Drug & supplement interaction

Yerba Mate + Birth control pills

Birth control pills brand name: Birth control pills.

Minor Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated September 2026
The bottom line Minor

Yerba Mate has a minor interaction with Birth control pills. Theoretically, contraceptive drugs might increase the levels and adverse effects of the caffeine contained in yerba mate.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityMinor
LikelihoodPossible
EvidenceB
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Yerba Mate and Birth control pills

Here is the interaction we found between these two, with the evidence behind it.

Minor

CONTRACEPTIVE DRUGS

Why this applies to Birth control pills

Birth control pills falls under CONTRACEPTIVE DRUGS — the group Yerba Mate interacts with.

Theoretically, contraceptive drugs might increase the levels and adverse effects of the caffeine contained in yerba mate.
Yerba mate contains caffeine. Contraceptive drugs decrease the rate of caffeine clearance by 40% to 65%.
Severity Minor Likelihood Possible Evidence B

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's a fun twist on this pairing: it's not your birth control pills that get affected, it's the caffeine in the yerba mate. Estrogen in oral contraceptives slows down the liver enzyme that clears caffeine, by roughly 40% to 65%. So the caffeine from your mate sticks around longer and hits harder than it normally would.

In practice, that can mean more of the usual caffeine effects: feeling jittery, a racing or pounding heart, trouble sleeping, or an upset stomach. Your pill keeps working just fine for preventing pregnancy. This is rated minor and is mostly a comfort issue. If you notice you're wired or sleepless, simply easing back on the mate usually does the trick. Chat with your pharmacist if you're unsure.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Pollock BG, Wylie M, Stack JA, et al. Inhibition of caffeine metabolism by estrogen replacement therapy in postmenopausal women. J Clin Pharmacol 1999;39:936-40. PubMed
  2. Abernethy DR, Todd EL. Impairment of caffeine clearance by chronic use of low-dose oestrogen-containing oral contraceptives. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 1985;28:425-8. PubMed

What These Ratings Mean

Every interaction above is graded three ways — here’s the key to each label.

Severity how clinically significant the interaction is
Major

Clinically significant. Avoid the combination, or use only under close professional supervision.

Moderate

Usually worth avoiding or managing — may need monitoring, a dose change, or timing apart.

Minor

Generally not serious. Be aware of it and mention it to your pharmacist.

Likelihood how strong the evidence is that the interaction actually happens in people
  • LikelyWell-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction.
  • ProbableInteraction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
  • PossibleInteraction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.
  • UnlikelyInteraction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.
Evidence the quality of the studies behind the rating (graded A–D)
  • AHigh-quality meta-analysis (quantitative systematic review).
  • BCase-control study.
  • CConsensus.
  • DAnecdotal evidence.

These ratings are for information only. Never start, stop, or otherwise change your therapy before speaking with your provider.

Keep it in perspective

Yerba Mate Also Interacts With Other Medications

Yerba Mate has 8 major, 505 moderate, 572 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Birth control pills one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 8 Moderate 505 Minor 572 No known interaction 1,745 (incl. Birth control pills)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Yerba Mate

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Yerba Mate. Pick one to open its full report.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Birth control pills

This page covers Yerba Mate only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Birth control pills page lists 46 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), St. John's Wort (major), Alfalfa (moderate), Anise (moderate) and Black Tea (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 25 moderate · 19 minor.

Open the Birth control pills interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Yerba Mate as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 68 real supplement products containing Yerba Mate, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Yerba Mate. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Birth control pills too, on top of Yerba Mate — and those would not show on this page. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Yerba Mate and Birth control pills Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Yerba Mate
Steady interest

#1,091 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Birth control pills
Top 25%

#471 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Supplement

About Yerba Mate

What is Yerba Mate?

Yerba Mate
  • Energy and alertness
  • Weight loss
  • Mental focus
  • Digestive support
  • Antioxidant support

Yerba mate is a caffeine-containing herbal beverage from South America that is widely enjoyed for its stimulating, coffee-like effects. While it is rich in antioxidants and is being studied for weight, blood sugar, and cholesterol, strong human evidence for most health claims is limited. Drinking very hot mate over many years has been linked to higher risk of certain cancers, so enjoy it warm and in moderation.

Read the full Yerba Mate monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Yerba Mate

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Yerba Mate — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

8Major
505Moderate
572Minor
1,744No known interaction
8 Major 505 Moderate 572 Minor 1,744 No interaction
Major

8 interactions

Moderate

505 interactions

Showing 60 of 505 moderate interactions — see all 505 on the Yerba Mate page.

Minor

572 interactions

Showing 60 of 572 minor interactions — see all 572 on the Yerba Mate page.

No interaction 1,744 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Yerba Mate against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,744 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Yerba Mate list.

See the full Yerba Mate interactions page
See every supplement checked against Birth control pills, ranked by severity
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Interaction details are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database. The medication overview comes from MedlinePlus.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.

© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC

Keep exploring
Yerba Mate monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Birth control pills supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Birth control pills, ranked by severity Supplement interaction checker › Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z › Every drug we've checked against herbs & supplements Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Yerba Mate and Birth control pills Together: Common Questions

Can you take Yerba Mate with Birth control pills?
There is only a minor interaction, which is usually not serious. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the Yerba Mate and Birth control pills interaction?
We rate it Minor. This interaction is generally not clinically significant, but it remains worth noting and discussing with your pharmacist.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Still Have a Question About Birth control pills and Yerba Mate?

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.