Table 1.

Research groups of experimental animals. Control groups: I, Ia, and other groups with diet modified by the addition of Ilex extracts (II–VI) or both Ilex extracts and cholesterol (IIa–VIa).

Group	Diet Type (8 Animals in Each Diet Group)
I	rats fed with a standard diet
Ia	rats fed as a group I but with the addition of 20 g of cholesterol per kilogram of diet
II	rats receiving instead of drinking water the water extract of I. paraguariensis (each day, freshly infused extract was prepared by extraction of 50 g of leaves with 1L boiled water; every two animals had free access to 250 mL of this sole source of drink per day)
IIa	rats fed as group II but with the addition of 20 g of cholesterol per kilogram of diet
III	rats receiving instead of drinking water the water extract of I. meserveae “Blue Angel” (each day, freshly infused extract was prepared by extraction of 50 g of leaves with 1L boiled water; every two animals had free access to 250 mL of this sole source of drink per day)
IIIa	rats fed as group III but with the addition of 20 g of cholesterol per kilogram of diet
IV	rats receiving additionally polyphenol fraction from I. meserveae “Blue Angel” (each day, the dry extract was freshly solubilized in water in a dose of 10 mg/kg BW; every two animals had free access to 250 mL of this sole source of drink per day)
IVa	rats fed as group IV but with the addition of 20 g of cholesterol per kilogram of diet
V	rats receiving additionally terpenoid fraction from I. meserveae “Blue Angel” (each day, 200 mL of oil was mixed with terpenoids (in a dose 10 mg/kg BW) and 1 kg of feed and left overnight; every two animals had free access to diet and drinking water, supplied ad libitum as in group I)
Va	rats fed as group V but with the addition of 20 g of cholesterol per kilogram of diet
VI	rats receiving additionally saponin fraction from I. meserveae “Blue Angel” (each day, the dry extract was freshly solubilized in water in a dose of 10 mg/kg BW; every two animals had free access to 250 mL of this sole source of drink per day)
VIa	rats fed as group VI but with the addition of 20 g of cholesterol per kilogram of diet