Charleston City Paper: Digs - December 2020 by CharlestonCityPaper

December 2020

R E AL E T ESTTA INGS LI S IN SIDE

YAUPON IS

THE LOCAL HOLLY FIT FOR YOUR TEAPOT

TASTE THE HOLIDAYS IN SOME FINE,

AFFORDABLE WINES

At Home with

LISA THOMAS Ruta Smith

a Charleston City Paper publication

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Volume 1, Number 5

Dec. 9, 2020

INSIDE AT HOME IN THE LOWCOUNTRY

Thomas revels in things getting Out of Hand

.......... 4

BY ANDY BRACK

DIGGING THE GRAPE

Taste the holidays in some fine, affordable wines BY ANDY BRACK

.......... 6

DIGGING THE HOLIDAYS

Eight holiday hacks for spending more time with your family

.......... 8

DIGGING INTO HISTORY

Charleston’s December history is rich, eclectic

.......... 10

BY ANDY BRACK AND CITY PAPER STAFF

DIGGING REAL ESTATE

Properties for sale and rentals in your area

.......... 12

DIGGING LOCAL

Local holly is a tea that used to be a big deal

.......... 14

BY TONI REALE

Digs, our new monthly home-focused publication, connects the people who make the Lowcountry special with content they’ve been missing. Digs gets up close and personal with stories on local personalities, home design and remodeling, plants and gardening, home repair and real estate. To learn more about advertising opportunities offered through Digs, contact our advertising team at (843) 577-5304 or send an email to: sales@charlestoncitypaper.com. Dig it! PUBLISHER Andy Brack

EDITOR

Sam Spence

STAFF

Ruta Smith

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS

SONITROL 59 City Paper 4.687x5.307 4C.indd 1

7/23/20 9:08 AM

Celebrating Charleston Families Since 1996

CONTRIBUTOR Toni Reale

Published by City Paper Publishing, LLC Members: J. Edward Bell | Andrew C. Brack

Views expressed in Charleston City Paper cover the spectrum and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. Charleston City Paper takes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts. © 2020. All content is copyrighted and the property of City Paper Publishing, LLC. Material may not be reproduced without permission. Proud member of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia and the South Carolina Press Association.

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AT HOME IN THE LOWCOUNTRY

Thomas revels in things getting Out of Hand

CHARLESTON CITY PAPER 12.09.2020

BY ANDY BRACK

Mount Pleasant resident Lisa Thomas has a laugh that is simply infectious. Paired with a glowing smile, she welcomes guests into her home that’s right around the corner from Out of Hand, her eclectic Old Village boutique. “I try to come out here as much as I can,” she says, reclining on a bed-sized porch swing laden with comfortable pillows. Stretch your neck a little and you can see the sparkle of Charleston harbor at the end of the street. You can find Thomas, also a wellknown, longtime event planner, on the porch year-round. She has electric blankets to keep it cozy when there’s a nip in the air. “Sometimes it is just nice to come out and get in the sunshine — and without the laptop.” For the last 20 years, she and her husband, Pete Wofford, have been fixing up the two-story home built about 170 years ago on a corner lot. They’re at it one room at a time, year after year. After 20 years, it’s beautiful, filled with the same eclectic blend of art and furnishings in the store down the street. “The first project was to remove the vinyl siding, repair the woodwork and put a porch on,” she said. “I like to restore things. I try to do things that are authentic, rather than all new and shiny. I love patina.” With most of the work done on the home — a grand kitchen was added recently — Thomas is spending time restoring a family lake house in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains near where she grew up.

Before it got Out of Hand She attended Penn State University on a golf scholarship and later ran promotional sporting events for the LPGA and coordinated marketing and events for The New York Times. By 1994, she hooked up with the Family Circle Cup and moved to Hilton Head Island to direct the tennis tournament. As it grew, she worked with

the organization to move the event to Daniel Island by 2000. Soon after that success, she went out on her own to start Ooh! Events, a full-service event and wedding production company. And it’s been gangbusters since with as many as 12 events on busy days in “the seasons,” which are March through June and a few weeks in the fall. Over the years, she’s had to secure 60,000 square feet of storage space in North Charleston to keep all of the company’s specially-designed tables, chairs and party furnishings.

