CatSpring Yaupon is not your average caffeinated drink.

So, what makes CatSpring Yaupon so great? For starters, Yaupon is the only naturally caffeinated indigenous plant in North America, and was brewed for centuries by Native Americans. When the Spanish arrived in North America, they even exported this indigenous plant, but the English didn't want anything to disrupt the power of the tea trade, so they downplayed this native resource. Now, Yaupon is making a comeback.

We partnered up with Mind Body Green to share all of the incredible benefits of CatSpring Yaupon. Check out the overview below or click through to the original article here.

1.It’s local.

Consuming domestically harvested products reduces carbon emissions, promotes local job creation, boosts the local economy, increases transparency in the supply chain, and more.

2. It’s better for the environment.

Coffee and tea production, as an industry, is notorious for environmental degradation. Effects such as rainforest clearing, biodiversity loss, soil damage, and pollution due to the ubiquitous use of fertilizers and pesticides can make these imports an ethically complex purchase. Further, the energy and water required to make a cup of coffee available is extreme.One study conducted by Dutch researchers found that a single cup of coffee requires 140 liters of water to grow, process, and make at home. Yaupon, on the other hand, grows abundantly in a natural state in the southeastern U.S. and can be sustainably wild harvested without the use of detrimental growing, harvesting, or labor practices.

3. It has the same benefits as other caffeinated wellness drinks.

Did you know that there's a caffeinated plant native to North America? Previously viewed as a weed by farmers, yaupon holly is a widespread plant that can be dried and turned into a healthy and delicious tea. Yaupon is almost equal to yerba mate in caffeine and antioxidant content (a cup of brewed yerba mate contains about half the amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee). Choosing yaupon tea over imported teas can give you the same benefits without the stress caused by the complexities of a lengthy and detached supply chain.

4. It has polyphenols.

Like coffee and tea, yaupon is rich in polyphenols. According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, there is a strong case for polyphenols in the prevention of degenerative diseases, particularly cardiovascular diseases and cancers. Further, a 2011 study published in Filoterapia has demonstrated the specific polyphenols found in yaupon tea to have anti-inflammatory and chemopreventive effects.

5. Its antioxidants are stable.

One study demonstrated that the antioxidant levels of yaupon tea are not affected by a change in packaging or storage. In comparison, some antioxidants found in green tea have the possibility of being diminished when packaged in a certain way.