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Sassafras Tea
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 photo courtesy of http://www.southernangel.com/food/sassafras.html Sassafras tea was used by the Tsalagi people as a blood purifier and remedy for many ailments including skin problems, ague and rheumatism. In his "Observations on the Creek and Cherokee Indians Food Traditions" (1789) William Bartram wrote "The country people of Carolina crop these vines (Bigonia Crucigera) to pieces together with china brier and sassafras roots and boil them in their beer in the spring for diet drink in order to attenuate and purify the blood and juices." The natives also would make poultices from sassafras to clean wounds and sores and steep the root bark to treat diarrhea or for "overfatness". It was understood that the tea should never be taken for more than a week at a time. Although they didn't know about safrole (proved to cause cancer in rats and mice) they obviously knew of the long-term effects of using sassafras roots whose volatile oils are 80 per cent safrole. Today Sassafras Albidum (white sassafras) grows all over the eastern U.S. in thick clusters three to six feet tall, usually along roadsides. The red sassafras is the most prized and can be found mostly on hills and ridges, sometimes growing up to thirty feet tall in the mountains. Ingredients Red Sassafras roots Water Directions: To make a tea, boil a few pieces of the root in water until it is the desired strength. Sweeten with honey if desired. Serve hot or cold. Note: Gather and wash the roots of the red sassafras. Do this in the spring before the sap begins to rise. Store for future use. Some natural food stores carry sassafrass root in a dried form. It will resemble wood chips (the kind used when barbequeing). The "store bought" variety work just as well. Sassafras tea tastes like watered down rootbeer and is really very good. Sources: Traditional Tsalagi Recipes Sassafras and Spicewood Sassafras Food Facts Hillbilly Savants |
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