Dictionary:

sassafras

  (săs'ə-frăs')

1. A deciduous eastern North American tree (Sassafras albidum) having irregularly lobed leaves and aromatic bark, leaves, and branches.
2. The dried root bark of this plant, used as a flavoring and a source of a volatile oil.

[Spanish sasafrás, from Late Latin saxifragia, kind of herb, variant of (herba) saxifraga, saxifrage. See saxifrage.]

A medium-sized tree, Sassafras albidum, of the eastern United States, extending north as far as southern Maine. Sometimes it is only a shrub in the north, but from Pennsylvania southward heights of 90 ft (27 m) or more with diameters of 4–7 ft (1.2–2.1 m) have been reported for this plant. Sassafras is said to live from 700 to 1000 years. It can be recognized by the bright-green color and aromatic odor of the twigs and leaves. The leaves are simple or mitten-shaped (hence a common name “mitten-tree”), or they may have lobes on both sides of the leaf blade. See also Magnoliales.

American tree (Sassafras albidum) with aromatic bark and leaves. The root is used to make root beer and the young leaves are powdered to make filé powder, an essential flavouring of gumbo. Sassafras oil from the root-bark is used medicinally and as a flavour in beverages, but banned in some countries because of its toxicity.

[SAS-uh-fras] The leaves of the native North American sassafras (albidum or variifolium) tree, which are dried and used to make filé powder and sassafras tea. The root bark is used as a flavoring agent in root beer.

Description

Sassafras is a small tree, Sassafras albidum, belonging to the laurel family native to eastern North America. Sassafras grows in woodlands in rich sandy well-drained soil from Maine to Florida, reaching a height of about 75 ft (25 m). The tree has also been imported to Europe, probably by the Spaniards who discovered it in Florida.

All parts of the sassafras tree are aromatic with a pleasant odor and a slightly sweet but astringent taste. The root and root bark were formerly used medicinally. The root is thick and woody. When alive, it is whitish but rapidly turns cinnamon-brown on exposure to air. Other names for sassafras are ague tree, cinnamon wood, saxifrax, saxafrax, and saloop. There are other plants that have the word sassafras in their name that are completely unrelated to Sassafras albidum. These include black sassafras (Oliveri cortex); swamp sassafras (Magnolia glauca); Australian sassafras (Antherosperma moschatum); sassafras goesianum (Massoja aromatica,); and California sassafras (Umbellularia californica).

General Use

Sassafras should not be taken internally or used for healing except for topical applications. In the 1960s scientists determined that the volatile oil derived from sassafras root contains safrole as its chief component. Safrole is a known carcinogen in animal studies. Safrole in concentrations of 80–90%, similar to its concentration in the volatile oil, produced tumors in the livers of laboratory animals. In 1960 the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned sassafras volatile oil as a food and flavoring additive. In 1976 it prohibited the interstate shipment of sassafras bark for making tea. A safrole-free sassafras extract is now available; however, there are questions about its potentially cancer-causing properties.

Prior to the discovery that sassafras contains a carcinogen, it had a long and widespread history of use as a folk medicine. Native Americans used sassafras to cure many different conditions, but especially as a spring blood tonic. Before long, Native Americans introduced the European settlers to sassafras. It became a sought-after herb in Europe. Sassafras root bark was imported from the United States, and sassafras trees were also planted in Europe. Sassafras tea, sold under the name saloop, was a popular beverage in London.

Before sassafras was discovered to be a carcinogen, it was used as a diuretic as well as to treat urinary tract disorders and kidney problems. It was also used as an ineffective treatment for syphilis. Other herbal practitioners used sassafras to treat rheumatism and arthritis. It was given to women to ease painful menstruation and help their recovery from childbirth. Other conditions treated with sassafras include high blood pressure, colds, flu, and bronchitis. The volatile oil was used in dentistry in combination with cloves and other herbs to relievetoothache. By far the most common use of sassafras, however, was to flavor root beer.

Externally, sassafras washes were used to soothe the eyes. The volatile oil was used as a liniment and to treat bruises and swellings. The volatile oil was also used to control head and body lice. The risks in applying sassafras oil externally are still unclear.

Despite the fact that sassafras contains a proven carcinogen, it is still used today in many parts of the Appalachian Mountains, where the root is locally gathered. In 1994, there was evidence that teas containing sassafras were still being sold in some health food stores. Even the health community has not fully grasped the harmful effects of sassafras. A 1993 article in Midwifery Today and Childbirth Education recommended sassafras as a cure for breast inflammation after childbirth. Many reputable studies, however, indicate that there is a definite health hazard in using even small amounts of sassafras either as oil or tea.

