The Interesting History of American Sassafras

Sassafras trees are native to the eastern US as far west as eastern Texas and from southern Michigan and Ontario to Florida. They are also native to areas of Asia. Sassafras trees are in the Laurel family, which includes cinnamon, bay and camphor. Sassafras can be recognized by its spicy fragrance and by the four distinctly different leaf shapes on one tree. The leaves are either ovate, double-lobed, right single-lobed, or left single-lobed. Single-lobed are commonly called "mitten shaped," and double lobed are "two-thumbed mittens."

Sassafras trees bloom in the spring, with pretty clusters of yellow-green blossoms at the ends of the branches. The flowers are imperfect, meaning that each tree produces either male or female flowers, both of which are necessary for fruiting. And, yes, sassafras trees do have fruits. The pollinated flowers develop into small drupes that ripen to dark blue/black. They are held on bright scarlet stems and are rather showy if you know to look for them. Birds and squirrels love the fruits, but they are toxic to humans.

Some of the prettiest fall foliage is sassafras. The leaves turn bright yellow, orange, red and purple. Sassafras trees average 30 feet at maturity, so they are not huge trees. They are sometimes used in landscaping, especially in areas where a naturalized look is desired. The trees spread by suckers that grow up from the extended roots, so that where there is one sassafras tree, there is potentially a grove. The drupes contain seeds that are distributed by birds, and seedlings will sprout up in distant places as well.

Sassafras trees are best known for safrole, the substance in the tree that creates the unique aroma. The highest concentration of safrole is in the root bark. For centuries, sassafras root was dried and used to make tea and refreshing beverages. Sassafras was also used as a tonic, and at one time, sassafras root was second only to tobacco as an export from the Colonies to Europe. Sassafras was the source for root beer and candy flavoring. In 1960, the FDA deemed safrole unsafe for human consumption, and it was regulated as a carcinogenic. Chemical flavorings are the norm for root beer today. There is, however, a strain of sassafras with a different safrole chemical structure. Some of the natural root beers on the market use roots of the modified species.

It is also interesting to note that safrole is a main ingredient in the drug "ecstasy." For this reason, it is controlled as a List One Chemical under the Chemical Diversion and Trafficking Act. It is illegal to manufacture, buy, or sell safrole unless you are registered with the DEA.

Some natural healers still swear by the medicinal properties of sassafras. It has been used as a home remedy for lice, skin inflammations, and arthritis. It is legal to use sassafras as a scent agent for potpourri or soaps, or as a topical skin rinse. Filé is a spicy thickening agent used in gumbo; it is made from powdered sassafras leaves.

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Sources:
Folklore
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/Volume_2/sassafras/albidum.htm
List 1 chemical, #17 on the list
http://www.naz.edu:9000/~treewalk/sassafras/sassafrastree1.htm
http://www.chow.com/stories/10129
http://mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2000/02/50.htm