Sassafras

Sassafras is a genus of deciduous trees. The genus belongs to the Lauraceae family, and is native to North America and some of Asia.

Sassafras trees grow between 30-59 feet tall, and spread to 25-39 feet. The trunks grow from 28-59 inches in diameter, with many branches, and orange bark. The branches grow sympodial. The wood is light, hard, and sometimes brittle. All parts on the plants are fragrant, including the leaves, which have 3 distinct shapes on the same plant, unlobed oval, bilobed, and trilobed. They grow from 7-20 cm long, and 5-10 broad. The young leaves and twigs have mucilage, and release a citrus-like scent when crushed or smashed. The plants have tiny yellow flowers that bloom in spring. The flowers are dioecious, so male and female flowers bloom on separate trees, where they are ready in spring. The fruit are blue to black in color, and produced on long red-stalked cups, where they mature in summer.

The name "Sassafras", added by Nicolas Monardes, is said to be a corruption of the spanish word for saxifrage.

Usage
Steam distillation of root bark produces an oil that is mainly safrole that was used as a fragrance for soaps, perfumes, and aromatherapy. Commercial "sassafras oil" is a by-product of camphor from Asia or Brazil.

Importance to wildlife
The twigs and leaves of Sassafras are often consumed by the white-tailed deer. Groundhogs, marsh rabbits, and American black bears browse through the leaves. The fruit is often eaten by Bobwhite quails, Eastern Kingbirds, Great Crested Flycatchers, Phoebes, Wild Turkeys, Gray Catbirds, Northern Flickers, Pileated Woodpeckers, Downy Woodpeckers, thrushes, vireos, and Northern Mockingbirds. Mammals will also eat the fruit.

Uses for human food
The dried leaves and roots of Sassafras make filé powder, which is used to thicken soups, stews, and gumbo.

The roots of the Sassafras are used in the making of some flavors of tea, and formerly root beer before being banned by the FDA, because it could cause laboratory animals to get permanent liver damage, or certain types of cancer. In humans, the liver damage can take years to fully develop.

In 1960, sassafras oil and sassafras tea were also banned by the FDA and Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act.

Sassafras tea is used as an anticoagulant.

Sassafras was commonly used in Europe for a cure for gonorrhea.