Preparations

Sassafras should not be used. In times past, before its potentially harmful effects were recognized, it was available as a volatile oil, as bark that could be brewed into tea, and as a component of tonic formulas and tonic teas. Since use of sassafras is not recommended, there is no recommended dosage.

Precautions

Sassafras should not be used.

Side Effects

It has been reported that as little as one teaspoon of pure sassafras oil can kill an adult, and only a few drops can kill a toddler. The signs of sassafras poisoning include nausea, vomiting, confusion, and paralysis. The potentially hazardous dose of safrole has been determined to be 0.66 mg/kg of a person's body weight. This amount is less than the dose often found in sassafras tea.

Interactions

Sassafras should not be used. Since it is toxic, drug interactions have not been investigated.

Resources

Books

Lawless, Julia. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils. Rockport, MA: Element, 1995.

PDR for Herbal Medicines. Montvale, New Jersey: Medical Economics Company, 1998.

Peirce, Andrea. The American Pharmaceutical Association Practical Guide to Natural Medicines. New York: William Morrow and Company, 1999.

Other

Plants for the Future: Sassafras albidum.http://www.metalab.unc.edu.

[Article by: Tish Davidson]

For more information on sassafras, visit Britannica.com.

An extract from the roots of Sassafras albidum or certain species of Ocotea. the oil is used topically as a rubifacient and may be toxic if ingested.

This article is about the Sassafras tree. For other uses, see Sassafras (disambiguation).

Sassafras
Sassafras albidum, Wanaque, New Jersey
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Laurales Family: Lauraceae Genus: Sassafras
Species
See text

Sassafras is a genus of three species of deciduous trees in the family Lauraceae, native to eastern North America and eastern Asia.^[1]

Sassafras trees grow from 15-35 m (50-120 feet) tall and 70-150 cm (2.5-6 feet) in diameter, with many slender branches, and smooth, orange-brown bark. The branching is sympodial. The bark of the mature trunk is thick, red-brown, and deeply furrowed. The wood is light, soft, weak, and brittle. All parts of the plants are very fragrant. The species are unusual in having three distinct leaf patterns on the same plant, unlobed oval, bilobed (mitten-shaped), and trilobed (three pronged; rarely the leaves can be five-lobed^[2]). They have smooth margins and grow 7-20 cm long by 5-10 cm broad. The young leaves and twigs are quite mucilaginous, and produce a scent similar to lemons when crushed. The tiny, yellow flowers are five-petaled and bloom in the spring; they are dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate trees. The fruit are blue-black, egg-shaped, 1 cm long, produced on long, red-stalked cups, and mature in late summer.^[3]

The name "Sassafras", applied by the botanist Nicolas Monardes in the sixteenth century, is said to be a corruption of the Spanish word for saxifrage.

Species

• Sassafras albidum (Nuttall) Nees - Sassafras, White Sassafras, Red Sassafras or Silky Sassafras. Eastern North America, from southernmost Ontario, Canada through the eastern United States south to central Florida, and west to southern Iowa and eastern Texas.
• Sassafras tzumu (Hemsl.) Hemsl. - Chinese Sassafras or Tzumu. Central and southwestern China. It differs from S. albidum in the leaves being more frequently three-lobed,^[4] the lobes having a tapered acuminate apex (not rounded to weakly acute).
• Sassafras randaiense (Hayata) Rehd. - Taiwan Sassafras. Taiwan. Treated by some botanists in a distinct genus as Yushunia randaiensis (Hayata) Kamikoti,^[5] though this is not supported by recent genetic evidence which shows the genus to be monophyletic.^[1]

Uses

Essential oil distilled from the root-bark or the fruit was used as a fragrance in perfumes and soaps, food (sassafras tea and candy flavoring) and for aromatherapy.

The dried and ground leaves are used to make filé powder, a spice used in the making of some types of gumbo.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Nie, Z.-L., Wen, J. & Sun, H. (2007). Phylogeny and biogeography of Sassafras (Lauraceae) disjunct between eastern Asia and eastern North America. Plant Systematics and Evolution 267: 191-203 Abstract.
2. ^ Noble Plant Image Gallery Sassafras (includes photo of five-lobed leaf)
3. ^ Flora of North America: Sassafras
4. ^ Arboretum Trompenburg: Sassafras tzumu photo
5. ^ Kamikoti, S. (1933). Ann. Rep. Taihoku Bot. Gard. 3: 78

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