Health Benefits of Yaupon
The Benefits of Yaupon Holly
YAUPON HEALTH BENEFITS & PHYTOCHEMISTRY
Yaupon Holly (Ilex Vomitoria) has gained huge popularity in the United States due to its rich history, unique taste/flavor, and potential health benefits. Yaupon is known to be rich in a wide variety of bioactive compounds, mainly polyphenols, and alkaloids, which play an essential role in their health benefits. Here, we would like to share what makes Yaupon a healthy beverage and what they do in your body. Let’s explore what Yaupon can offer for your body!
Yaupon Holly Tea has an American Energy pathway (delivery) containing caffeine, theobromine, theophylline & theacrine. All for focused, jitter free energy & stamina. On top of all that, the saponins & polyphenols in Yaupon are known to promote anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, cardiovascular and anti-carcinogenic activity.
YAUPON HEALTH BENEFITS & PHYTOCHEMISTRY
Yaupon Holly (Ilex Vomitoria) has gained huge popularity in the United States due to its rich history, unique taste/flavor, and potential health benefits. Yaupon is known to be rich in a wide variety of bioactive compounds, mainly polyphenols, and alkaloids, which play an essential role in their health benefits. Here, we would like to share what makes Yaupon a healthy beverage and what they do in your body. Let’s explore what Yaupon can offer for your body!
Figure 1. The health benefits of caffeinated beverages from the genus Ilex, including Yaupon (Ilex Vomitoria) (Gan et al., 2018).
As shown in Figure 1, the genus Ilex family including kudingcha (Ilex latifolia Thunb and Ilex kudingcha C.J. Tseng), yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis A. St.-Hil), Guayusa (Ilex guayusa Loes), and Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria) has attracted much recent attention due to their potential health benefits from naturally present bioactive compounds (Gan et al., 2018). As the only native, and naturally caffeinated herbal tea, Yaupon holly has been intensively studied and its biochemical composition that is directly related to the health benefits.
Those are a group of bioactive chemical compounds naturally found in Yaupon. Their proven health benefits by scientists are described below with the scientific sources.
1. Methylxanthines (Alkaloids) - The magic is in how all these compounds “stack together,” making Yaupon the ideal beverage to accompany both mental and physical exercise.
1-1. Theophylline (1,3-dimethylxanthine)
There is a unique called theophylline, a class of methylxanthines found in human body tissues and fluids and other organisms (Figure 2). It is naturally produced by both plants and animals. Its presence in the body drew attention due to its potential health benefits. It is mostly found the tea, coffee, and chocolate and this fabulous compound is also present in Yaupon. Theophylline is a widely used drug that is recognized as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory agent, anti-cancer activity, potent bronchodilator for the relief of acute asthmatic symptoms (asthma-related), a respiratory stimulant, and management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( Kraft et al., 1996; Barnes, 2003; Chang et al., 2017; Wu et al., 2019).
Figure 2. The chemical structure of theophylline (1,3-dimethylxanthine).
1-2. Theacrine (1,3,7,9-tetramethyluric acid)
There is also a very unique compound called theacrine, which is also a family of methylxanthine, recently gained good attention due to its superior anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities (Zheng et al., 2002; Wang et al., 2010) (Figure 3). So far, studies only found this fabulous compound in Kucha (Camellia assamica var. kucha – genus camellia, a good example is a green tea) but recent studies found a good amount of theacrine in American Yaupon.
Figure 3. The chemical structure of theacrine (1,3,7,9-tetramethyluric acid).
1-3. Theobromine (3,7-dimethylxanthine)
Theobromine is a bitter compound found in Yaupon as well as other foods including cocoa, green tea, and kola nut (Figure 4). It is one of the methylxanthines like theophylline and caffeine that have a stimulation effect. It is known to be a central nervous stimulant and an energy booster (Sanchez 2017).
Figure 4. The chemical structure of theobromine (3,7-dimethylxanthine)
1-4. Caffeine (1,3,7-Trimethylxathine)
Caffeine is the most well-known central nervous stimulant and also works as an energy booster (Figure 5). It has been proven that taking caffeine-containing drinks like Yaupon enhanced sports performance compared to the placebo group. Caffeine also contains antioxidant activity like polyphenolics (Sanchez 2017).
Figure 5. The chemical structure of caffeine (1,3,7-Trimethylxathine)
2. Polyphenolics - Polyphenols are micronutrients that we get through certain plant-based foods. They’re packed with antioxidants, and potential health benefits. Polyphenols can improve or help treat digestive issues, weight management, diabetes, neurodegenerative disease and cardiovascular disease.
2-1. Chlorogenic acid and its isomers (5-caffeoylquinic acid).
There are a group of compounds called caffeoylquinic acids and their isomers, more commonly known as chlorogenic acids, that make coffee a healthy drink because they are the main polyphenolic compounds that contain high antioxidant capacity, and antibacterial activity (Lou et al., 2011; Sato et al., 2011) (Figure 6). They also show anti-diabetic, anti-carcinogenic, anti-obesity, and anti-inflammatory effects according to many research papers (Tajik et al., 2017; Kim et al, 2011 and Kim and Talcott, 2012). Chlorogenic acid in dimer form, di-caffeoylquinic acid, was also present in the high concentration in Yaupon tea, which shows the same health benefits as chlorogenic acid (Kim, 2008).
Figure 6. The chemical structure of chlorogenic acid (5-caffeoylquinic acid).
