I remember this show on PBS channel 11 was making a documentary about the lives of the current Native Americans and when they got to interview an elder like a medicine man. They asked him about how he gets the medicine he might need for healing and he said look behind me...that's my medicine. And he was pointing to all the brush. ❤💕💕😊❤❤❤
I'm going to try it, thanks for the video.. I live in Southeast Texas and yopon is a nightmare here. After land is cleared , especially from logging , this stuff takes over. It actually grows so thick it tangles itself together and you cannot get through it. Never knew it contained caffeine. 😊 BTW here in our local area many call it " tiedye bushes " because when the red berries are on there's the mixture of the dark green tops of the leaves, sort of silver bottoms, red berries and the splotches of gray, silver and white on the bark.
@@briantaulbee6452 I actually think Americans need to be educated about both Camellia sinensis (real tea) and yaupon. Both can be grown outside in most of US. Why are we importing what can be easily grown at home?
THANK YOU! One of the only videos on yaupon to assert confidently that it does NOT cause vomiting. It's unbelievable how many people say and believe this. I can tell you've actually drunk it yourself plenty. I drink it almost every day. I have even tried drinking as much as my empty stomach fits of a very strong decoction numerous times, and it has never produced any sensation of nausea or need to vomit. It's an insanely underrated wild tea plant found everywhere in riparian zones in central TX.
Full disclosure... Ilex vomitoria was used in Native American rituals in order to induce visions. It was deliberately over consumed for this purpose. They may have included the poisonous berries. I drink tea made from the tea leaves, in moderation.
Have you ever tried running it through a coffee-maker? Seems like it'd be an easy way to make a pot of iced Tea and not have to deal with the leaf getting everywhere.
The wood historically has also been used for arrows, turning, inlays and piano keys. Makes a really good walking stick. It really needs to be managed also to improve Turkey habitat. Planning on doing some experimentation with using it as fence posts as it is a densely grained hardwood. I think there are probably many uses for this abundant resource just waiting to be tapped into.
I am of Muskogee Creek and Cherokee ancestry and grew up among those amazing and wonderful people. I learned about the use of Yaupon from my grandmother, a medicine woman, and from other older female family members I watched preparing it. Everyone uses Yaupon leaves to make a soothing tea, but there is another use for Yaupon. It is used to prepare "The Black Drink," a wicked smelling brew of green leaves, prepared only by older women who have ritually prepared themselves for the task. They chew the fresh leaves and spit out the masticated mass and their own saliva into earthen pots. These pots are stored or sometimes buried in the ground until the contents have fermented. The resulting "Black Drink" is only mildly hallucinogenic and its use is strictly forbidden to women. I suppose they get a little buzz from the preparation, though. Women don't want to drink it, really, as they say it makes men act silly. There is another variety of "The Black Drink" which is far more potent and dangerous. It can produce violent nausea, vomiting and even strong hallucinations. I am not sure of its exact content, as it was not revealed to me. I believe I know what it is, though. As a girl, I saw Yaupon berries being gathered and dried on strings, well out of the reach of us children. I believe these dried berries may have been ground and added to the original drink's recipe to make the purifying form of the drink. I have long suspected there is a very good reason only older women are allowed to make this drink and that women are not allowed to use it at all. I believe it may well be that "The Black Drink" is harmful to an unborn or nursing child. The berry recipe would almost certainly be fatal to an unborn or nursing infant. Hope this helps to round out your information!
That was absolutely amazing and awesome to read. I sincerely hope there are people recording and studying these ancient ways. I am quite certain that even with all the modern medicine in the world we could all learn things from an old medicine woman’s knowledge.
Excellent source of caffeine and theobromine that likely grows around you if you're anywhere in the south. I recommend roasting the leaves in an oven before making your tea. It really gives it what I think is a much better flavor. Thanks for another great video, Matt. You're doing the Lord's work here.
Great info, Matthew. I have a tree that I love. But I never knew that I could use the the leaves for tea. I'm a tea drinker and I can't wait to try it. Another reason to use native plants for landscaping...❤❤❤
I've been drinking yaupon holly tea for a few years, but just recently learned the connection between it and the famed Native American Osceola (Asi-Yaholo, or black drink speaker).
Yaupon is the 2nd most abundant plant, only 2nd to the loblolly pine trees, in the vast "Big Thicket" forests of east Texas. I doubt, though, whether many Texans know that it has beverage potential. This sounds very much like Mate ("mah-tay") which is a very popular hot beverage in Argentina, and is also a Holly bush.
Most people around here hate youpon holly 😢 I purposely left as many as I could around my property. I drink the tea make crafts like arrows, and friction Fire sets from the wood. And have made it my goal to educate as many people as I can about its benefits.
