The farm I spent my childhood on grew holly trees (mainly Americal Holly, Ilex opaca) through the 1960s. I got very familiar with this tree, especially the horticultural varieties that my father favored. My dad told us kids that the American Indians used a tea made from holly leaves during their feasts. They'd eat until they could eat no more, then drink a cup of this tea. The tea was an emetic, so they'd go off in the bushes and puke – and then come back to eat their fill again.
Years ago, I searched for information about this, trying to either verify or debunk my father's story. I came up empty-handed. Now there's a bit more information available, and my father's story apparently wasn't completely wrong...
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