The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1867-09-05
From the Journal of Commerce.
MITE AND YOPON.

,rSsps. EDITORS In your issue of
M 81. notice an article on the
a aoEra Matte or Paraguay tea. 1t may
=" Of interest to your readers to know
t 1et' this herb, or rather tree shrub,
tn", ws in great luxuriance on the eastern
grow grow Of North Carolina. 1t is there
snT Iod Yopon, and is botanically the
G Gr Euponia. Its leaves have been
nv. as a source oftea drink for years.
k krson. in his history of the early ex-
hI.rstion of North-Carolina by the
EnrIsh, and their attempts at settle
L" nst mentions sort of black drink
n 'sJe of this tree by the Indians. I
, ,l,,r not his book before me, and hence
l nn only quote his ideas. He says that
every owe summer the Indians resort to the
sasroast. and there establishing camp,
s'ranare great pots of this tea, and
link thereof until it vomits and sweats
tbem to such degree that all the i'm
nurities of the body are cast off, and
ibav return home without fear of any
disorder.
The first paragraph of the article
ouoted from the Missouri Republican,
With mere changes of name, would an
swer equally as we'll for the North
Carolina Yopon, 1t belongs, of course,
to the lick or holy family. Its leaves
are oval, varying from three-quarters
to one and a-half inches in length, and
are regularly serrated (saw shaped
edee). 1t grows principally upon the
almost barren sandy land in the eastern
extreme of the State, but wherever
trapsplanted fourishes. Its leaves,
prepared in a rude way, are used as tea
bv nearly all the poorer classes, and by
MANY of the wealthy from choice. I
have personally made many expert
ments with its effects upon the system,
and have never been able to find any,
thing injurious in it. l believe it is
about what good black tea would be,
if that could be had fresh and pure
Ny father, now over eighty years of
ace. drank it for many years with great
benefit. Its effect when taken very
strong and in quantity, is to open the
pores of the skin, and is exhilarating.-
found that very strong decoction
produced all the mind-and-body-en-
iivening effect of wine, without any of
the unpleasant and depressing feelings
afterwards. 1t seemed to die away
gradually and leave the system strength
ened. In Hawks History of North
Carolina is an allusion to it andin 1857
published an article in the North
Carolina Standard, giving a full &C
count ofthe plant, Incorporates, and its
resemblance, to the "matte' of Para
quay. This article attracted tie notice
of the Department at Washington, and
was requested to furnish plants, which
l did, and they are now growing in the
public garden there.
In North Carolina, before the war, it
was prepared by cutting off the outer
leaves and shoots, stem and all, which
were placed in trough and chopped
small with Ratchet or axe Thus
chopped, the mass was put into an iron
pot, and subjected to heat from slow
fire, occasionally stirred to prevent
burning, but most Of the time covered
closely. When cooled it was called
ready for use, and usually sold at seven
tytive cents per bushel; though that
made more carefully brought a higher
price. Some sprinkle the roasting
leaves with salt and water.
Ihave repeatedly heard captains of
vessels in the waters of the Albemarle
and Pamlico sounds say that their crews
never had the chills and fever if they
drank Yopon- tea, and l have known
some very remarkable instances of its
effects in cases of obstinate fever. But
while it may be equally as good as, or
better than, the Chinese tea, it can
never compete with that article, because
labor to roll and tend the leaves is too
expensive in this country. Still that it
might be made an article of commerce
from Eastern North Carolina to this
city, and become pure and cheap sub
stitute for the adulterated stuff called
tea and coffee which is used by the
poorer classes, there is no doubt.
The tree, as it exists in North
Carolina, is of two species lthe male and
female, as the people there call them) !;
one has red berries, the other none at
all. That without the berries is the
one from which the tea is made 1t is
an evergreen, and beautiful yard orna-
ment. The best tea is from leaves
gathered in May or June. A Yopon
thicket was, in days gone by, as much
valued by its owner as an apple orchard
hereabouts. l found the tree hardy,
and capable Of transportation the red
land of the West. l have been told
that the shrub grows as far south as
New Orleans, in gardens at least, but
my observation taught me that it's chief
native home was the northeastern
counties of North Carolina. The name,
| think, originally came from the Yeopin
Indians, who once inhabited that section
of the State, as, with an Indian pronun
citation, Yeopin is easily transformed
into Yopon or Eupon.
Respectfully, H. E COTTON.