Where did you find that information, I have been doing herbal medicine for 60 years and have never seen that in any of my books about loblolly pine ... I need to know please.
Thanks for the video , but... The story you gave isn't exactly correct... It wasn't for religious purposes to purge but rather for posturing in front of outsiders to show how big a warrior he was by showing that he could eat more. I really wish that people would quit trying to understand past societies by present social practice!
There were two small companies in Texas that were offering Yaupon Tea. I'm not sure if they're still working, but it was good stuff and nicely packaged. I remember watching a couple videos on them not too long back.
Fascinating video. I grew up in North Louisiana and have seen these plants my whole life. All I ever knew was that the berries were toxic. This whole time I could have been having some fantastic tea. Being a tea nerd, I can't wait to give this a try.
It seems like freezing the green leaves, then drying them, would break the cell walls enough to release the caffeine more easily. Thanks for the video. I'm always glad to know about an emergency source of caffeine. 😅
I really like your style , it's important to keep the truth about southern culture alive, as well as pointing out the fact that we've successfully, to some degree, blended cultures from the whole world into a unique one of our own.
I wok roast yaupon, then simmer the crushed leaves in water for 20 minutes to end up with a very dark drink. Sometimes add a little sorghum syrup. It is as satisfying as coffee (and I love my coffee!)
Absolutely love this stuff. I should watch more of this. But chem trails and turbo cancers have been taking priority. That and try to keep a garden alive . Gardening today is quite the challenge. ❤ Thank you for your work brother, it is excellent Intel.
Great video, Matthew. A local Native Plant Society member (and certified UF Master Gardener) that leads guided hikes suggested a theory that the name "vomitaria" may have been created because early Europeans saw yaupon as competition for the imported teas. She also mentioned that the natives drank it everyday (without vomiting), as your reference to the 1615 remarks from the St Augustine priest.
Actually super interesting, i wonder if any landscaping businesses that trim for parks and stuff, ya know somewhere without ground waste. Could they collect the leaves first and bag them for tea? If so someone should do this, or i might
@@markm8188 yeah that's why i said like in a park, without ground waste, liquid pollution and solids and what-not. I DON'T mean trimming from bushes ANYWHERE near ANYTHING urban or industrial 😂
Gotta be careful about sprays and road pollution on the leaves. There's a couple vids about the company in FLA offering Yaupon Tea, and the processing required to get any bulk that you'd think could be profitable.... well, that's a lot of work. I don't see landscaping companies trying to "branch" out.
We are just out of the green area of the map, in that western end of NC where you can go to Georgia without transiting SC. I will definitely be looking for these on our woodlot, which is 2200-2600 in elevation, maybe I will get luck and find a couple!
I have been researching this plant for a few months and can't find it anywhere now I know why I live in Central Missouri but it doesn't grow here. I'm definitely going to give this a try thank you for the great videos
Yaupon contains a hallucinogen called "nux vomica" (English translation vomiting nut), also contained in nutmeg and the strychnine tree Because it is such low concentrations, the Indians had to drink so much of it they had great bouts of vomiting, then drinking more. Some records by early Spanish observers made note of the frequency and huge volume of their vomiting. But it did induce an altered consciousness.
According to someone from one of the native cultures in this comment section, there was a way to ferment the leaves into a more hallucinatory concoction, whose production was only entrusted to the wise older women of the tribe. Then, there was an even more potent variety that was used for the purging rituals. They didn't know the secret of that purging drink, but theorized it may have used a small amount of the toxic berries on top of the fermented leaves. All this is to say, you can probably concentrate this nux vomica compound, but it isn't going to cause you problems unless you go far out of your way for it.
Very detailed and useful information! Few years ago I was clearing a piece of “jungle” in my backyard and discovered a little Yupon holly seedling. I haven’t harvested it yet but it is big enough to do so. Your preparation video couldn’t come at a better time. Thank you!
Thanks again for these videos I've been sharing your videos with all my friends and family and they are extremely excited to learn more. Good luck with the storm heading your way. Can't stand this time of year. Drop everything and get ready and wait and get no sleep till it's over.
OK -- you convinced me to switch from yerba mate to yaupon. Also, another tea in the same family is 'guayusa' or dream tea. I have cut back on drinking dream tea because dreaming is so intense while sleeping when drinking that tea. I'm curious how dreaming is while drinking yaupon.
Great video! I've only had it fire roasted. I read somewhere that the British tea industry, recognizing its very real competition with their industry, used their considerable influence in the name designation.
I am Cherokee/Chickasaw/Catawba and a Cherokee citizen and this certainly is in the history of all 3 tribes. Yaupon is also a key ingredient in the sacred "black drink".
