# Black Drink Recipe of SE Native Americans



## ChoctawBow

Does anyone have a recipe for the black drink which was consumed by the Native Americans across the SE United States?  I have been doing some research, but am coming up with very little that is helpful in making/recreating the drink. I have found that it was made with Yaupon Holly as the primary ingredient.  The plant's leaves and stems/shoots were roasted, and then boiled with water.  It was then drank by males (sometimes female leaders/cheifs), but NOT allowed for females and children.  It is documented by early explorers to SE United States.  It has been estimated that black drink was 5-6 times the caffeine intake as drinking 2-3 cups of modern day premium coffee (so like drinking 10-15 cups of Starbucks in one drink, OMG!).  Was documented to cause profuse sweating - almost immediately - as well as vomitting after ingesting large quantities.  Was taken in several rounds, with trips (take a leak?) outside of meeting house between servings. Was consumed primarily for ceremonial purposes, but also documentation of it being ingested daily by males in the AM when meeting in public/common areas.  People are people, lol. I would appreciate any info or experience making a recipe for this drink.  I am considering trying to recreate this black drink, obviously erring on the side of moderation initially.


----------



## fish hawk

Sounds like a shot of Black Drink is what i need some mornings!!!


----------



## fishtail

Do a search for Ilex Vomitoria and you will find a good bit of information.
There are varied processes of tea making. Depending on the procedure you will obtain a different tea.
A green tea is done basically by steeping the fresh green leaves and shoots. A black tea is done by brusing them, allowing them to ferment/dry and then steeped.   
There are three methods that will produce the different tea you already drink.

The original link is gone, this is basically the same but you will need to wade through the booklet to get to the sections you want. Turn the pages by clicking on the arrow top right.



The entire Guide booklet http://simplebooklet.com/teaguide#page=0


----------



## fishtail

You will find out that the first new growth of the season after breaking the winter dormancy will be the most potent.


----------



## klfutrelle

Are you going to drink it? I imagine that might clean out your intestines.


----------



## Kawaliga

*Black Drink*



klfutrelle said:


> Are you going to drink it? I imagine that might clean out your intestines.



Yeah, and if you make it strong enough, you might go into cardiac arrest.


----------



## NCHillbilly

Among some tribes, a weak tea was drunk daily as a beverage, and a strong brew for ceremonial/purification purposes. The Cherokee here in the mountains even used black drink, even though yaupon holly only grows in the Coastal Plain. They transplanted and grew it where it wasn't too cold for it to live.


----------



## ChoctawBow

I appreciate the link provided by Fishtail on tea making.  Recreating black drink is likely not as mysterious as I thought.  Obviously it was some sort of primitive tea, and I imagine approach for making a black tea would generally work.  Also noticed a tip or two on adding flavorful ingredients (SE Native Americans documented as adding other ingredients as well when making black drink).  Would be interesting to see what ingredients available in SE to alter flavor of black drink, such as blackberry leaves mentioned in the link.  I will try post updates when/if I actually make some black drink.  I mentioned to my wife, and she is already worried about how she will explain this to the paramedics, lol.


----------



## TNGIRL

I believe they sometimes crushed mint leaves and even sage and added it, dry or fresh.


----------



## ChoctawBow

Thanks TNGIRL, this black drink now seems quite doable.  I tend to get quite a caffeine buzz as is; there is no telling what affect black drink will have on me.


----------



## Munkywrench

Is the wife worried what the tea will do to you or what she is gonna do to you for being that hyper?


----------



## danmc

So?  Did it result in hyper behavior followed by puking?  I'm thinking "with a name like vomitoria"...


----------



## fishtail

It might of not turned out too well.
He ain't been seen or heard from since after his last post on 01/15/13 6:41pm.


----------



## Russdaddy

So it was the NA's version of 5 hour energy shot? Must of been what they were all jacked up on when they took out Custer.


----------



## Nicodemus

Russdaddy said:


> So it was the NA's version of 5 hour energy shot? Must of been what they were all jacked up on when they took out Custer.





No, they were jacked up because their women, children, and elders were under attack. 

Just as we would be if the tables were turned. 

Okay, back on topic.