Decorating approach blends styles Thomas will be the first to tell you that she loves to hunt treasures — interesting little (and big) knick-knacks that can transform a bland room. Her kitchen, for example, has a row of large vintage single-pane windows from a farmhouse in upstate New York that drench the room in light. “I mix all kinds of things, new and old, modern and traditional,” she said. “I love to try to create opportunities to reach that balance point.” When she entertains in her own home, she says she tries to do it without using electric lights. Instead, she floods interiors with light from multiple candles “because everything looks better by candlelight.” She also encourages people to use smells in homes, such as through scented candles, to enhance the experience that a guest has in a room. Fill a room with good smells, she said, just as you put art on the walls to make it look attractive. “I try to appeal to all of the senses — your sight, smell and taste,” she said, adding that hosts don’t need to go overboard. Rather, focus on one thing for each sense — and do it well. She also said that she’s a big advocate of making people comfortable. Often when she entertains, she takes furniture from inside of the house and puts it in a garden outside. You don’t, she said, want

Lisa Thomas and her family have been fixing up their 170-year-old home for the past 20 years.

THE LOWDOWN ON LISA THOMAS Age: 57, damn it. Birthplace: Binghamton, N.Y. Education: Penn State University. Current profession: Owner of Ooh! Events and Out of Hand Past professions of interest: Tournament director for Family Circle Cup and put together the design-build program, and moved the event to Charleston. Family: Husband, Pete Wofford, and daughter, Emma Wofford. Pets: I LOVE animals! Leah is a springer and lab mix and is 12 years old; Ellie is a border collie; and two stray cats, Elvis, 2, and Oreo, 14. Favorite cocktail or beverage: Champagne, of course. Red or white, and why? Both. You drink red in cooler weather, fall and winter, and white in spring and summer. Something people would be surprised to learn about you: My first job was reloading shotgun shells. I also was the first girl caddie in the area and had a firewood business with my brother. Favorite thing besides your family and business: I love collecting treasure of the past and art! Books on the bedside table: I am all over the place and have a stack beside me because some days I need to reread passages or remember certain lessons: The Gifts of Imperfection; Rules of Civility; The Power of Now; and The Soul of America. I like to learn and push myself to think differently and remember my mind does not rule me and that I can change the way I think by opening my mind and trying to see different perspectives.

things to feel corporate and cramped. And that’s why she owns 30 types of event chairs and 20 different kinds of farm tables, all of which were speciallydesigned to be folded and stored efficiently while looking great.

More creating ahead

Hobbies: Making jewelry, antiquing, and building or fixing up real estate. Favorite food: Anything Italian. I love Italy. The way they live and their food is intoxicating. Charitable work, causes: I worked in corporate America and I am not one to talk about things but I try to put my money where my mouth is and help women. My doctor, accountant, lawyers and professional services are all women. I try hard to support them as I know how hard the road was, not that I don’t love all you men out there!

Photos by Ruta Smith; Andy Brack

Philosophy: That I am merely a caretaker of these old houses, buildings, businesses for a moment in time and it’s my job to breathe life, love and respect into all of them and leave them better than I found them. I love finding beauty in all things.

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Thomas continues to find joy in creating. “I am a bit of an introvert — not that it’s anything people should know, but they are often surprised,” she said. While I do a lot of things, I don’t like the limelight. I do it because I love to create and I am conduit to make things happen.” Her store is a great stage for her productions and that of colleagues. “I like to sit back and be a spectator to a group of women in the store, all jumping in to help each other or rally around someone in need,” she said. “Or walk away from a wedding or event set-up that is magical and just know that I had a hand in making people happy. “I don’t want to be the center of the attention — just knowing is what fuels me.”

DIGGING THE GRAPE

Sponsored by

Eight holiday hacks for spending more time with your family CHARLESTON CITY PAPER 12.09.2020

What you probably don’t want to do more than anything else during the holidays are chores that take you away from members of your family and your friends.

Here are some time-saving holiday hacks that can help you get done what needs to be done without missing out on the good holiday cheer.