I have been trying to find this plant for MONTHS to grow. Fredericksburg VA. Can't find it. Im new to the East and your vids are excellent for this Western herbalist. I tell everyone about you
A lot of nurseries don't carry it because it's not a "boxwood" being mass-produced in one of the few giant grow-ops that supply the nursery trade. You can mail-order them, or ask a small nursery to special-order one for you.
A reasonable question. This is a holly plant and one use the holly leaves for the caffeine tea. BUT !, like some sugar maple sap, myrrh and frankincense tree gum, or rubber tree gum sap, ... could someone scratch the bark and cambium getting the bush sap/gum as a concentrated caffeinated gum product or powdered form ?
If it was a ritual that involved vomiting, it might have been prairie ayahuasca, Desmanthus Illinoensis & passion vine. That they brewed & drank. They could have added the holly to it too.
Excellent video. Here in east Texas we are inundated with American Yaupon. My property is covered. I certainly will be trying this. So many videos of the northern plants that you cannot find here in East Texas. Yours are very refreshing.
I have birds that bring me presents- raspberry, black and red, blackberries (brambles), nightshade, wild and ornamental grapes, and a couple of years back a mystery plant- identical to your plant featured- I couldn't get an ID so I named it a weed. I like Hollie's so I have a few, including, a Savanna, which I think might be related to yaupon. Firstly, will Savanna make tea? secondly, looking back, the mystery plant was probably yaupon, but, Rhode Island- zone 7a.
another lovely video!! one thing i could add to the historical context of the indigenous relationship to this holly, is that during these ritual times the beverage (which as you noted was almost definitely vomitoria + another plant) was the ONLY thing that would be consumed, sometimes for as long as 3 days i believe!! and yea as someone who has abused the coffee pot my fair share of times, if thats the only thing going into you, somethings gonna be on the way out 😂
@Legacy Wilderness Academy Hey Matthew. Super excited to see this video after all the previous comments asked for it. Thanks for doing your best to inform us and continuing on this quest together. I do, however, still have a few lingering cautionary/paranoid questions. You mentioned the berries are toxic. Is it possible that the natives used some of the berries as well to induce their ritualistic vomiting? Maybe that's what influenced the name? Are there any poisonous look alikes we should be aware of? If so, how to differentiate between Yaupon and others? Is it only Holly berries that are poisonous or are other parts of other varieties poisonous as well? Did you strain your tea before drinking? Holly has always had a bad reputation due to its toxic qualities and I'm just very concerned with ingesting the wrong plant by mistake. I first learned of Yaupon about 5 years ago. I'm almost 100% positive this is what's growing in an insane amount on my property though I've never had the confidence to try it. The same goes for elderberry. I've seen a ton in my area and I'm so nervous about misidentifying it that I've never even tried. I hope you understand my concern and I very much appreciate any info and tips you can give me. Thanks again for the honest intentions and knowledge you share with us.
If you're lacking confidence find someone who isn't! Seriously try these plants out, don't be afraid, research watch videos, look at books and color plates and recipes and go for it!! I wildcrafted mullien, willow bark, st. John's wort, echinacea, elder, yarrow, dandelion, nettles, yellow dock, wild garlic, golden rod, passion flower, sheso, peppermint, bone set, bèe balm,all this year! It's so much fun especially if you find someone like minded to join in! ❤
Its possible but I think the berries would have been mentioned. There is a tribe that was very well known here in Texas known as the Karankawa that made what they called the "black drink" and it was noted to have been so dark and thick that it was more akin to a kind of sludge. The Karankawa boiled a great amount of it enough to make a very intense drink and drinking that is probably what made them vomit.
@@JulieHerbal I've found quite a few of those as well. The cautions I have is when there's poisonous and possibly fatal look alikes. Im very familiar with a lot of plants in my area but I just steer away from the others. Since beginning my interest in herbs and foraging about 3 or 4 years ago, I've found and/or tried most of what you listed as well as sassafras, wild onions, violets, pawpaws, climbing cucumbers, citron melon, possum grapes, bullace grapes, coral honeysuckle (super easy), huckleberry (although the Southern version really isn't huckleberry), black willow, smooth sumac, beautyberry, poke salat, horse nettle, and probably 10-15 more I can't remember at the moment. Unfortunately I haven't found anyone in my area interested in this or they live far away. I'm in a very remote area and the closest town is about 10 miles away. I tell people all the time that I was born in the wrong era because my ancestors basically helped establish this area and ran all through these woods foraging for most everything but now it's just me. 😁
@WesleyJSnellgrove So cool, paw paws even!! Do you mind saying where you live? Last time I came across paw paws was on a remote Missouri bluff in Grand Pass and that was about 1994!
