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Yaupon tea

The Timucua chief Saturiwa (fl. 1562-1565) prepares his men for battle by drinking yaupon tea. Engraving by Jacques le Moyne and Theodor De Bry.

Yaupon tea (also known as "Beloved drink", "Cassina", "Big Medicine", or "White drink" by Natives; and "Black drink", "Carolina Tea", "South Seas Tea", or "Indian tea" by Europeans) is refers to several kinds of caffeinated beverages originally brewed by Native Americans in the Southeastern United States and later adopted by Europeans and Americans.[1][2][3][4] It is generally brewed from yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria), which is native to the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts,[2] and is related to Yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) and Guayusa. The Native drink may also have included the related dahoon holly (Ilex cassine) and other herbs.

A cup of contemporary American Yaupon tea which is now commercially available in the United States.

A highly concentrated yaupon beverage was used in various rituals, including purification ceremonies,[5] by Yuchi,[6] Caddo,[7] Chickasaw,[8] Cherokee, Choctaw, Muscogee, Timucua, Chitimacha and other Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands.[2][3] Furthermore, other Native groups who did not live within the natural range of yaupon traded for it or cultivated it.[2] Its use in the ancient Mississippian metropolis of Cahokia has also been confirmed.[3] Native peoples used yaupon tea as a social drink in council meetings and it was offered to guests as a hospitable drink. They also used it as a medicinal tea.[5] It was also drunk as a daily energizing drink, and a strong version of it was drunk by men before battle.[1][3] It was known by various names, including "white drink" (due to its associations with purity), "beloved drink" (the plant being known as the "beloved tree") as well as "black drink" (mostly by Europeans, due to the color of the strong brew).[9][1]

The preparation and protocols vary between tribes and ceremonial grounds; a prominent ingredient is the roasted leaves and stems of Ilex vomitoria. In some contexts, the yaupon drink was made in a highly concentrated form that may have contained other herbs which may have had emetic properties. Fasting before ceremonies, along with excessive consumption of large quantities of the drink may have also caused the vomiting which was observed by Europeans.[5] These observations led to the association of the drink with vomiting, and also to its modern scientific name, even though the yaupon leaf has no inherent emetic properties.[10][1] However, according to the USDA, "modern chemical analysis of yaupon has found no emetic or toxic compounds, and caffeine concentrations are similar to many commercially marketed teas."[5]

Yaupon tea was adopted by European colonists (initially the Spanish in Florida) as early as the 17th century, who drank it as a normal caffeinated beverage.[5] It continued to be used by White Americans living in the American South, especially in the Carolinas. Its use mostly died out in the early 20th century, but a revival of the drink by a few small American companies is currently underway. Yaupon tea also continued to be used by various Native American tribes, like the Seminoles, who make a black drink for their annual Green Corn Ceremony (however, the drink does not always contain yaupon, since it is a blend of various plants).[5]

  1. ^ a b c d Crawford, Suzanne J.; Kelley, Dennis F. American Indian Religious Traditions: An Encyclopedia (A - I, Volume 1), p. 73. ABC-CLIO, 2005.
  2. ^ a b c d Merrill, William L. "The beloved tree: Ilex vomitoria among the Indians of the Southeast and adjacent regions", in Black Drink: A Native American Tea, pp. 40-82, 1979, Univ of Georgia Press.
  3. ^ a b c d Stirn, Matt (24 February 2021). "Yaupon: The rebirth of America's forgotten tea". BBC Travel. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  4. ^ "The History of The Black Drink (Yaupon Tea)". GENTEEL & BARD. 2022-11-21. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  5. ^ a b c d e f YAUPON Ilex vomitoria Aiton, Natural Resources Conservation Service: Plant Guide. USDA. nrcs.usda.gov
  6. ^ Hudson, Charles M (1979). Black Drink: A Native American Tea. University of Georgia Press. p. 59.
  7. ^ Hudson, Charles, M (1979). Black Drink: A Native American Tea. University of Georgia Press. pp. 70–71.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ Hudson, Charles, M (1979). Black Drink: A Native American Tea. University of Georgia Press. pp. 61–62.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Hudson, Charles M (1979). Black Drink: A Native American Tea. University of Georgia Press. pp. 2, 131.
  10. ^ Hudson, Charles, M (1979). Black Drink: A Native American Tea. University of Georgia Press.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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