SPREAD OUT PREP TIME. If you’re busy putting the final touches on a meal as guests begin to arrive, you’ll miss out on the excitement as the party begins. Rely on tricks to spread your meal preparation out over the days before your event, such as making sides and casseroles ahead of time and freezing them so all you have to do on the big day is pop them

time with them. You can save even more time by using disposable tableware. Many disposable plates and bowls are strong enough to serve the heaviest, messiest meals with style. (Yes, it’s more environmentally-conscious to use regular plates and bowls and wash them … but it can’t hurt to splurge a little on the big day.)

other treats you can share with guests with minimal effort.

GET OUT OF THE HOUSE. If you’ve spent too much time this year in the oven. Mashed potatoes are a notoristaring at your own surroundings, lift ous last-minute time suck. So make them your spirits by getting out of the house for early in the day and keep them warm in your family celebration. Bonus: You won’t a slow cooker. Just add a bit of cream and have to spend lots of time cleaning your stir periodically to keep them soft and SHOP LOCAL FOR SHORTCUTS. house. Community groups with their fluffy. You can give a boost to local businesses own facilities often have space available that are feeling the crunch of 2020 by to rent, and these spaces are typically SIMPLIFY CLEANUP. shopping more locally. Pick up a pie or large enough to maintain social distancing After enjoying a meal surrounded by specialty dessert from a local bakery. requirements and are subject to rigorous loved ones, there’s no reason to halt the Inquire about family size sides from the cleaning protocols. Alternately, if you’re conversation while you slip away to bring restaurants in your community. Also keeping the guest list small, renting a order back to the kitchen. Cover dishes remember to check with school-age chilvacation home offers an opportunity to and put perishables away quickly. Then dren you know as many seasonal fundrais- turn your seasonal celebration into a short return to your guests and spend quality ers offer pre-made holiday desserts and road trip for added memories and joy.

Gettyimages.com

Focus on your company and host a dessertonly party

With some simple decorations, you can create a fun atmosphere for your holiday event and skip the headaches of hosting at home.

GO SHORT AND SWEET. If the idea of a full-fledged dinner event is stretching you too thin, look for festive ways to scale back. For example, a dessert-only party lets you gather with loved ones and keep the focus on the company rather than the food. You can plan themed stations with different styles of desserts and consider asking family members to help stock each station with their own favorite treats.

Three tricks to adapt to new realities After a whirlwind of a year, this holiday season promises to be a little different than those of years past. Instead of lamenting what won’t be the same, treat this year as an opportunity to deck the halls in a whole new way.

simple it can be to use technology to stay connected. So schedule a virtual party or make time to jump on a video chat during your celebration to include those who can’t be with you in person. To help add a touch of normalcy to the festivities, consider packaging and sending small boxes of party essentials in advance to each person who’ll join the virtual party.

Spice up your meals with the “Friends” salt and pepper shakers. $45

Friends with benefits.

MAKE GIVING A GROUP EFFORT. Helping those in need is a tradition that many people honor around the holidays, but this year your giving is likely to be especially impactful. When you join efforts with family or friends, your contributions can go even further. It’s also a way to bond over your shared experiences. Consider volunteering as a group at a food pantry or finding a local cause that could use some extra help. Count your blessings while you enjoy the extra time together.

SIMPLIFY GIFT-GIVING. As families grow, gift lists get longer. But in 2020, most wallets haven’t expanded to keep up with expansion of the list. So to INVITE TECHNOLOGY TO THE PARTY. save some money, consider starting a new With group gatherings and travel restrictradition of drawing names and instead of tions likely to continue in many parts of buying smaller items for a lot of people, the country through the holiday season, put a little more toward a single item that there’s a good chance you may not be your recipient truly wants or needs. able to gather with everyone you’d like. However, the pandemic has shown how Family Features contributed to this story.

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DIGGING INTO HISTORY

The Cotton Palace and the Sunken Garden at the South Carolina Inter-State and West Indian Exposition

Charleston’s December history is rich, eclectic

CHARLESTON CITY PAPER 12.09.2020

BY ANDY BRACK AND CITY PAPER STAFF

Our handy little book about Charleston-area history, the aptlynamed 350 Facts About Charleston, includes lots of cool stuff about happenings during the holiday season. Here’s an eclectic mix of history and trivia to enjoy:

Nation’s first passenger rail service started on Christmas in 1830 The Best Friend of Charleston was a steam-powered locomotive that powered the nation’s first passenger rail service following an inaugural run on Dec. 25, 1830, on a six-mile route starting in Charleston. Ironically, the Best Friend also became another first — the first locomotive to experience a boiler explosion in an accident on June 17, 1831. Rail service continued with another locomotive with what became a 136-mile-long route to Hamburg, S.C., then the world’s longest continuous railroad. A 1928 rep-

lica of the locomotive is on display at the Best Friend Train Museum, 23 Ann St.