@@JulieHerbal I've seen them in AL and MS. I drove through Missouri twice years ago but never got a chance to explore and forage. I spend most of my time around the Hattiesburg, MS area but also quite often up to Jackson, MS and down to the coast.
I have been trying to find one of these plants for quite a while. I live right in the middle of GA, but I cannot seem to find any of these in the woods around here and all I can find online are the dwarf variety. If I cannot find one by next spring, I will probably just have to try the dwarf one and set up a caffeine hedge by the window.
So awesome! Thank you. Too bad I live in the Piedmont of Virginia where this plant doesn't seem to grow naturally. I will be checking the various parking lots to see if it's been planted! 😂 TNX again!
You should experiment with roasting bundles on a wood pellet smoker/grill. If it works as I suspect, you'll attain the flavor you want, and you could prepare several bundles at once without fear of catching the on fire... Made in this manner, you could preserve the crumbled leaves in a small tin for regular use in making the tea. When I make jerky on my smoker, I use cheap racks made of expanded aluminum to hold any of the small bits. I would place these on the grill and then layer the bundles on top.
Casually dropping the best videos on the internet 😮💨
agreed!
Totally agree 😊🎉
It's so cool to realize that this is literally in my backyard!
So you’re some spoiled child who never learned in school?
@@b00nz0r What the hell is even your problem. Grow up
I remember this show on PBS channel 11 was making a documentary about the lives of the current Native Americans and when they got to interview an elder like a medicine man. They asked him about how he gets the medicine he might need for healing and he said look behind me...that's my medicine. And he was pointing to all the brush. ❤💕💕😊❤❤❤
I'm going to try it, thanks for the video..
I live in Southeast Texas and yopon is a nightmare here. After land is cleared , especially from logging , this stuff takes over. It actually grows so thick it tangles itself together and you cannot get through it.
Never knew it contained caffeine. 😊 BTW here in our local area many call it " tiedye bushes " because when the red berries are on there's the mixture of the dark green tops of the leaves, sort of silver bottoms, red berries and the splotches of gray, silver and white on the bark.
You maybe are missing a business opportunity there? 🤔
With coffee getting so expensive maybe you should turn that curse to a blessing .
It's like $20/Oz as tea, lol.
Yaupon is botanically similar to Yerba mate of South America, another Ilex species. Both yaupon and Yerba mate produce caffeinated teas.
Thank you, i was gonna say the same thing
@@briantaulbee6452 I actually think Americans need to be educated about both Camellia sinensis (real tea) and yaupon. Both can be grown outside in most of US. Why are we importing what can be easily grown at home?
@@arlosmith2784they’re cheaper
@@critterjon4061 What's cheaper than making tea from trees in your back yard?
THANK YOU! One of the only videos on yaupon to assert confidently that it does NOT cause vomiting. It's unbelievable how many people say and believe this. I can tell you've actually drunk it yourself plenty. I drink it almost every day. I have even tried drinking as much as my empty stomach fits of a very strong decoction numerous times, and it has never produced any sensation of nausea or need to vomit. It's an insanely underrated wild tea plant found everywhere in riparian zones in central TX.
Wow what a great testimony! Thanks for that!
Full disclosure... Ilex vomitoria was used in Native American rituals in order to induce visions. It was deliberately over consumed for this purpose. They may have included the poisonous berries. I drink tea made from the tea leaves, in moderation.
You don’t give a shit how the plants got there! You’re just some spoiled person who’s human overpopulation
I’m guessing it may be the berries that cause that, and people confuse the two.
Have you ever tried running it through a coffee-maker? Seems like it'd be an easy way to make a pot of iced Tea and not have to deal with the leaf getting everywhere.
The wood historically has also been used for arrows, turning, inlays and piano keys. Makes a really good walking stick. It really needs to be managed also to improve Turkey habitat. Planning on doing some experimentation with using it as fence posts as it is a densely grained hardwood. I think there are probably many uses for this abundant resource just waiting to be tapped into.
‘Abundant resources’ the lie that made humanity destroy this planet while making us too ‘ignorant’ to realize it
It makes great war clubs and bows too.
@@PalmettoNDNprobably would work well for tool handles as well
I am of Muskogee Creek and Cherokee ancestry and grew up among those amazing and wonderful people.
I learned about the use of Yaupon from my grandmother, a medicine woman, and from other older female family members I watched preparing it.
Everyone uses Yaupon leaves to make a soothing tea, but there is another use for Yaupon. It is used to prepare "The Black Drink," a wicked smelling brew of green leaves, prepared only by older women who have ritually prepared themselves for the task.
They chew the fresh leaves and spit out the masticated mass and their own saliva into earthen pots. These pots are stored or sometimes buried in the ground until the contents have fermented.
