elmatecoYerba mate isn’t just a cultural staple in Argentina — it’s also the subject of ongoing scientific research into its effects on neurodegenerative disease. For over a decade, researchers at Argentina’s National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) and the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) have been studying a possible link between yerba mate and protection against Parkinson’s disease.
Where It Started: A 2015 Population Study
The research trail began in 2015, when neurologist Emilia Gatto led a population study comparing mate consumption between Parkinson’s patients and a control group. The study found an inverse relationship: higher mate consumption was associated with lower incidence of Parkinson’s. This statistical link didn’t prove causation, but it was enough to spark deeper investigation into the biological mechanisms that might explain it.
The 2019 CONICET Study
Four years later, a research team led by Juan Ferrario at UBA’s Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences published findings in the peer-reviewed journal Movement Disorders. Working with cultured dopaminergic neurons — the type of brain cells primarily affected by Parkinson’s — the team found that yerba mate extract had a protective effect on neuron survival, and a stronger one than well-known antioxidants like Trolox.
The researchers traced much of this effect to two compounds naturally abundant in yerba mate: chlorogenic acid and theobromine. Tested individually, both compounds still showed neuroprotective effects, even outperforming caffeine and nicotine in the same lab conditions.
Where the Research Stands Now
The investigation is still active. More recent work, conducted in collaboration with the National University of Entre Ríos (UNER), has moved beyond cell cultures into animal models. In one experiment, mice given yerba mate for three months showed a protective effect when later exposed to a Parkinson’s-simulating injury, compared to mice that hadn’t consumed it. Ferrario’s team, still a small group of researchers, has continued the work with support from Argentina’s National Yerba Mate Institute (INYM) and CONICET.
What This Does — and Doesn’t — Mean
It’s important to be clear about what this research shows so far: promising neuroprotective effects in cell cultures and animal models, not proven prevention or treatment in humans. No clinical trial has yet confirmed that drinking yerba mate prevents or slows Parkinson’s disease in people. The scientists themselves describe the findings as evidence supporting a hypothesis that still requires much more research — not a medical conclusion.
Still, it’s a compelling example of how a centuries-old tradition is being studied through a modern scientific lens — and one more reason yerba mate continues to draw attention well beyond Argentina. Curious about the tradition behind the science? Learn how to make yerba mate the traditional way, or explore more about its health benefits.
Sources: La Nación, Infobae, CONICET (UBA-INIFTA), Movement Disorders journal.
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