December 1860: South Carolina is the first state to secede Just after 9 p.m. on Dec. 20, 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the United States in South Carolina Institute Hall after a “Convention of the People,” called by the General Assembly, in St. Andrew’s Hall on Broad Street. The original convention was meant to be held in Columbia, but fears of a smallpox outbreak led the 169 delegates to move the

meeting to Charleston. Posters entitled “The Union is Dissolved,” flooded the streets and joyful crowds celebrated after the decision.

One year later: Fire destroys 575 homes in downtown Charleston Two years before the Union bombardment of Charleston began and eight months after the first shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter, fire ravaged the city. The conflagration began Dec. 11, 1861, at the intersection of East Bay and Hasell streets. Fourteen houses on Queen Street were destroyed to

When Charleston didn’t become a Christmas gift During the American Civil War, there was one name that struck fear in the hearts of Southerners across the Confederacy: William Tecumseh Sherman. The Union general led his troops out of what remained of Atlanta on Nov. 16, 1864, and rumor had it that he was headed toward Charleston on what became known as the March to the Sea. In truth, the only thing anyone knew for sure was that he was marching toward the ocean, but locals in the Lowcountry assumed that the Holy City was his target because the first shots of the Civil War were fired here. As it happened, Sherman made it to Savannah, which he “gave” to President Abraham Lincoln as a Christmas present in 1864. His forces then headed north to Columbia, leaving Charleston to fate. Charleston’s only world fair started in December 1901 The city of Charleston hosted the only world’s fair in the history of South Carolina from December 1901 to May 1902. The South Carolina Interstate and West Indian Exposition, also known as the Charleston Exposition, attracted 675,000 people to the Cotton Palace. The palace and many of the other structures built for the expo no longer stand. The only buildings that remain are a bandstand at Hampton Park and Lowndes Grove, which was the exposition’s Women’s building. The regional trade show was held on 250 acres of land that is now home to The Citadel and Hampton Park. Famous visitors during this time included President Theodore Roosevelt and inventor and businessman Thomas A. Edison, who took panoramic video of the expo, now available through the Library of Congress. Youtube’s Angry Grandpa died in December 2017 in Charleston Charles Marvin Green Jr., better known as Angry Grandpa, was an American internet personality before

his death in December 2017 due to cirrhosis of the liver. The West Ashley resident’s YouTube channel, “TheAngryGrandpaShow,” was just shy of 4.5 million subscribers in 2020, and his videos have been featured on Dr. Drew, TruTV’s Most Shocking, Rude Tube and MTV’s Pranked. The channel is still being updated, and more previously-filmed but unreleased videos of AGP were still being uploaded as recently as May 2, 2020. The content was filmed previously and had yet to be released.

Jump Little Children honored in December 2019 The fandom for Jump, Little Children is so rabid around the Lowcountry that U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham, D-S.C., honored it in the Congressional Record on Dec. 10, 2019: “Jump has earned a substantial and loyal fan base that has followed them throughout the country, supporting their nine records and EPs, and literally thousands of energetic concerts that keep us showing up,” he said. One week later: Ranky Tanky gets its day in the sun Gullah band Ranky Tanky became a surprise national hit in 2017 with the release of their self-titled debut album. Composed of several popular jazz artists from the Charleston area, the band performs modernized versions of Gullah songs and uses the cultural traditions of some of its ancestors to create original music. The band’s popularity reached a high point in 2019, when Mayor John Tecklenburg declared Dec. 17 as Ranky Tanky Day. One month later, the band won a Grammy Award for Best Regional Roots Music for its second album, Good Time. Sixth of White’s Tradd Street series was about Christmas Born May 30, 1964, in Tulsa, Okla., Karen White grew up in London and now lives with her husband near Atlanta. She is known for her Tradd Street mystery series, which is based in Charleston. This first book in the series, The House on Tradd Street, was published in 2008. There are six books in the series, the most recent being The Christmas Spirits on Tradd Street, published in 2019. Writers Lindsay Street, Skyler Baldwin, Heath Ellison and Andy Brack contributed to this story.

