Exposure to cigarette smoke (CS) is associated with lung inflammation, oxidative stress, and emphysema. The aim of this work was to study Mate tea as a possible natural antioxidant resource against emphysema development. C57BL/6 mice were distributed into 4 groups: exposed to ambient air (control), exposed to the smoke of 12 cigarettes (CS), exposed to ambient air and treated with Mate (500 mg/kg/day diluted in 100 μL) (Mate), and exposed to CS and treated with Mate (CS+Mate). All mice were treated for 60 days. On day 61 the mice were killed. Right and left lungs were removed for histology and biochemical analysis, respectively. Emphysematous lesions and inflammatory cell influxes in the CS group were evident by histological analysis. Cells showed higher 4-hydroxynonenal labeling in the CS group than in the CS+Mate group. Myeloperoxidase activity was reduced in the CS+Mate group compared to the CS group. Superoxide dismutase and catalase activities were significantly higher in the CS+Mate group compared to the CS group. The ratio of reduced to oxidized glutathione was greater in the CS+Mate group than in the CS group. CS-induced emphysema in C57BL/6 mice was prevented by Mate in association with a reduction in inflammatory and oxidative stress parameters.