Effect:
pain relieving, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory
Areas of application:
Skin inflammation, skin irritation, wounds, itchy insect bites, stimulates blood circulation, relieves pain, headaches, period pain, cramps, bloating, heavy menstrual bleeding, kidney problems, swelling, fluid retention, diuretic, head lice, arthritis, joint pain and inflammation throughout the body
Plant parts used:
Leaves, root bark, slimy pith
Collection time:
bark in spring,
Leaves spring to autumn
To find:
In eastern North America, in forests, erosion areas, wastelands and ruderal areas at elevations between 0 and 1500 meters.
Ingredients:
Safrole, essential oil, camphor, eugenol, myristicin, methyl eugenol, pinene, various alkaloids, lignans, tannins. resin
Miscellaneous:
The White Sassafras is a deciduous tree that can reach a height of 20 to 35 meters. Most parts of the tree give off a faint citrus smell when crushed. The tree can be identified by its unique leaf characteristics. Each leaf can have 1 to 5 lobes, all occurring on the same tree. The most familiar shape of a White Sassafras leaf is the two- or three-lobed leaves that look like a mitten. It blooms in early spring with clusters of small yellow flowers that grow to 5cm long. In autumn it produces small, berry-sized, blue drupes that are fleshy on the outside and contain a small seed on the inside. In the fall, the leaves turn yellow, orange, deep red and even purple before falling off.
🛑 Safrole can cause liver damage, is carcinogenic and can cause stomach upset, vomiting, increased blood pressure, hallucinations and death. It should not be used by pregnant or breastfeeding women. There are safrole-free White Sassafras products that are safer to use. Some people are allergic to the tree. A doctor should be involved when using it.
In the kitchen, the leaves can be used as a thickener or flavoring agent, the taste is earthy and spicy and similar to coriander seeds. The use of the root is in traditional root beer recipes. However, the use of sassafras tree root was banned by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1960 after studies showed that safrole was a possible carcinogen. Safrole is harmful to the liver with prolonged use and increases the rate of cancer. When used short-term and at the correct dose, it is considered harmless.
Sassafras oil, which contains 80% safrole and is used as a perfume and flavoring agent, can be obtained from the root bark and fruits by steam distillation.
Safrole also provides a raw material for the production of MDMA (ecstasy), so trade in sassafras extracts is banned in the EU. In Switzerland, sassafras oil and safrole are considered so-called precursors[5] that can be used to produce narcotics and psychotropic substances. The purchase is subject to approval and the use of more than 10 g per year leads to an official inspection obligation[6] within the meaning of the Narcotics Control Ordinance. (Wikipedia)