The resulting "Black Drink" is only mildly hallucinogenic and its use is strictly forbidden to women. I suppose they get a little buzz from the preparation, though. Women don't want to drink it, really, as they say it makes men act silly.
There is another variety of "The Black Drink" which is far more potent and dangerous. It can produce violent nausea, vomiting and even strong hallucinations. I am not sure of its exact content, as it was not revealed to me. I believe I know what it is, though. As a girl, I saw Yaupon berries being gathered and dried on strings, well out of the reach of us children. I believe these dried berries may have been ground and added to the original drink's recipe to make the purifying form of the drink.
I have long suspected there is a very good reason only older women are allowed to make this drink and that women are not allowed to use it at all.
I believe it may well be that "The Black Drink" is harmful to an unborn or nursing child. The berry recipe would almost certainly be fatal to an unborn or nursing infant.
Hope this helps to round out your information!
Wow that's a very detailed description on the history of this plant, thank you for sharing!
Fascinating, tyvm!
That was absolutely amazing and awesome to read. I sincerely hope there are people recording and studying these ancient ways. I am quite certain that even with all the modern medicine in the world we could all learn things from an old medicine woman’s knowledge.
I've seen the black drink made by roasting Holly leaves and once they're black and dry they then steep them to make it.
Thank you for the detailed information!
Excellent source of caffeine and theobromine that likely grows around you if you're anywhere in the south. I recommend roasting the leaves in an oven before making your tea. It really gives it what I think is a much better flavor.
Thanks for another great video, Matt. You're doing the Lord's work here.
How much do I drink? How do I avoid the throwing up, or How much causes that? I'm ready to try it. I see it everywhere.
I'm blessed to be in a place where yaupon is everywhere.
I have a weeping youpon, with berries. Huge tree. Love it
What is weeping yaupon?
Great info, Matthew. I have a tree that I love. But I never knew that I could use the the leaves for tea. I'm a tea drinker and I can't wait to try it. Another reason to use native plants for landscaping...❤❤❤
Thanks for this awesome video. Finally a plant in my area that is abundant, easy to prepare, easy to identify, & very healthy. And free!!!
I've been drinking yaupon holly tea for a few years, but just recently learned the connection between it and the famed Native American Osceola (Asi-Yaholo, or black drink speaker).
I heard that the Black Drink was used during mound building acts.
Thank you for making these videos. Very interesting how many plants are more useful than I imagined.
Yay for caffeine, thanks Matthew.
Thanks
Yaupon is the 2nd most abundant plant, only 2nd to the loblolly pine trees, in the vast "Big Thicket" forests of east Texas. I doubt, though, whether many Texans know that it has beverage potential. This sounds very much like Mate ("mah-tay") which is a very popular hot beverage in Argentina, and is also a Holly bush.
Wow, I didn't know yerba mate was a holly... makes me think of the actual coffee plant
Most people around here hate youpon holly 😢 I purposely left as many as I could around my property. I drink the tea make crafts like arrows, and friction Fire sets from the wood. And have made it my goal to educate as many people as I can about its benefits.
Where did you find that information, I have been doing herbal medicine for 60 years and have never seen that in any of my books about loblolly pine ... I need to know please.
Thanks for the video , but... The story you gave isn't exactly correct... It wasn't for religious purposes to purge but rather for posturing in front of outsiders to show how big a warrior he was by showing that he could eat more. I really wish that people would quit trying to understand past societies by present social practice!
There were two small companies in Texas that were offering Yaupon Tea. I'm not sure if they're still working, but it was good stuff and nicely packaged. I remember watching a couple videos on them not too long back.
Fascinating video. I grew up in North Louisiana and have seen these plants my whole life. All I ever knew was that the berries were toxic. This whole time I could have been having some fantastic tea. Being a tea nerd, I can't wait to give this a try.
How cool that you've already identified the tree!
It seems like freezing the green leaves, then drying them, would break the cell walls enough to release the caffeine more easily.
Thanks for the video. I'm always glad to know about an emergency source of caffeine. 😅
I really like your style , it's important to keep the truth about southern culture alive, as well as pointing out the fact that we've successfully, to some degree, blended cultures from the whole world into a unique one of our own.
Great video! Very interesting history about the Yaupon Holly as well. Can't wait until the next video! 😊
I wok roast yaupon, then simmer the crushed leaves in water for 20 minutes to end up with a very dark drink. Sometimes add a little sorghum syrup. It is as satisfying as coffee (and I love my coffee!)
Matthew is mad genius.
Awesome thank you so much for sharing, I have alot growing in my front yard. I will definitely be making some tea😊❤
Thank you sir!!! 🤙
I do appreciate all the information that you supply during your research.
Absolutely love this stuff. I should watch more of this. But chem trails and turbo cancers have been taking priority. That and try to keep a garden alive . Gardening today is quite the challenge. ❤ Thank you for your work brother, it is excellent Intel.
