“My grandmothers taught me that you need only buy five food items at the store; flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and tea/coffee. Everything else you can either grow yourself, do with out or work around”
I love that self-sufficiency way of thinking.
I never heard of Yaupon holly, I assume that can be grown?
It tastes slightly like yerba mate which makes sense as it is same family. If you live in the deep south you can grow tea. There is a tea plantation in South Carolina.
Caffeine not only gets you going in the morning but helps pain killers work better which, if you can not get the OTCs is a consideration. A tea of meadowsweet and yaupon works much better then willow bark and will tear up your stomach less.
People think opiate pain killers will be the desired thing but "knock you on your butt" pain killers can be made fairly easily from a variety of plants. What is much harder to make is a mild pain killer that will still leave you clear headed.
No, I am not giving out recipes. I do not need the DEA stopping by for a visit. If you look in old herbals you will find how to do it. The plants are quite legal to grow and even use but not to use make anything but food.