Sassafras Tea, do any of you use it? - The Firearms Forum

carver · 10-14-2011, 01:45 PM

I'm enjoying a cold glass of this right now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassafras

The dried and ground leaves are used to make filé powder, an ingredient used in some types of gumbo. The roots of Sassafras can be steeped to make tea and were used in the flavoring of traditional root beer until being banned for mass production by the FDA. Laboratory animals that were given oral doses of sassafras tea or sassafras oil that contained large doses of safrole (emphasis mine) developed permanent liver damage or various types of cancer. In humans liver damage can take years to develop and it may not have obvious signs. Along with commercially available sarsaparilla, sassafras remains an ingredient in use among hobby or microbrew enthusiasts. In 1960, the FDA banned the use of sassafras oil and safrole in commercially mass produced foods and drugs based on the animal studies and human case reports. Several years later sassafras tea was banned, a ban that lasted until the passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act in 1994. Sassafras root extracts which do not contain safrole or in which the safrole has been removed are permissible, and are still widely used commercially in teas and root beers. Sassafras tea can also be used as an anticoagulant.

During the establishment of the Virginia Colony, including Jamestown in the seventeenth century, sassafras was a major export commodity to England. A medicinal root and a wood prized for its beauty and durability, sassafras was popular from its first import by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1602 until the eighteenth century. There was a brief period of time in the early seventeenth century in which sassafras was the second largest export from America behind tobacco.

Now you know why tea was dumped in the harbor at the Boston Tea Party!

You would have to drink a gallon a day, 7 days a week for many years, to cause this tea to do you any harm! The tests above were conducted with large doses of safrole, much more than you would get in gallon of the tea. However, there have cases reported where individuals show evidence of being alergic to Sassafras Tea!

Brisk44 · 10-14-2011, 01:49 PM

That sounds pretty good right now. Do you harvest your own roots?

carver · 10-14-2011, 01:54 PM

Yep! They grow all over the place down here.

Brisk44 · 10-14-2011, 01:57 PM

Thats cool. Free tea.

carver · 10-14-2011, 02:28 PM

Not just tea! The wood from the Sassafras tree is also a really good wood for making fire, full of natural oils. Ever had gumbo? Down here in the south we add a little filé (pronounced fe-ley) to our gumbo. Filé is made from the leaves of the tree. There are several medical usages also.

herohog · 10-14-2011, 02:43 PM

Concentrated Sassafras tea is also a mild hallucinogenic! Found that out by accident when me and a friend made up a batch that was on the strong side and we did a little research.

ampaterry · 10-14-2011, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by herohog

Concentrated Sassafras tea is also a mild hallucinogenic! Found that out by accident when me and a friend made up a batch that was on the strong side and we did a little research.

I did not know that!

When I was a kid, I would head out into the woods with a camping shovel, ax, matches and a metal pot. I would dig, cut, boil and drink this stuff by the gallon - -
That might explain some of the stranger events of my childhood, though - - -

carver · 10-14-2011, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by herohog

Concentrated Sassafras tea is also a mild hallucinogenic! Found that out by accident when me and a friend made up a batch that was on the strong side and we did a little research.

Are you going to post that recipe!

bamajoey · 10-14-2011, 04:26 PM

Carver, I would really like the recipe that you use. I was raised on the stuff and have access to a grove of the trees on our family farm, but have no idea how my mother prepared it, other than boiling the roots.

carver · 10-14-2011, 04:35 PM

That's the way it's done. Dig the roots, it they are active they will smell like root beer! Wash off the dirt, cut them up into slivers about 4" long, bark, and all, then boil them. The longer you boil them the stronger the tea gets. I usually just throw in about a half a cup of cut up roots, and boil for a few minutes. I just watch the color, and when I think it's right, I strain the tea thru a tea strainer into a gallon jug that has some water in it. Fill the gal jug up with water, add sweetner to taste, stir, and pour over ice. Do not throw away the roots you have boiled, you can use them again!

