Wellness

Yaupon & Herbal Teas for Soothing a Sore Throat

By Abianne Falla Dec 9, 2025

Looking for a natural way to soothe a sore throat or lost voice? Herbal teas like yaupon holly, ginger, and chamomile offer time-tested relief—gently calming inflammation and supporting recovery with every sip. Here's what to brew when your throat needs care.

1. Yaupon Tea

Yaupon tea, a remedy from Native American traditions, is making a quiet comeback—and for good reason. Harvested from the yaupon holly shrub (Ilex vomitoria), this native tea is rich in antioxidants that help fight free radicals, offering potential support for overall health and wellness. Long overlooked, yaupon is now being rediscovered as yerba mate’s American cousin—smooth, naturally caffeinated, and deeply grounding.

How it helps: Yaupon’s gentle anti-inflammatory properties may help reduce throat irritation and calm inflammation, making it a comforting, sore throat soothing drink—especially when paired with honey or lemon.

Health benefits:

Boosts immune function
Enhances brain function
Provides a natural source of energy

Looking for a natural sore throat remedy that also supports focus and balance? Yaupon offers both tradition and relief—in every sip.

2. Ginger Tea

Ginger tea has been a trusted sore throat remedy for generations. Its natural anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties make it an excellent choice when your throat is raw or your voice feels strained.

How it helps: The warmth of ginger can ease throat pain, reduce inflammation, and even support immunity during cold season.

Health benefits:

Aids digestion
Reduces nausea
Supports immune health

Try it with honey and lemon for a quick sore throat cure at home.

3. Chamomile Tea

Chamomile tea is well-known for its calming effects, but it also brings subtle antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that can support throat pain relief.

How it helps: Chamomile may help reduce irritation while promoting rest and relaxation—a key part of healing.

Health benefits:

Encourages better sleep
May ease muscle tension
Supports skin and immune health

A great choice if your sore throat is keeping you up at night.

4. Peppermint Tea

Refreshing and cooling, peppermint tea contains menthol, which acts as a natural decongestant and mild anesthetic.

How it helps: Menthol creates a cooling sensation that can numb throat pain and help soothe inflammation.

Health benefits:

Opens nasal passages
Aids digestion
Eases headaches and tension

Ideal when your sore throat is paired with sinus pressure or congestion.

5. Licorice Root Tea

A staple in traditional medicine, licorice root tea is often used for sore throat remedies thanks to its naturally sweet, soothing properties.

How it helps: Its anti-inflammatory and antiviral effects may reduce throat irritation and fight the root cause of discomfort.

Health benefits:

Supports adrenal balance
May ease acid reflux
Fights inflammation

Check for safety if you have high blood pressure or take medications.

6. Marshmallow Root Tea

Marshmallow root tea is a go-to sore throat cure at home thanks to its mucilage content—a thick, gel-like substance that coats and protects irritated tissues.

How it helps: Creates a protective barrier in the throat, easing dryness and irritation.

Health benefits:

Soothes coughs
Promotes digestive comfort
May support skin healing

A gentle, comforting choice for dry or scratchy throats.

7. Slippery Elm Tea

Used for centuries, slippery elm tea forms a soothing coating that’s especially effective for sore throat relief and lost voice care.

How it helps: It becomes slippery (just like its name) when steeped, coating and calming the throat on contact.

Health benefits:

Relieves acid reflux
Soothes digestive discomfort
May reduce inflammation

A helpful, quick sore throat remedy when your voice needs a break.

Final Thoughts

When your voice is gone or your throat is feeling raw, a warm cup of tea can offer more than just physical relief—it’s a ritual of care. Whether you're drawn to the antioxidant-rich comfort of yaupon holly, the spicy kick of ginger, or the throat-coating calm of marshmallow root, these herbal allies are time-tested, gentle, and naturally supportive.

Ready to Sip Your Way to Relief?

Explore our full collection of wild-harvested yaupon teas, available in both tea bags and loose leaf, and discover why yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria) is becoming a go-to remedy for those seeking natural sore throat relief—without compromising on flavor or sustainability.

FAQs

Yaupon (pronounced yō-pon) is a naturally caffeinated herbal tea made from the Yaupon Holly—the only plant in North America that offers a native source of caffeine. Rooted in centuries of Indigenous tradition, it’s known for its smooth, welcoming flavor and gentle, steady lift.

Here’s what people love about it:

Grows wild in Texas’ sandy-loam soil
Hand-harvested and gently roasted for smooth flavor
Naturally sweet and always smooth, never bitter

In Summary, Yaupon tea is a uniquely American, naturally energizing brew that’s smooth and enjoyable to drink.

Yaupon is naturally tannin-free, so it never becomes bitter—a key difference from green or black tea. It delivers the antioxidant benefits people look for in tea, but with a smoother, naturally sweet flavor and none of the astringency.

