CAFFEINE-YIELDING PLANTS 207 



of twenty-four hours. The use of Ilex species as the source-plant of 

 a beverage made from its leaves has been know^n since 1650. In 

 l'682, Thomas Ashe, an Englishman, writing his Account of Carolina 

 said: "There grows in Carolina the famous Cassiny, whose admir- 

 able and incomparable Vertues are highly applauded and extolled by 

 the French and Spanish Writers : It is the Leaves of a certain Tree, 

 which boyl'd in Water (as we do Thea) wonderfully enliven and 

 envigorate the Heart, with genuine easye Sweats and Transpirations, 

 preserving the Mind free and serene, keeping the Body brisk, active 

 and lively, not for an hour or two, but for as many days as those 

 Authors report, without any other Nourishment or Subsistence, which, 

 if true, is really admirable: they also add, that none amongst the 

 Indians but their great Men and Captains, who have been famous 

 for their great Exploits of War and Noble Actions, are admitted to 

 the use of this noble Bevaridge." 



During the Civil War, when tea and coffee could not be obtained, 

 the people of the southern states used the cassina leaves to prepare 

 a stimulating beverage. Cassina or Black Drink is still prepared 

 (1924) by the natives and negroes along the coast wherever the 

 source-plant is abundant. Cassina is a bush which grows usually to 

 the height of a man's head. In the southern states, it is pruned 

 carefully to obtain a hedge of nearly twenty-five feet in height. The 

 tough branches and compact growth of the plant recommend it as 

 an excellent windbrake. The cassina plant has been used for this 

 purpose since 1893. This plant grows naturally and luxuriantly 

 on poor, sandy soils over an area of about 40,000 square miles. 



Several years ago, Congress voted an appropriation of $5,000 to 

 investigate the possibilities of the cassina plant as the source of a 

 national beverage. Dr. George Mitchell carried on research which 

 produced very encouraging results. He found that the beverage 

 is an efficient reliever of fatigue, and is followed by no ill after- 

 effects. The fact that cassina contains only 1% caffeine, which is 

 less than coffee and much less than the caffeine-content of tea, indi- 

 cates that constant use of the beverage would not be as injurious 

 as a similar use of coffee or tea. The low percentage of caffeine 

 especially recommends it to individuals who find that the consump- 

 tion of coffee or tea produces deleterious effects. 



