4 reasons to try America’s forgotten inflammation-fighting tea

Do you start your morning with a cup of Guatemalan coffee? Or maybe a cup of Chinese green tea? Or possibly a cup of Peruvian yerba mate?

You’re not alone. Most of us get our daily dose of caffeine from a plant that’s been shipped to us from halfway across the world.

But there was a time when Americans got their caffeine fix from a source far closer to home…

They drank tea made from the leaves of a native north American plant — the only native plant in the U.S. that produces caffeine — yaupon.

Unless you’re from the South, you’ve probably never heard of yaupon. That’s where it grows. But even some southerners who pass by this plant daily don’t know that it’s a potent source of caffeine and antioxidants.

So why aren’t more Americans taking advantage of this healthy, caffeinated plant that grows in their own backyard?

That’s a good question… with an interesting answer…

The history of yaupon tea

Yaupon holly is an evergreen shrub with beautiful bright red berries that grows naturally in the southeastern United States. Native Americans made yaupon’s leaves into a tea that they drank and used in rituals (the berries should not be consumed). Early settlers drank yaupon tea too. They even exported it to Europe.

So, what happened to yaupon?

Well, it goes by a few other aliases besides yaupon, including cassina and its Latin name Ilex vomitoria. If you look closely at its Latin name, you may guess why yaupon tea hasn’t become the morning staple that other teas have…

The Latin name Vomitoria makes it sound like yaupon has an unpleasant side effect — vomiting. It doesn’t. Scientists have studied it to make sure. And people in the South have been drinking yaupon on and off for centuries without a problem. So, why was it given this name?

Some say it’s because yaupon was used in a Native American purification ritual that involved vomiting (although, the vomiting had nothing to do with the yaupon itself).

But another theory suggests the botanist and horticulturist who named it, William Aiton, was trying to protect the British tea trade by sabotaging a potential competitor. Tea was big business back then and Aiton ran in a circle with a lot of upper class British people who had a financial interest in the tea trade, so the idea’s not that outlandish.

If that was Aiton’s intent, it worked. The name Vomitoria scared people off. That’s why today, Americans drink caffeinated beverages imported from other countries, rather than homegrown yaupon tea. And it’s a shame, because yaupon has some big benefits…

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The many benefits of yaupon

Yaupon is basically the North American version of yerba mate. If you’re familiar with yerba mate you know that it’s an earthy, antioxidant-packed South American tea that gives you a kick without making you jittery. It’s been popular in North American health and wellness circles for several decades now. Although, I’d guess that most North Americans who drink it don’t know about yaupon.

Yaupon tea has just as many antioxidants as yerba mate. But it’s less bitter, so most people think it tastes better. There haven’t been many studies on yaupon’s health benefits, but the studies that have been done show promising results…

1. A 2011 study found that the polyphenols in yaupon have the potential to fight inflammation and prevent cancer. The study was performed on cells in a lab, so more research is necessary. But polyphenols are known for their ability to fight free radicals, reduce inflammation and lower cancer risk, so it’s not a stretch to think the polyphenols in yaupon tea could do the same.
2. Another study found that the antioxidants in yaupon stay stable no matter how the tea is packaged or stored. That’s good news, because green tea can lose antioxidant content depending on how it’s packaged and stored.
3. There’s one other big benefit of yaupon… It’s better for the environment. Since it grows naturally in the U.S., drinking a cup of yaupon tea creates a much smaller carbon footprint than drinking a cup of coffee or tea that’s been shipped halfway across the world.
4. The coffee and tea industries are also known for clearing rainforests, stripping soil nutrients and using chemical pesticides and fertilizers. So, by drinking a cup of yaupon tea instead of the usual coffee or tea you’re doing your part to protect the environment.

How to get your hands on yaupon

You’ve probably never seen yaupon tea in stores, so you might be wondering how the heck you get your hands on some.

Luckily, a few yaupon tea companies have popped up in the last ten years or so. If you google “yaupon tea” you’ll find a few brands you can buy online.

If you live in the South you can even make your own yaupon tea. You may already have yaupon growing in your yard. If you don’t, plant it. It makes a good border shrub. Once you have a yaupon plant with leaves, you can make tea by:

• Harvesting young leaves
• Grinding them up with a mortar and pestle
• Roasting them for eight minutes at 300 F
• Letting them cool
• Taking 1 tablespoon of crushed leaves and putting them in a tea diffuser
• Steeping them in a cup of boiling water for five minutes

If you follow these instructions, you’ll end up with a delicious cup of yaupon tea that protects your health, protects the environment and gives you a nice energy boost to boot.