Yaupon / Ptukwiipakw

There is only one plant native to Turtle Island (North America) that contains caffeine: Yaupon. 

For centuries, Yaupon leaves have been roasted over fire and then steeped in hot water to brew tea. The earliest documented consumption of Yaupon tea dates to around 1050 at Cahokia, a pre-Columbian site near what we now call St. Louis.

The tea was consumed by Indigenous communities including the Cherokee, Alabama, Creek, Natchez, and Seminole. Large quantities were drunk to induce vomiting as a way to cleanse and purify the body before ceremony or conflict. Indigenous communities have also enjoyed Yaupon tea regularly, traded it, and shared it with visitors in a gesture of hospitality and diplomacy. 

Yaupon is a member of the Holly family. While this tree is not native to New York – it grows from Florida to the Delmarva peninsula – climate change has expanded its range and allowed it to flourish throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

Learn more about the other native plants on “The Place Where Plants Grow - Enta Sakink Epëmawsiwikil” by clicking here and returning to the plant list.