The Duke · 10-14-2011, 05:10 PM

You betcha...Brew up a big pot almost every time I go to the camp...Good over ice or mixed with a little soda water and sugar...instant and natural Root Beer..

hunter29180 · 10-14-2011, 10:10 PM

been years since I have had some! no trees where i have been for a long time! anyone willing to ship me some roots?

carver · 10-15-2011, 06:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hunter29180

been years since I have had some! no trees where i have been for a long time! anyone willing to ship me some roots?

They grow from Ohio to the gulf thru the Eastern U.S. You just need to find some where you live in SC. Check with some wild life management types, and they just love to grow along fence rows.

BullShoot · 10-15-2011, 10:03 PM

I've got plenty here on my little farm. Have any of you ever noticed the weird way the leaves grow?

wrecksrme · 02-21-2012, 11:53 AM

Hi everyone. I just joined the forum and found this thread. I live in West Virginia and we use Sassafra tea quite often during the winter months. We harvest the root and found that it tasted better during the winter months as most of the sap is in the root at this time of year yielding more flavor. I also have links to this on my website at and will be posting a new video on the site very soon on how to harvest and make the tea.

The_Rifleman · 02-21-2012, 01:10 PM

That was our favorite tea when we were kids. It was fun to go find the roots.

FW! · 02-21-2012, 06:15 PM

The house I lived in in 1974 & 5 had the trees in the fence row. As I remember, I used the ends of the branches to make tea.

Bobitis · 02-21-2012, 06:38 PM

No sassafras trees here.

Who's up to sending me some roots?

Frogtop · 02-21-2012, 07:31 PM

I also enjoy it hot with sugar. Boil it until you have color and add your sugar. Inhale with each sip.

Silencer · 02-24-2012, 04:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ampaterry

I did not know that!

When I was a kid, I would head out into the woods with a camping shovel, ax, matches and a metal pot. I would dig, cut, boil and drink this stuff by the gallon - -
That might explain some of the stranger events of my childhood, though - - -

I'd like to hear some of the these 'strange' events.

Frogtop · 02-24-2012, 10:48 AM

Anyone familiar with yopon tea? Made from the leaves of a shrub that grows on the NC outer banks islands. The European settlers learned to drink it from the natives who inhabited the area. My FIL was born and raised in Manteo on Roanoak Island and would talk about the "ol timers" making and drinking it.

Zane71464 · 02-24-2012, 06:37 PM

Very interesting thread Carver!
Before we knew how to make it and didnt do any research on how to do
it, we went out and got the bark. Boild it and added some suger and
drank it down. (wasnt that bad at all) Plenty of sassafras tree's in this area.

BlackEagle · 02-24-2012, 07:49 PM

Sassafras tea is one of the treats I look forward to when I get over to visit family and friends. I managed to bring back some liquid concentrate called Pappy's; it's a little like the difference between instant coffee and fresh ground coffee, but it still has the flavor.
I've been rationing it out.

The other treat I look forward to is sorghum.

whymememe · 02-29-2012, 12:00 AM

Sassafras trees are indigenious to south east Alabama. When I was a boy out in the bush, I ran across them often. I would just break off a twig and chew it, I enjoyed the taste. Some of the family would dig up the roots and make tea. I don't believe it will hurt you.

If someone was padding the FDA's pockets like the big pharmaceuticals do, they still would allow it with a little warning.

Bobitis · 03-01-2012, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobitis

No sassafras trees here.

Who's up to sending me some roots?

Thank you Carver for the kind offer.

