Chimarrão, terere and mate-tea in legitimate technology modes of preparation and consume: A comparative study of chemical composition, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-anxiety properties of the mostly consumed beverages of Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil.

Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil. (Aquifoliaceae) is a medicinal plant widely used by South American populations for centuries and is popularly attributed to stimulating and detoxifying properties. Nowadays, their consume traditionally occurs through three different beverages: chimarrao, terere and mate-tea. Aim of the study Although its composition and properties are well studied, literature lacks work comparing the potential of their extracts obtained by a legitimate preparation mode of their popular beverages. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to investigate changes in chemical composition, antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory efficacy and anxiolytic effect from lyophilized aqueous extracts obtained simulating the legitimate popular preparation mode of chimarrao, terere and mate-tea. Materials and methods In this work, were investigated differences related to preparation technology and dry material used through chemical composition analysis, with the lyophilized aqueous extracts obtained simulating the chimarrao, terere and mate-tea preparation. The chemical composition analysis comprises the total soluble phenolics content, chemical profiles by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS, and quantitative component detection by HPLC-UV/DAD. Moreover, evaluations of comparative antioxidant activity of the extracts (DPPH and ORACFL assays), anti-inflammatory efficacy and anxiolytic effect were performed in vivo. Results Our results showed that chimarrao extracts presented a richer composition in terms of phenolic compounds and purine alkaloids, and better antioxidant activity when compared to the other extracts. In pleurisy test, all products showed anti-inflammatory properties in the dose of 60 mg/kg. In the anxiolytic evaluation, although all extracts presented some effect, chimarrao and terere were better than mate-tea in general. No sign of toxicity was observed. Conclusions Our findings support that the beverage made as chimarrao has the best composition and the most promising properties overall.