Yes gardening today is extremely challenging. Dry conditions and PLENTY of bugs.
My grandmother use to use Peach tree leaves the same way. It was good.
WOW! As a caffeine substitute?
@@JanineMJoi yes
I love those trees! Undoubtedly, I have a male since it doesn’t have a lot of red berries in the winter!
Great video, Matthew.
A local Native Plant Society member (and certified UF Master Gardener) that leads guided hikes suggested a theory that the name "vomitaria" may have been created because early Europeans saw yaupon as competition for the imported teas. She also mentioned that the natives drank it everyday (without vomiting), as your reference to the 1615 remarks from the St Augustine priest.
This is such important work you are doing...thank you!
I have that stuff everywhere. I'm going to have to try it out.
Loving your videos! ❤
thank you. So much energy, methinks you have been drinking that natural caffeine ;) brilliant!
Good job ...yet again 🇺🇸💪
Recently, I found out about this before watching here. It's plentiful on our property. Awesome and medicinal free! Thanks for posting!
Actually super interesting, i wonder if any landscaping businesses that trim for parks and stuff, ya know somewhere without ground waste. Could they collect the leaves first and bag them for tea? If so someone should do this, or i might
Yes that's a perk of the job.
I wouldn't use any landscaping plant, unless from my land. Most landscapers and people keeping tidy landscapes use copious amounts of chemicals.
@@markm8188 yeah that's why i said like in a park, without ground waste, liquid pollution and solids and what-not. I DON'T mean trimming from bushes ANYWHERE near ANYTHING urban or industrial 😂
Gotta be careful about sprays and road pollution on the leaves. There's a couple vids about the company in FLA offering Yaupon Tea, and the processing required to get any bulk that you'd think could be profitable.... well, that's a lot of work. I don't see landscaping companies trying to "branch" out.
Wow, I had some of these pop up years ago. Turned them into a wall with an arch walkway. Had no idea of their actual value
Crazy! You've got your very own tea wall!
@@stacystepp7914 yeah I’m gonna try this
Thanks again for sharing .
We are just out of the green area of the map, in that western end of NC where you can go to Georgia without transiting SC. I will definitely be looking for these on our woodlot, which is 2200-2600 in elevation, maybe I will get luck and find a couple!
Excellent work, young man!
Although not the best wood for it it does make a good bow if you can find a good stick
Thank you Matthew, this also grows in my area. Northern California I'll be looking for it on my next foraging adventure.
I have been researching this plant for a few months and can't find it anywhere now I know why I live in Central Missouri but it doesn't grow here. I'm definitely going to give this a try thank you for the great videos
Thank you for watching!
So glad to hear you’re from N La. I am from the Ruston area.
Spent 30 yrs in Shreveport before moving to East Texas.
Great job Mathew!
Love the channel man- from Bossier Parish.
Worked at Bossier Medical Center for over a decade.
@@moragmacgregor6792 cheers homie 🍻
Yaupon contains a hallucinogen called "nux vomica" (English translation vomiting nut), also contained in nutmeg and the strychnine tree Because it is such low concentrations, the Indians had to drink so much of it they had great bouts of vomiting, then drinking more. Some records by early Spanish observers made note of the frequency and huge volume of their vomiting. But it did induce an altered consciousness.
Interesting. Lobelia is also used for inducing vomiting.
Isn't nux-vomica from the strychnine vine?
Vomiting itself produces an altered state of consciousness 😂
According to someone from one of the native cultures in this comment section, there was a way to ferment the leaves into a more hallucinatory concoction, whose production was only entrusted to the wise older women of the tribe. Then, there was an even more potent variety that was used for the purging rituals. They didn't know the secret of that purging drink, but theorized it may have used a small amount of the toxic berries on top of the fermented leaves.
All this is to say, you can probably concentrate this nux vomica compound, but it isn't going to cause you problems unless you go far out of your way for it.
Wow, I have that holly all over my property. I have never heard of using it for anything. Thank you for the information. I will be trying the tea.
Thanks Matthew, I live in SC so thankful that you showed me the tree I'm going to try this ❤🙏
Love the informative video. I wish yaupon holly grew up north.
Totally cool Matthew.
I love this tea! Thanks for doing a vid on it.
Subscribed! So happy to have stumbled on this video.
I've never noticed this shrub in the foothills of North Carolina. I'm going to make a point to find it. Thanks!
Very detailed and useful information! Few years ago I was clearing a piece of “jungle” in my backyard and discovered a little Yupon holly seedling. I haven’t harvested it yet but it is big enough to do so. Your preparation video couldn’t come at a better time. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching!
