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Sassafras as an Herb
(Sassafras albidum)
The name Sassafras is said to be a corruption of the Spanish word for saxifrage.
Sassafras is a deciduous tree that grows 20 to 60 feet high. It prefers full to partial sun and average soils. The tree, which has berries like those of cinnamon, appears to have been cultivated in England some centuries ago. The fruit is a drupe or berry that is blue in color.
The central market for all parts is Baltimore. The entire root is official in the British Pharmacopoeia, but only the more active bark in the United States, where wood and bark form separate articles of commerce. The bark without its corky layer is brittle, and the presence of small crystals cause its inner surface to glisten. Both bark and wood have a fragrant odor, and an aromatic, somewhat astringent taste.
Medicinal Uses for Sassafras
Long used as a medicinal, sassafras is also used as a flavoring for various pharmaceuticals and candies.
The root bark of Sassafras is used to thin the blood, to cleanse the liver, and is used to treat painful menstruation and the pains after childbirth. Do not use if anemic, taking a blood thinner, or when pregnant.
The fragrant oil distilled from the rootbark is extensively used in the manufacture of the coarser kinds of perfume, and for scenting the cheapest grades of soap. The oil used in perfumes is also extracted from the fruits. The wood and bark of the tree furnish a yellow dye.
Oil of Sassafras is chiefly used for flavoring purposes, particularly to conceal the flavor of opium when given to children. In the United States it is employed for flavoring effervescing drinks.
The oil is also said to relieve the pain caused by menstrual obstructions and after childbirth. It's administered in doses of 5 to 10 drops on sugar.
Sassafras is used as a local application for rheumatic pain, and it has been praised as a dental disinfectant.
One doctor, Dr. Shelby of Huntsville, stated that Sassafras would both prevent and remove the injurious effects of tobacco.
A lotion of rose-water or distilled water, with Sassafras Pith, filtered after standing for four hours, is recommended for the eyes.
Culinary
In Louisiana, the leaves are used as a condiment in sauces, and also for thickening soups; while the young shoots are used in Virginia for making a kind of beer.
Mixed with milk and sugar, Sassafras Tea, under the name of 'Saloop,' could, until a few years ago, be bought at London streetcorners in the early mornings.
The roots of Sassafras can be steeped to make tea and were used in the flavoring of root beer until being banned by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Subsequently, both Canada and the United States have passed laws against the sale of any consumable products (beverages, foods, cosmetics, health products such as toothpaste, and others) that contain more than specific small amounts of safrole. Animal studies showed liver damage.
See also:
Cautions
Safrole is a precursor for the clandestine manufacture of the drug ecstasy, and as such, its transport is monitored internationally.
The oil can produce marked narcotic poisoning, and death by causing widespread fatty degeneration of the heart, liver, and kidneys, or, in a larger dose, by great depression of the circulation, followed by a centric paralysis of respiration.
Its use has caused abortion in several cases.
DISCLAIMER: These pages are presented solely as a source of INFORMATION and ENTERTAINMENT and to provide stern warnings against use where appropriate. No claims are made for any historical herbal treatment. In no way can the information provided here take the place of the standard, legal, medical practice of any country. Some plants are extremely toxic and should be used only by licensed professionals. Some plants used for illness in the past have proven to be ineffective for the problems to which they were applied.