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create a fire block and save the Marine and Roper hospitals, the Medical College and the Roman Catholic Orphan House. The fire burned itself out by noon Dec. 12, 1861, after it had consumed 540 acres, 575 homes, five churches and numerous businesses. The fire is considered the worst in the city’s history.

MAKES A GREAT HOLIDAY GIFT! ORDER A COPY TODAY

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new book about, well, Charleston. With facts. Lots of them. In fact, there are 350 facts, one for each year that Charleston’s been around. The staff at the Charleston City Paper pulled together fun and arcane information about the Holy City to illuminate its deep, rich history.

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ARIES (March 21-April 19): According to Taoist scholar Chad Hansen, “Western philosophers have endlessly analyzed and dissected a cluster of terms thought to be central to our thinking,” such as truth, beauty, reason, knowledge, belief, mind, and goodness. But he reports that they’ve never turned their attention to a central concept of Chinese philosophy: the Tao, which might be defined as the natural, unpredictable flow of life’s ever-changing rhythms. I think that you Aries people, more than any other sign of the zodiac, have the greatest potential to cultivate an intuitive sense of how to align yourselves vigorously with the Tao. And you’re in prime time to do just that. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): What’s the cause of the rumbling at the core of your soul? How do we explain the smoke and steam that are rising from the lower depths? From what I can discern, the fire down below and the water down below are interacting to produce an almost supernatural state of volatile yet numinous grace. This is a good thing! You may soon begin having visions of eerie loveliness and earth-shaking peace. The clarity that will eventually emerge may at first seem dark, but if you maintain your poise it will bloom like a thousand moons. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Author and student Raquel Isabelle de Alderete writes wittily about her paradoxical desires and contradictory qualities. In accordance with current astrological omens, I encourage you to ruminate about your own. For inspiration, read her testimony: “I want to be untouchably beautiful but I also don’t want to care about how I look. I want to be at the top of my class but I also just want to do as best as I can without driving myself to the edge. I want to be a mystery that’s open to everybody. A romantic that never falls in love. Both the bird and the cat.” CANCER (June 21-July 22): What would it take for you to muster just a bit more courage so as to change what needs to be changed? How could you summon the extra excitement and willpower necessary to finally make progress on a dilemma that has stumped you? I’m happy to inform you that cosmic rhythms will soon be shifting in such a way as to make these breakthroughs more possible. For best results, shed any tendencies you might have to feel sorry for yourself or to believe you’re powerless. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Novelist Tom Robbins says you have the power to change how you perceive the world. You can change reality — and how reality responds to you — by the way you look at it and interpret it. This counsel is especially useful for you right now, Leo. You have an unparalleled opportunity to reconfigure the way you apprehend things, and thereby transform the world you live in. So I suggest you set your intention. Vow that for the next two weeks, every experience will bring you a fresh invitation to find out something you didn’t know before. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi was reelected in 2019. During his campaign, the Virgo-born politician arranged to be photographed while wearing the saffron robes of a Hindu priest and meditating in an austere Himalayan cave. Why did he do it? To appeal to religious voters. But later it was revealed that the “cave” was in a cozy retreat center that provides regular meals, electricity, phone service, and attentive attendants. It will be crucial for you to shun this type of fakery in 2021, Virgo. Your success will depend on you being as authentic, genuine, and honest as you can possibly be. Now is an excellent time to set your intention and start getting yourself in that pure frame of mind. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): When author Ernest Hemingway was working on the manuscript for his novel A Farewell to Arms, he asked his colleague F. Scott Fitzgerald to offer critique. Fitzgerald obliged with a 10-page analysis that advised a different ending, among other suggestions. Hemingway wasn’t pleased. “Kiss my ass,” he wrote back to Fitzgerald. I suggest a different approach for you, Libra. In my view, now is a good time to solicit feedback and mirroring from trusted allies. What do they think and how do they feel about the current state of your life and work? If they do respond, take

