Ilex paraguariensis
Ilex vomitoria
Cultural beverage preparation
Yerba mate comes from Ilex paraguariensis; yaupon from Ilex vomitoria; tereré is a traditional cold preparation involving mate and, sometimes, herbs.
Two plants, not a tea cultivar
Yerba mate is associated with Ilex paraguariensis; yaupon with Ilex vomitoria. Kew treats these as distinct accepted species in the holly family Aquifoliaceae. They are not varieties of Camellia sinensis, and therefore are not green, white, black or oolong tea under the ISO six-family system.
Tereré describes a preparation
In Paraguay, tereré refers to a cold beverage practice associated with yerba mate and, in documented Guaraní traditions, pohã ñana botanicals. UNESCO inscribed the practices and traditional knowledge in 2020. The inscription records cultural continuity and social significance; it is not a clinical certification of any healing claim for the herbs involved.
Caffeine and recipes
Yerba mate and yaupon naturally contain caffeine. A cold preparation is not automatically caffeine-free. Caffeine per serving varies with the plant material, repeated refills, the quantity of leaves and brewing conditions. Tereré recipes can vary and should be described as cultural practices with ingredient lists rather than one fixed medicinal formulation.
What the library should separate
Keep plant taxonomy, beverage recipe, geographic traditions and possible effects in separate evidence fields. A page titled 'Paraguayan tereré' should point to the cultural practice as well as the Ilex paraguariensis plant profile. A claim about Indigenous traditional knowledge must be attributed respectfully and must not be transformed into an unsourced recommendation to self-treat symptoms.
Sources and verification
These references support the statements above. An official standard defines categories; a clinical paper measures a sample; a cultural record documents practice. Each source has a different scope. The publisher has not tested commercial products independently.
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How to cite this reference
OngTeh Editorial Team (2026). Yerba mate, tereré and yaupon: plants, recipes and caffeine. OngTeh. https://ongteh.com/reference-yerba-mate-terere-yaupon.html
This article is educational, not individualized medical advice, product certification or a substitute for specialist review. Corrections and research limitations are described in our editorial standards.