White or Black
Tea, Anyone?
M
any years ago, I took a trip to South
America and noticed that almost
everyone there drank a hot tea called
yerba mate but most people there did not know
what plant the beloved tea came from. When
I returned home, I discovered that the plant it
comes from is a South American holly called the
Paraguay Tea Holly and it is closely related to our
native yaupon holly. However, our native holly
has a very different and interesting historical use
than its counterpart from South America.
The interesting thing these two hollies have
in common is the presence of caffeine in their
foliage, which is extremely rare in the Americas.
Native Americans did use yaupon holly leaves to
make tea but in a very different way for a very dif-
ferent purpose. They drank the tea for a specific
social purpose in a less than sociable manner.
Yaupon holly grows naturally in sandy soils
in coastal areas but it is believed to have been
cultivated inland to harvest the leaves to make
this tea. It is likely the only woody plant purpose-
ly cultivated by Southeastern Native Americans
according to anthropologist, Charles Fairbanks.
There is ample evidence to suggest the Cherokees
moved the plant outside of its natural range as far
as Western North Carolina.
By Tony Glover
County Extension Coordinator
Cullman County Alabama
Cherokees, Caddo,
Creeks, Choctaws and
other Native Americans
believed Yaupon tea
purified the drinker and
purged him of anger and
deceit.
CULLMAN COUNTY SENIOR MAGAZINE
SPRING 2020 | 13