10-14-2011, 01:45 PM	#1
carver TFF Moderator/Host Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: DAV, Deep in the Pineywoods of East Texas, just west of Shreveport, LA Contributor Posts: 11,243	Sassafras Tea, do any of you use it? I'm enjoying a cold glass of this right now. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassafras The dried and ground leaves are used to make filé powder, an ingredient used in some types of gumbo. The roots of Sassafras can be steeped to make tea and were used in the flavoring of traditional root beer until being banned for mass production by the FDA. Laboratory animals that were given oral doses of sassafras tea or sassafras oil that contained *large doses of safrole* (emphasis mine) developed permanent liver damage or various types of cancer. In humans liver damage can take years to develop and it may not have obvious signs. Along with commercially available sarsaparilla, sassafras remains an ingredient in use among hobby or microbrew enthusiasts. In 1960, the FDA banned the use of sassafras oil and safrole in commercially mass produced foods and drugs based on the animal studies and human case reports. Several years later sassafras tea was banned, a ban that lasted until the passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act in 1994. Sassafras root extracts which do not contain safrole or in which the safrole has been removed are permissible, and are still widely used commercially in teas and root beers. Sassafras tea can also be used as an anticoagulant. During the establishment of the Virginia Colony, including Jamestown in the seventeenth century, sassafras was a major export commodity to England. A medicinal root and a wood prized for its beauty and durability, sassafras was popular from its first import by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1602 until the eighteenth century. There was a brief period of time in the early seventeenth century in which sassafras was the second largest export from America behind tobacco. Now you know why tea was dumped in the harbor at the Boston Tea Party! You would have to drink a gallon a day, 7 days a week for many years, to cause this tea to do you any harm! The tests above were conducted with large doses of safrole, much more than you would get in gallon of the tea. However, there have cases reported where individuals show evidence of being alergic to Sassafras Tea! Attached Images __________________ Y'all be safe now, ya hear! Lamentations Chapter 5: 1. Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach. 2. Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens. 3. We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers [are] as widows. 5. Our necks [are] under persecution: we labour, [and] have no rest. 16. The crown is fallen [from] our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned! 21. Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old. --> Last edited by carver; 10-14-2011 at 01:46 PM..

10-14-2011, 01:49 PM	#2
Brisk44 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Iowa Contributor Posts: 1,747	Re: Sassafras Tea, do any of you use it? That sounds pretty good right now. Do you harvest your own roots?

10-14-2011, 01:54 PM	#3
carver TFF Moderator/Host Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: DAV, Deep in the Pineywoods of East Texas, just west of Shreveport, LA Contributor Posts: 11,243	Re: Sassafras Tea, do any of you use it? Yep! They grow all over the place down here. __________________ Y'all be safe now, ya hear! Lamentations Chapter 5: 1. Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach. 2. Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens. 3. We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers [are] as widows. 5. Our necks [are] under persecution: we labour, [and] have no rest. 16. The crown is fallen [from] our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned! 21. Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.

10-14-2011, 01:57 PM	#4
Brisk44 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Iowa Contributor Posts: 1,747	Re: Sassafras Tea, do any of you use it? Thats cool. Free tea.

10-14-2011, 02:28 PM	#5
carver TFF Moderator/Host Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: DAV, Deep in the Pineywoods of East Texas, just west of Shreveport, LA Contributor Posts: 11,243	Re: Sassafras Tea, do any of you use it? Not just tea! The wood from the Sassafras tree is also a really good wood for making fire, full of natural oils. Ever had gumbo? Down here in the south we add a little filé (pronounced fe-ley) to our gumbo. Filé is made from the leaves of the tree. There are several medical usages also. __________________ Y'all be safe now, ya hear! Lamentations Chapter 5: 1. Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach. 2. Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens. 3. We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers [are] as widows. 5. Our necks [are] under persecution: we labour, [and] have no rest. 16. The crown is fallen [from] our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned! 21. Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.

10-14-2011, 02:43 PM	#6
herohog V.I.P. Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Shreveport, LA Posts: 453	Re: Sassafras Tea, do any of you use it? Concentrated Sassafras tea is also a mild hallucinogenic! Found that out by accident when me and a friend made up a batch that was on the strong side and we did a little research. __________________ Speedy: Pres, NW Chapter, League VP of Louisiana Open Carry Awareness League AKA: Hero Hog, Dr. Speed, "The Brass Mangler" and "That fat, old, balding, Grey-bearded gimpy guy" NRA, LSA, USN-DAV *Winning and getting the prize aren't the same it would appear... TWICE!*

10-14-2011, 04:26 PM	#9
bamajoey Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Pensacola Contributor Posts: 1,257	Re: Sassafras Tea, do any of you use it? Carver, I would really like the recipe that you use. I was raised on the stuff and have access to a grove of the trees on our family farm, but have no idea how my mother prepared it, other than boiling the roots.