at least some of it to heart. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Mistletoe is a parasite that grows on trees, weakening them. On the other hand, it has been a sacred plant in European tradition. People once thought it conferred magical protection. It was called “all-heal” and regarded as a medicine that could cure numerous illnesses. Even today, it’s used in Europe as a remedy for colon cancer. And of course mistletoe is also an icon meant to encourage kissing. After studying your astrological potentials, I’m proposing that mistletoe serve as one of your symbolic power objects in the coming months. Why? Because I suspect that you will regularly deal with potencies and energies that could potentially be either problematic or regenerative. You’ll have to be alert to ensure that they express primarily as healing agents. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I’m envisioning a scene in which you’re sitting on a chair at a kitchen table. At the center of the table is a white vase holding 18 long-stemmed red roses. The rest of the table’s surface is filled with piles of money, which you have just unloaded from five mysterious suitcases you found at your front door. All of that cash is yours, having been given to you no-strings-attached by an anonymous donor. You’re in joyful shock as you contemplate the implications of this miraculous gift. Your imagination floods with fantasies about how different your life can become. Now, Sagittarius, I invite you to dream up at least three further wonderfully positive fantasies involving good financial luck. That’s the medicine you need right now. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Boisterous Capricorn novelist Patricia Highsmith (1921–1995) once made the following New Year’s Eve toast: “To all the devils, lusts, passions, greeds, envies, loves, hates, strange desires, enemies ghostly and real, the army of memories, with which I do battle — may they never give me peace.” Right now I suspect you may be tempted to make a similar toast. As crazymaking as your current challenges are, they are entertaining and growth-inducing. You may even have become a bit addicted to them. But in the interests of your long-term sanity, I will ask you to cut back on your “enjoyment” of all this uproar. Please consider a retreat into an intense self-nurturing phase. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In the French city of Strasbourg, there’s a wine cellar built in the year 1395. Among its treasures is a barrel filled with 450 liters of wine that was originally produced in 1472. According to legend, this ancient beverage has been tasted on just three occasions. The last time was to celebrate the French army’s liberation of Strasbourg from German occupation in 1944. If I had the power, I would propose serving it to you Aquarians in honor of your tribe’s heroic efforts to survive — and even thrive — during the ordeals of 2020. I’m predicting that life in 2021 will have more grace and progress because of how you have dealt with this year’s challenges. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): There are too many authorities, experts, know-it-alls, and arrogant ideologues trying to tell us all what to do and how to do it. Fortunately, the cosmic rhythms are now aligned in such a way as to help you free yourself from those despots and bullies. Here’s more good news: Cosmic rhythms are also aligned to free you from the nagging voice in your own head that harass you with fearful fantasies and threaten you with punishment if you aren’t perfect. Homework: What’s the one thing you don’t have that would help you make the biggest improvement in your life? FreeWillAstrology.com

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James Island Summerville

By Rob Brezsny

DIGGING LOCAL

Local holly is a tea that used to be a big deal

Yaupon holly, pictured at right, is the primary ingredient of Yahola, an herbal tea company founded by April Punsalan (left)

BY TONI REALE, ROADSIDE BLOOMS Photos by Sarah MacDonald; Gettyimages.com

The yaupon holly, an unassuming native evergreen, grows in dense thickets in the maritime forests of the Lowcountry. The size of the plant varies greatly, based on soil conditions and sunlight availability. It can be 4- to 25-feet tall and up to 15-feet wide. You’ve seen this shrub before. It can be easily identified in the wild by its leaf shape that is fatter in the middle than at the ends. It also has rounded serrated edges that grow in an alternating pattern up the stem. This holly’s almost-impenetrable form of growth provides vital habitats and food for small mammals and birds. The yaupon holly also helps to stabilize eroding landscapes — something of particular importance in the era of escalating climate Reale change and rising seas. At this time of year, the female yaupon teems with bright red berry-like fruits called drupes. These native bushes grow so prolifically, a hiker would be hard pressed to pass one by without noticing. While it’s the most fitting locally grown greenery to add to holiday arrangements, this plant also has immense health benefits that are making a resurgence in the health and wellness industry.