2-2. flavonols (rutin, kaempferol, quercetin, and quercetin-3-glucoside)
Even though catechin and its isomers are the most famous antioxidant polyphenolic compound in green tea, there is another important group of polyphenolics that contribute to green tea’s superior antioxidant capacity. They are flavonols (Figure 7). They are flavonoids that are a sub-category of the polyphenolics. The main flavonols found in Yaupon are rutin, kaempferol, quercetin, and quercetin-3-glucoside and according to the chemical analysis, Yaupon tea contains a comparable amount of those beneficial compounds with green tea. Their health benefits cover many different areas including antioxidant, cytoprotective, vasoprotective, anticarcinogenic, neuroprotective, and cardioprotective activities (Ganeshpurkar and Saluja, 2016 and Kim and Talcott, 2012). In vitro studies suggest polyphenolic and flavanol compounds extracted from Yaupon leaves have a chemopreventative effect (Raju 2008).
Figure 7. The chemical structure of the main flavonol, rutin found in Yaupon tea (quercetin 3-rutinoside).
3. Other phytochemical
3-1. Saponin
Saponin is a glycoside widely distributed in plants. It is a bitter compound so that gives a unique bitterness to natural beverages like teas. This universal compound possesses lots of known health benefits such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, cancer chemopreventive, therapeutic effects (Mehta and Raju, 2008; Kim et al., 2011).
Figure 8. The chemical structure of saponin.
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Anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of Thesium Chinese Turcz extracts and its major flavonoids, kaempferol and kaempferol-3-o-glucoside. Parveen, Z.; Deng, Y.; Saeed, M.K.; Dai. R.; Ahamad, W. Yakugaku Zasshi. 2007, 127, 1275-1279.
Barliana, M.I.; Suradji, E.W.; Abdulah, R.; Diantini, A.; Hatabu, T.; Nakajima-Shimada, J.; Subarnas, A.; Koyama, H. Antiplasmodial properties of kaempferol-3-o-rhamnoside isolated from the leaves of Schima wallichii against chloroquine-resistant plasmodium falcirarum. Biomedical. Rep. 2014, 2, 2049-9442.
Barnes, P.J. Theophylline, Current review of asthma. 2003. 173-184.
Chang, Y.; Hsu, Y.; Chen, Y.; Wang, Y.; Huang, S. Theophylline exhibits anti-cancer activity via suppressing SRSF3 in cervical and breast cancer cell lines. Oncotarget, 2017, 24, 101461-101474.
Chung, M.J.; Pandey, R.P.; Choi, J.W.; Sohng, J.K.; Choi, D.J.; Park, Y.I. Inhibitory effects of kaempferol-3-o-rhamnoside on ovalbumin-induced lung inflammation in a mouse model of allergic asthma. Int. Immunology. 2015, 25. 302-310.
Gan, R.; Zhang, D,; Wang, M.; Corke, H. Health Benefits of Bioactive Compounds from the Genus Ilex, a Scource of Traditional Caffeinated Beverages. Nutrients, 2018, 10, 1682.
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Kim, Y.; Welt, B.A.; Talcott, S.T. The Impact of Packaging Materials on the Antioxidant Phytochemical Stability of Aqueous Infusions of Green Tea (Camellia sinensis) and Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria) during Cold Storage. J. Agric. Food. Chem. 2011, 59, 4676-4683.
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Negrin, A.; Long, C.; Motley, T.J.; Kennelly, E.J. LC-MS metabolomics and chemotaxonomy of caffeine-containing Holly (Ilex) Species and related taxa in the Aquifoliaceae. J. Agric. Food. Chem. 2019, 67, 5687-5699.
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Yaupon is known to be rich in a wide variety of bioactive compounds, mainly polyphenols and alkaloids, which play an essential role in their health benefits.
Yaupon's Health Promoting Compounds:
Quercetin-rutinoside (Saponin) - anti-viral, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory
Kaempferol 3-rhamnoside - antioxidant, cardiovascular support, anti-cancer, anti-microbial, neuro-protective
Kaempferol 3-rutinoside - antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-allergic
Isorhamnetin - antioxidant flavanol
Cytotoxin - potent antioxidant activity
Chlorogenic Acid - antioxidant, slows release of glucose in bloodstream
Caffeine, theobromine, theophylline and theacrine offer focus, energy and stamina
In vitro studies suggest polyphenolic and flavanol compounds extracted from Yaupon leaves have a chemo preventative effect
Polyphenols in Yaupon
Polyphenols are micronutrients that we get through certain plant-based foods. They’re packed with antioxidants, and potential health benefits. Polyphenols can improve or help treat digestive issues, weight management, diabetes, neurodegenerative disease and cardiovascular disease.
Alkaloids in Yaupon
The magic is in how all these compounds “stack together,” making Yaupon the ideal beverage to accompany both mental and physical exercise.
Caffeine: This is an alkaloid in Yaupon, representing 1% to 3% of the dry leaf. The caffeine found in tea and coffee is the same molecule, the only difference being that it is proportionately more present in coffee. The caffeine content in the Wild Yaupon leaf is relatively low, however, our research farm has increased caffeine levels in our fields of organic Yaupon. The season of the harvest and climatic variations influence caffeine levels too. Caffeine is a strong stimulant to the nervous system. It is the only alkaloid to cross the brain-blood barrier. Yaupon is special in how it delivers its energy thru its unique caffeine pathway.
Theobromine: Stimulates the soft muscle tissues in the body, thus smoothing out the caffeine effect.
Theophylline: Functions as a bronchial dilator of sorts, helping to dilate veins and blood vessels, hence improving circulation. Theophylline is known as a respiratory stimulant. Simply put, theophylline makes the caffeine and theobromine energy work more efficiently.
Theanine: Acts like a time release capsule for the energy, stretching it out.
Theacrine: Adds stamina to the energy pathway. When your mind wants to stop the body, theacrine keeps you truckin.