked with any type of cancer.


http://www.raysahelian.com/yerbamate.html

Anyone else have any input on this? I just got some yerba mate, wondering if it is ok to consume a cup or two per day. Is it possible that those in the study who consumed large quantities also tended to live overall less-healthy lifestyles?

I've been consuming it almost everyday for the last year or so, I don't think its had much effect on my hair one way or the other. It does provide a better caffeine high than coffee in my opinion. Much less jittery, and improves my concentration.

I did read a study that showed there may be a connection between mate yerba consumption and esophagus cancer. They speculated this could also be due to drinking mate out of a metal straw and/or if they water is too hot. So I don't think that connection is all that clear. Personally, I'm not too worried about it. I don't drink it out of a metal straw and make sure the water is not scolding hot.

Guys, forget it... I live in Argentina, place where the "yerba" is the "national beverage"... Here we drink "mate" as much as americans drink sodas... Personally, I usually drink about 2 liters of yerba mate infusion... It is awesome as an estimulant (just like coffee) and also as a digestive beverage, but sadly never did anything for my hair...