CHARLESTON CITY PAPER 12.09.2020

HOLLY OFFERS A NATIVE-GROWN BUZZ The yaupon holly is North America’s only plant source of caffeine that grows from the coast of Virginia to Florida and parts of Texas. According to a professor of food chemistry at Texas A&M University on NPR, the leaves of this plant have approximately the same amount of caffeine as green or black tea. Theobromine, another stimulant found in yaupon, is an alkaloid that is chemically related to caffeine. Researchers at the University of Navarro found that the combination of theobromine and caffeine as a

drink can result in a smoother experience when consumed. Caffeine and theobromine naturally occur in cacao, which is why the consumption of chocolate can lead to an enhanced mood without the jitters. That’s why yaupon holly can be the base of the perfect caffeinated beverage for those who may be sensitive to caffeine, according to a journal article in Frontiers in Pharmacology. A study done by Texas A&M University scientists found yaupon consumption reduces inflammation and can serve as a chemopreventive, which is a natural way to reduce the risk of cancer or delay its development. Additionally, yaupon contains saponins, a compound known for boosting immunity, lowering cholesterol, aiding in weight regulation, and so much more.

WHY YAUPON MIGHT NOT BE IN YOUR PANTRY Bottom line: Yaupon has it all: a buzz without jitters and a long list of splendid health benefits. So why isn’t the tea in everyones’ cabinets? The answer starts with its misleading scientific name: Ilex vomitori. With a name like that, why would anyone choose yaupon over herbal tea or yerba mate? Yaupon’s species name has historical ties to Native American tribes consuming so much of the “black drink” during ceremonies that they would vomit. Not to worry today: Yaupon is as much of an emetic as coffee or soda, which means the threat of throwing up after consuming it is a non-issue (unless you drink gallons and gallons of it). Yaupon’s scientific name, along with significant competition with the annual $203 million yerba mate

trade, has significantly impacted this native grown plant’s marketability. Participants in a blind taste test led by a University of Florida undergraduate research student found that even frequent yerba mate drinkers overwhelmingly preferred yaupon tea to mate.

LOWCOUNTRY COMPANY PUSHES BENEFITS OF YAUPON TEA, MORE Charleston botanist April Punsalan founded Yahola which is a yaupon and herbal tea company. She is passionate about the health benefits of yaupon as well as what developing a new market for this holly would mean for the Lowcountry. She says she sees an opportunity for farmers and landowners to create a new revenue stream with this easily cultivated or foraged product, all the while protecting land from development. Punsalan says she hopes the resurgence of yaupon tea will create a healthier and more prosperous Lowcountry. The folks at Yaholaharvest the yaupon leaves locally to create herbal blends that are for sale on the company’s website. She also offers an online foraging class that encourages students to get outside and harvest medicinal and edible plants locally. Toni Reale is the owner of Roadside Blooms, a unique flower and plant shop in Park Circle in North Charleston. It specializes in weddings, events and everyday deliveries using nearly 100 percent American- and locally grown blooms. Online at www.roadsideblooms.com. 4610 Spruill Ave., Suite 102, North Charleston.

A SHORT HISTORY OF YAUPON TEA As far back as 900 years ago, Native Americans near present-day St. Louis, Missouri, used yaupon tea for ceremonial purposes, according to archeological evidence unearthed in recent years. What’s interesting, among other things, is how far the plant traveled to get to the Midwest. “The discovery — made by analyzing plant residues in pottery beakers from Cahokia [site near St. Louis] and its surroundings — is the earliest known use of this ‘black drink’ in North America. It pushes back the date by at least 500 years, and adds to the evidence that a broad cultural and trade network thrived in the Midwest and Southeastern U.S. as early as A.D. 1050.

In 1709, a naturalist named John Lawson described how Native Americans prepared yaupon tea, in his book, A New Voyage to Carolina. He also wrote how it was “preferred above all other liquids.” By the early 1800s, yaupon tea was a staple in Southern households and was an exported commodity to Europe. There is much uncertainty as to why yaupon faded out of popular culture. Some say that the Royal Botanist to King George III, William Aiton, gave yaupon it’s stomach turning scientific name in order for the East India Company (whom Aiton secretly worked for) to secure their foothold in the tea industry. —Toni Reale

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WED, DEC. 16

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