Soothes Gastrointestinal Tract

Controls constipation by softening stools and stimulating intestinal contractions Detoxifies body by increasing water loss through urination, digestive movements and evacuation. (21)

Mate, The Review of Natural Products, February 1997. Facts and Comparisons Group

Polyphenol-rich diet decreases cardiovascular risk. LDL oxidation is the primary event in atherosclerosis plaque formation and antioxidants such as polyphenols were shown to inhibit LDL oxidation and atherosclerosis development.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12967038&dopt=Citation

"Given the growing importance of flavonoids such as quercetin, rutin, and catechins as putative modulators of LDL oxidation, and in some systems as inhibitors of genotoxicity, herbs with a high concentration of these compounds and widespread ethnopharmacological use are of special interest. One of them is Ilex paraguariensis." (Gugliucci*, N. Bracesco, et al., 2002)