Black drink

The black drink is a name for several kinds of ritual beverages brewed by Native Americans in the Southeastern United States. Traditional ceremonial people of the Caddo, Cherokee, Choctaw, Muscogee and some other Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands use the black drink in purification ceremonies. It was occasionally known as white drink because of the association of the color white with peace leaders in some Native cultures in the Southeast.

The black drink is typically seen in Native cultures where it is present as a purifier that removes spiritual and physical contamination from the drinker, and as such is never taken casually. While the recipe can vary between tribes, and the full formula is not published or given to outsiders, a prominent ingredient in many formulas is the roasted leaves and stems of Ilex vomitoria (commonly known as Yaupon Holly) native to the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. The black drink usually contains emetic herbs, which are used with the express purpose of inducing vomiting. There is a degree of variation in its ritual use. It often involves vomiting, but not always. Vomiting is not induced by the mere consumption of a drink prepared with Ilex vomitoria. It was occasionally used by some groups as a stimulating, but not casual social drink for before council meetings.