From the Garden of Eden - the Yaupon Holly
Tue, Jan 28
|Virtual
Yaupon Holly leaves were used for thousands of years by southeastern native tribes as a stimulating beverage, medicinal plant and ceremonial drink. Amongst the most sacred of our native medicinal plants, it is the only indigenous source of caffeine in North America.
Time & Location
Jan 28, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:10 PM
Virtual
About the event
Yaupon is in the same Ilex family as Yerba Mate and Guayusa, sacred plants of South America.
Yaupon was used by Native Americans for traditional medicine, sacred ceremonies, friendship rituals and as a stimulating tea-like beverage. It was referred to as the Beloved Tree, Big Medicine, ASI, The Purifier and the Black Drink. Yaupon was nurtured and transplanted where it could grow, and Native American tribes traveled great distances to consume and trade Yaupon.
Ancient vessels have been discovered to contain traces of Yaupon, as far south as Mexico where the Native Americans traded with the Mayans, exchanging Yaupon for Cacao. When paired together, Yaupon and Cacao was consumed as a sacred ceremonial drink. Both Yaupon and Cacao contain theobromine.
The earliest European settlers valued Yaupon, they attributed the extraordinary health and longevity of the native population to Yaupon use and consumption. At the time, the average European life span…