In the 1600s, Europeans exploring the American southeast wrote of a purification ritual practiced by the native people, involving dancing, vomiting, and large amounts of what the travelers called black drink. Served from shell cups, the highly caffeinated tea was brewed from the shrub Ilex vomitoria, a species of holly. In a new study, researchers have found the first direct evidence of black drink — not in shells from Florida or Mississippi, but in ceramic beakers at the ancient city of Cahokia outside what’s now St. Louis, Missouri. The finding hints at a trade network that flourished centuries before Christopher Columbus landed in the New World, in which caffeinated drinks had Starbucks-like importance and possibly religious significance.

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HILARITY.

Link via Alicia.

Licorice from the TAL garden. Groovy-lookin’ plant, and it smells amazing. Most will agree that licorice is the province of Venus, but some feel it should be attributed to Jupiter or Mercury. Licorice is used in works of fidelity, loyalty, passion, pleasure, youthfulness, reconciliation, and friendship. It is used extensively in love philters.

A tea of licorice root that stimulates the libido and binds love through friendship and mutual delight:

1 tsp licorice root
1 tsp fennel
½ tsp anise
½ tsp orange peel
Half a stick of cinnamon

Caveat: TAL and I are not responsible for any averse reactions you may have if you put info that I’ve presented here to use. It is presented as lore. Please exercise caution and prudence.

Groovy-lookin’ plant, and it smells amazing. Most will agree that licorice is the province of Venus, but some feel it should be attributed to Jupiter or Mercury. Licorice is used in works of fidelity, loyalty, passion, pleasure, youthfulness, reconciliation, and friendship. It is used extensively in love philters.

A tea of licorice root that stimulates the libido and binds love through friendship and mutual delight:

1 tsp licorice root
1 tsp fennel
½ tsp anise
½ tsp orange peel
Half a stick of cinnamon

Caveat: TAL and I are not responsible for any averse reactions you may have if you put info that I’ve presented here to use. It is presented as lore. Please exercise caution and prudence.

DISCLAIMER TIME!