----------



## dawg2

ChoctawBow said:


> Does anyone have a recipe for the black drink which was consumed by the Native Americans across the SE United States?  I have been doing some research, but am coming up with very little that is helpful in making/recreating the drink. I have found that it was made with Yaupon Holly as the primary ingredient.  The plant's leaves and stems/shoots were roasted, and then boiled with water.  It was then drank by males (sometimes female leaders/cheifs), but NOT allowed for females and children.  It is documented by early explorers to SE United States.  It has been estimated that black drink was 5-6 times the caffeine intake as drinking 2-3 cups of modern day premium coffee (so like drinking 10-15 cups of Starbucks in one drink, OMG!).  Was documented to cause profuse sweating - almost immediately - as well as vomitting after ingesting large quantities.  Was taken in several rounds, with trips (take a leak?) outside of meeting house between servings. Was consumed primarily for ceremonial purposes, but also documentation of it being ingested daily by males in the AM when meeting in public/common areas.  People are people, lol. I would appreciate any info or experience making a recipe for this drink.  I am considering trying to recreate this black drink, obviously erring on the side of moderation initially.



It also made them vomit.


----------



## danmc

dawg2 said:


> It also made them vomit.



"with a name like vomitoria" 

This one hasn't been high on my list of things to try out.


----------



## chehawknapper

The European botanists gave it the name "vomitoria" because they witnessed it having that effect on them during ceremonies. If you drink enough water quick enough it will have the same effect. Before going in to council, going to war or coming back from war one needed to "purify himself" where everyone could see. Black drink was the beverage used because the caffeine also caused a heightened state of alertness. It was drank socially just like we drink tea or coffee. I have made the tea many times by roasting the leaves in a pottery bowl over the fire while stirring constantly. The roasted leaves were then boiled until the liquid had darkened up nicely. It has never created any nausea in me. There is another holly with caffeine in S. Am. that contains caffeine and is still consumed regularly. It is called Yerba Mate'. It is drank from a mate' gourd through a metal "straw" called a bombillia (sp?).


----------



## danmc

chehawknapper:  That is an interesting data point (that you don't feel ill from it).  I've had  Ilex paraguariensis (Yerba mate) and didn't much care for it myself.  Actually I thought it was nasty.  That said I know people who do like it.  I'm curious, do you have personal experience with Ilex opaca (American holly)?  I've heard it can also be roasted and steeped for "coffee".


----------



## White Horse

As noted by Chehawknapper, ingestion of Black Drink by itself does not cause vomiting. In ceremonials, a finger, feather, or stick down the throat is used to induce vomiting.

Also, yaupon holly does not grow in Oklahoma, so different plants have been used to produce the ritual drink since Removal.


----------



## chehawknapper

I am not wild about black drink or yerba mate. I'm sure that the presence of caffeine was the interest. I have never tried any other hollies. I had one person claim that it was gall berry used in the purification rites but I have never found any documentation to that effect.


----------



## fishtail

William Bartram is credited with witnessing the use of and naming the plant.
You're going to have to critique me on this but from what I remember the now landscape variety "Schillings Holly", is also the one Bartram came across which has been cloned for a couple of hundred years. 
Seemed to remember the mounding type Schillings was the male and the tree form was the female plant. 
Either were used for the Tea.


----------



## chehawknapper

I am only vaguely familiar with landscape cultivars. Wild yaupon grows throughout our area. I planted some at Chehaw back in the early 90's that came from the archaeological site of Fusihatchee on the Tallapoosa river. It was identical to the yaupon we already had.


----------



## dh88

Does Yaupon Holly grow around the Coffee county area?


----------



## Scrapy

fishtail said:


> Do a search for Ilex Vomitoria and you will find a good bit of information.
> There are varied processes of tea making. Depending on the procedure you will obtain a different tea.
> A green tea is done basically by steeping the fresh green leaves and shoots. A black tea is done by brusing them, allowing them to ferment/dry and then steeped.
> Here's three methods that will produce the different tea you already drink..
> http://www.growyourowntea.com/making-your-own-tea-from-camellia-sinensis-tea-plants/



That's what I think too. Vomitoria is very , very common in the turpentine woods areas.  Credit Woodard for developing the Rabbiteye blueberries that do so well on that looking good but not worth a - sandy soil with a Coffee colored layer about a foot deep. What county is Alma in?


----------



## chehawknapper

Yaupon should be found in Coffee county. As for any of the other species of holly, I have not tried them. To the best of my knowledge, Yaupon is the only one containing caffeine.


----------