I’m so excited to try this, I’m in the panhandle in Florida
Very interesting! Thank you!
Thank you so much for your videos! Much appreciated!
Awesome information and teaching 😊❤ Thank you so much 😊❤
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching!
Thank you so much. I LOVE your channel!!!
Dude! Awesome video. All need to see this.
When I moved from the coast into the upper coastal plains, I brought a Yaupon with me.
So great! Appreciate your work. Thank you!
Thank you.
I live in MI and find so much of this meant for the SW USA to be pertinent. Thanks so much for valuable information!
Another great video!
Thanks again for these videos I've been sharing your videos with all my friends and family and they are extremely excited to learn more. Good luck with the storm heading your way. Can't stand this time of year. Drop everything and get ready and wait and get no sleep till it's over.
I know what you mean! I used to live in Surfside Texas. Had to run a few times lol
OK -- you convinced me to switch from yerba mate to yaupon. Also, another tea in the same family is 'guayusa' or dream tea. I have cut back on drinking dream tea because dreaming is so intense while sleeping when drinking that tea. I'm curious how dreaming is while drinking yaupon.
Excellent and interesting video. Thank you for sharing. 😊🌱💚🌻🐝🌲
Thanks for watching!
Love your videos. Keep em' coming! Now I need to see if I can locate some plants or seeds. 😊
Thank you Sir !!
Thank you
Awesome -Thank you sooo much!
I was looking for a way to support you; don't see any. (will check again...)
🙏🙏
I agree! That would be great if he had a donate button!
Great video! I've only had it fire roasted.
I read somewhere that the British tea industry, recognizing its very real competition with their industry, used their considerable influence in the name designation.
Love this channel
Thank you Matthew. Must try it.
There are several companies out there that sell yaupon tea. My favorite is Cat Springs Yaupon here in Texas. Just ordered some myself recently!
Thanks sir for the information...enjoyed it. Catch you on the next one. Holly grows well here but mostly in landscaping. God Bless. NW ga.
I am Cherokee/Chickasaw/Catawba and a Cherokee citizen and this certainly is in the history of all 3 tribes. Yaupon is also a key ingredient in the sacred "black drink".
Ooooo i have one! NW Ark
I love NWA
I have been trying to find this plant for MONTHS to grow. Fredericksburg VA. Can't find it. Im new to the East and your vids are excellent for this Western herbalist. I tell everyone about you
Thank you so much!
A lot of nurseries don't carry it because it's not a "boxwood" being mass-produced in one of the few giant grow-ops that supply the nursery trade. You can mail-order them, or ask a small nursery to special-order one for you.
❤🎉 Your Superawesome 🎉.
Thank You for sharing!
Definitely will add This one.🎉
Thank you for watching!
A reasonable question. This is a holly plant and one use the holly leaves for the caffeine tea. BUT !, like some sugar maple sap, myrrh and frankincense tree gum, or rubber tree gum sap, ... could someone scratch the bark and cambium getting the bush sap/gum as a concentrated caffeinated gum product or powdered form ?
Picked a bunch last year.
Just fixed me a cup of yopon tea waiting for the hurricane to come in here in Louisiana
@@brokenarrow2835
I must say...that sounds exciting! Be safe:)
thanks
If it was a ritual that involved vomiting, it might have been prairie ayahuasca, Desmanthus Illinoensis & passion vine. That they brewed & drank. They could have added the holly to it too.
Excellent video. Here in east Texas we are inundated with American Yaupon. My property is covered. I certainly will be trying this. So many videos of the northern plants that you cannot find here in East Texas. Yours are very refreshing.
The Cherokee (Tsalagi) called it Black Drink (Gvnega Adatatsi).
Yes, the Karankawa of the Texas Gulf Coast did as well.
You are geographically very close to me. I am in Claiborne parish. Glad I found your channel!
Professional presentation I must say
Amazing channel. Exactly what I'm looking for, now I've found a channel for the Northeast and Southeast. Too bad I live in Colorado.
What's the Northeast channel. I have a friend in OH who would love that channel.