What sets it apart:

Combines the benefits of green and black tea while avoiding the downsides of each (bitterness, jitters, & sustainability concerns)
Yaupon is rich in antioxidants that combat oxidative stress and promote overall health & longevity
Powered by a rare trifecta of caffeine, theobromine & theacrine for a joyful, steady energy you won’t find in other teas

In Summary, Yaupon offers the benefits of tea with a smoother taste and cleaner energy, without bitterness or environmental strain.

Yes, Yaupon naturally contains caffeine—about 25 mg per 8–14 ounce cup—alongside theobromine and theacrine, a rare trio of naturally occurring compounds that create a joyful, steady lift.

What makes it special:

Naturally occurring caffeine
A smooth, steady upward feeling
No spike-and-crash pattern
Supports focus, clarity, and presence

In Summary, Yaupon provides a smooth, steady energy unlike anything found in traditional teas.

Modern research is beginning to affirm what Indigenous communities have known for generations—this is a plant that gently nourishes, sip by sip.

Why people feel good drinking it:

Naturally rich in antioxidants, polyphenols, and beneficial alkaloids
Tannin-free, making it smooth and easy on the stomach
Offers joyful, gentle caffeine without the spike or discomfort
Supports clear focus, balanced mood, and grounded energy

In Summary, Yaupon is a naturally giving plant, trusted for generations to offer clarity, steadiness, and gentle nourishment.

Learn More Here

Some teas demand precision—Yaupon isn’t one of them. Hot or iced, quick or slow, Yaupon simply meets you where you are.

What makes it so easy:

Stays smooth and clear, no matter the steeping time
Never becomes bitter or astringent
Consistent and clean whether served hot or iced

In Summary, Yaupon is effortlessly easy to brew—always smooth, always steady, and impossible to over-steeped.

Yaupon Tea Brewing Guide

Yaupon carries a smooth, naturally sweet flavor that reflects the Texas landscapes where it grows.

How each roast shows up in the cup:

Pedernales Green — crisp + bright
Clean and refreshing with delicate grassy notes, subtle savoriness, and a bright, earthy finish. A calming, green-hued cup inspired by the quiet limestone banks of the Pedernales River.
Lost Maples Medium Roast — golden + mellow
Smooth and warm with caramel, raisin, and toasted nut undertones. A mellow, comforting cup echoing the golden colors of Texas’ iconic Lost Maples in autumn.
Marfa Dark Roast — rich + toasty
Elegant and deeply roasted with warm, nutty sweetness and a subtle, earthy complexity. A sophisticated cup honoring the creative spirit of Marfa’s high-desert landscape.

In Summary, every cup of Yaupon reflects the Texas landscape—crisp, warm, or richly toasty, yet always smooth.

See What Customers Are Saying

Our Yaupon is wild-harvested across native Texas lands, where it thrives in sandy-loam soil without irrigation or chemicals. Each harvest reflects careful stewardship of the land and the long Indigenous traditions of gathering Yaupon in the American South.

Where it begins:

Transparent, traceable sourcing from leaf to label
Partnering with local ranchers and land owners to gather only what nature allows—by hand, respectfully, and sustainably
A People First Employment Initiative process that supports rural Texans

In Summary, our Yaupon comes straight from wild Texas landscapes where every cup reflects connection—to land, community, and nature.

Yaupon thrives in the wild without the need for irrigation, fertilizers, or pesticides, making it inherently sustainable. Through responsible wild-harvesting and Regenerative Organic Certified practices, Yaupon helps restore soil health and support native ecosystems.

What makes it regenerative:

Harvested from existing native ecosystems, not farmed fields
Leaves plants rooted and ecosystems intact through hand-harvesting
Supports healthy soil, carbon capture, and clean water cycles

In Summary, Yaupon isn’t just sustainably grown—it actively supports the revival of native Texas grasslands, helping the land flourish for generations to come.

Learn more about our sustainability practices here.

We hold our yaupon to some of the most rigorous standards in food and agriculture. Our leaves are certified USDA Organic through CCOF, Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC), Whole Kosher-certified, and screened according to AHPA guidelines for heavy metals and pesticide safety. Every batch is also tested for microbials and purity before it ever reaches your cup.

What ensures its integrity:

USDA Organic certification through CCOF
Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) practices
Whole Kosher certification
AHPA-aligned heavy metal and pesticide screening
Third-party microbial and purity testing

In Summary, our yaupon is as clean as the land it grows on—nourished by sunshine and rainwater, with nothing unnecessary added.

CatSpring Yaupon is gathered where it grows naturally—on native Texas land—rather than farmed or cultivated. We keep each plant rooted, harvest by hand, craft our roasts in small batches, and center our work on regenerative land care and meaningful rural employment.

What sets us apart: