Sassafras Root Cures

Taxonomy

• Sassafras belongs to the laurel family -- Lauraceae -- and in the United States, these deciduous trees can be found as far south as Texas and Florida and as far north as Maine and Michigan. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, sassafras trees can grow from 27 to 55 feet tall. Some varieties sport deep green leaves with two lobe-like mittens. Others varieties have three lobes or are elliptical-shaped. Crush the leaves, and they emit a citruslike scent. The sassafras tree's leaves, roots and bark are used for oil, soap and for treating medical afflictions. When the sap is ready in the springtime, growers harvest the roots by hand.

Folklore and History

• Although sassafras leaves have their own medicinal values and uses, the roots have particularly captivated Americans. In fact, according to the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, the roots' scent drove early colonists to produce root beer. In the 1600s, herbalists made a tonic out of roots to sooth the symptoms of syphilis. Other uses of the root included treating skin afflictions, such as eczema and psoriasis, and more serious diseases, such as rheumatism and gout. Native Americans widely used sassafras roots as a cure for everything from diarrhea and scarlet fever to measles and eye sores.

Modern Uses

• Many modern-day herbalists still regard sassafras as a natural tonic. They typically boil its roots into a tea for liver detox or prepare it in other forms to treat stings and insect bites. Others use sassafras as a natural diuretic to treat urinary tract infections and relieve intestinal pain. John C. Wolf D.O., associate professor of family medicine at Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, says that sassafras tea is still available since it's considered to be natural. He also cautions that there have been numerous cases of sweating and nervousness associated with the overuse of sassafras tea, and he cites liver cancer as a long-term risk of consuming the tea.

Warnings

• In the 1960s, research conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found that the essential oil extracted from sassafras bark contains safrole, which caused cancer in lab rats who were fed sassafras oil. In fact, the FDA Poisonous Plant Database still references a study originally published in the "Journal of America Medicine" entitled "Sassafras and Herb Tea: Potential Health Hazards." The study reinforces the FDA's original research on the carcinogenic effects of sassafras oil. Perhaps even more telling is the lack of research citing the positive benefits of sassafras as a curative.