@@ForTLoveofDogs Learn Your Land
I have birds that bring me presents- raspberry, black and red, blackberries (brambles), nightshade, wild and ornamental grapes, and a couple of years back a mystery plant- identical to your plant featured- I couldn't get an ID so I named it a weed. I like Hollie's so I have a few, including, a Savanna, which I think might be related to yaupon. Firstly, will Savanna make tea? secondly, looking back, the mystery plant was probably yaupon, but, Rhode Island- zone 7a.
another lovely video!!
one thing i could add to the historical context of the indigenous relationship to this holly, is that during these ritual times the beverage (which as you noted was almost definitely vomitoria + another plant) was the ONLY thing that would be consumed, sometimes for as long as 3 days i believe!! and yea as someone who has abused the coffee pot my fair share of times, if thats the only thing going into you, somethings gonna be on the way out 😂
Lol so true. One time I drank 3 big cups of english breakfast tea back to back on an empty stomach and well... it had the "vomitoria" effect for sure
@Legacy Wilderness Academy Hey Matthew. Super excited to see this video after all the previous comments asked for it. Thanks for doing your best to inform us and continuing on this quest together. I do, however, still have a few lingering cautionary/paranoid questions. You mentioned the berries are toxic. Is it possible that the natives used some of the berries as well to induce their ritualistic vomiting? Maybe that's what influenced the name? Are there any poisonous look alikes we should be aware of? If so, how to differentiate between Yaupon and others? Is it only Holly berries that are poisonous or are other parts of other varieties poisonous as well? Did you strain your tea before drinking? Holly has always had a bad reputation due to its toxic qualities and I'm just very concerned with ingesting the wrong plant by mistake. I first learned of Yaupon about 5 years ago. I'm almost 100% positive this is what's growing in an insane amount on my property though I've never had the confidence to try it. The same goes for elderberry. I've seen a ton in my area and I'm so nervous about misidentifying it that I've never even tried. I hope you understand my concern and I very much appreciate any info and tips you can give me. Thanks again for the honest intentions and knowledge you share with us.
If you're lacking confidence find someone who isn't! Seriously try these plants out, don't be afraid, research watch videos, look at books and color plates and recipes and go for it!! I wildcrafted mullien, willow bark, st. John's wort, echinacea, elder, yarrow, dandelion, nettles, yellow dock, wild garlic, golden rod, passion flower, sheso, peppermint, bone set, bèe balm,all this year! It's so much fun especially if you find someone like minded to join in! ❤
Its possible but I think the berries would have been mentioned. There is a tribe that was very well known here in Texas known as the Karankawa that made what they called the "black drink" and it was noted to have been so dark and thick that it was more akin to a kind of sludge. The Karankawa boiled a great amount of it enough to make a very intense drink and drinking that is probably what made them vomit.
@@JulieHerbal I've found quite a few of those as well. The cautions I have is when there's poisonous and possibly fatal look alikes. Im very familiar with a lot of plants in my area but I just steer away from the others. Since beginning my interest in herbs and foraging about 3 or 4 years ago, I've found and/or tried most of what you listed as well as sassafras, wild onions, violets, pawpaws, climbing cucumbers, citron melon, possum grapes, bullace grapes, coral honeysuckle (super easy), huckleberry (although the Southern version really isn't huckleberry), black willow, smooth sumac, beautyberry, poke salat, horse nettle, and probably 10-15 more I can't remember at the moment. Unfortunately I haven't found anyone in my area interested in this or they live far away. I'm in a very remote area and the closest town is about 10 miles away. I tell people all the time that I was born in the wrong era because my ancestors basically helped establish this area and ran all through these woods foraging for most everything but now it's just me. 😁
@WesleyJSnellgrove So cool, paw paws even!! Do you mind saying where you live? Last time I came across paw paws was on a remote Missouri bluff in Grand Pass and that was about 1994!
@@JulieHerbal I've seen them in AL and MS. I drove through Missouri twice years ago but never got a chance to explore and forage. I spend most of my time around the Hattiesburg, MS area but also quite often up to Jackson, MS and down to the coast.
Nice! I had no idea that Yerba mate was also a species of Ilex.
I have been trying to find one of these plants for quite a while. I live right in the middle of GA, but I cannot seem to find any of these in the woods around here and all I can find online are the dwarf variety. If I cannot find one by next spring, I will probably just have to try the dwarf one and set up a caffeine hedge by the window.
"Caffeine Hedge" hahaha Love it!
Caffeine hedge! Great idea!! Hey did you look on inaturalist to find yaupon near you? Maybe that's what you meant...wasn't sure:)
So awesome! Thank you. Too bad I live in the Piedmont of Virginia where this plant doesn't seem to grow naturally. I will be checking the various parking lots to see if it's been planted! 😂
TNX again!
You should experiment with roasting bundles on a wood pellet smoker/grill. If it works as I suspect, you'll attain the flavor you want, and you could prepare several bundles at once without fear of catching the on fire...
Made in this manner, you could preserve the crumbled leaves in a small tin for regular use in making the tea.
When I make jerky on my smoker, I use cheap racks made of expanded aluminum to hold any of the small bits. I would place these on the grill and then layer the bundles on top.
I admit...I've always pronounced it "yaw-pun", but I am from E TN lol
I've never heard it spoken before.
Lots of "Yaupon" word usage in coastal SC.
I listened to a lot of videos to make sure I was saying it right lol