10-14-2011, 04:35 PM	#10
carver TFF Moderator/Host Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: DAV, Deep in the Pineywoods of East Texas, just west of Shreveport, LA Contributor Posts: 11,243	Re: Sassafras Tea, do any of you use it? That's the way it's done. Dig the roots, it they are active they will smell like root beer! Wash off the dirt, cut them up into slivers about 4" long, bark, and all, then boil them. The longer you boil them the stronger the tea gets. I usually just throw in about a half a cup of cut up roots, and boil for a few minutes. I just watch the color, and when I think it's right, I strain the tea thru a tea strainer into a gallon jug that has some water in it. Fill the gal jug up with water, add sweetner to taste, stir, and pour over ice. Do not throw away the roots you have boiled, you can use them again! __________________ Y'all be safe now, ya hear! Lamentations Chapter 5: 1. Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach. 2. Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens. 3. We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers [are] as widows. 5. Our necks [are] under persecution: we labour, [and] have no rest. 16. The crown is fallen [from] our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned! 21. Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old. Last edited by carver; 10-14-2011 at 04:36 PM..

10-14-2011, 05:10 PM	#11
The Duke Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: NW Louisiana Posts: 813	Re: Sassafras Tea, do any of you use it? You betcha...Brew up a big pot almost every time I go to the camp...Good over ice or mixed with a little soda water and sugar...instant and natural Root Beer.. __________________ Ineptocracy (in-ep-toc'-ra-cy) - a system of government where the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers.

10-14-2011, 10:10 PM	#12
hunter29180 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: in a motorhome where ever we park! Contributor Posts: 1,627	Re: Sassafras Tea, do any of you use it? been years since I have had some! no trees where i have been for a long time! anyone willing to ship me some roots?

10-15-2011, 10:03 PM	#14
BullShoot V.I.P. Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: missouri ozarks Contributor Posts: 445	Re: Sassafras Tea, do any of you use it? I've got plenty here on my little farm. Have any of you ever noticed the weird way the leaves grow?

02-21-2012, 11:53 AM	#15
wrecksrme Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: West Virginia Posts: 2	Re: Sassafras Tea, do any of you use it? Hi everyone. I just joined the forum and found this thread. I live in West Virginia and we use Sassafra tea quite often during the winter months. We harvest the root and found that it tasted better during the winter months as most of the sap is in the root at this time of year yielding more flavor. I also have links to this on my website at and will be posting a new video on the site very soon on how to harvest and make the tea.

02-21-2012, 01:10 PM	#16
The_Rifleman Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Ohio Posts: 872	Re: Sassafras Tea, do any of you use it? That was our favorite tea when we were kids. It was fun to go find the roots. __________________ Debate isn't "uncivil" behavior. Pointing out illogical reasoning is a legitimate counter argument. That is the problem with internet forum mods, they rarely understand what constitutes legitimate, honest and civil debate. They reward the trolls and annoy the people genuinely trying communicate. I don't really like this place anyway, have fun with your power trip. ...nuff said.

02-21-2012, 06:15 PM	#17
FW! V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Auburn Hills, MI Posts: 61	Re: Sassafras Tea, do any of you use it? The house I lived in in 1974 & 5 had the trees in the fence row. As I remember, I used the ends of the branches to make tea.

02-21-2012, 06:38 PM	#18
Bobitis Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 6,612	Re: Sassafras Tea, do any of you use it? No sassafras trees here. Who's up to sending me some roots? __________________ ^.^ A point in every direction is the same as having no point at all

02-21-2012, 07:31 PM	#19
Frogtop V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: NE Tenn Posts: 220	Re: Sassafras Tea, do any of you use it? I also enjoy it hot with sugar. Boil it until you have color and add your sugar. Inhale with each sip.

02-24-2012, 10:48 AM	#21
Frogtop V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: NE Tenn Posts: 220	Re: Sassafras Tea, do any of you use it? Anyone familiar with yopon tea? Made from the leaves of a shrub that grows on the NC outer banks islands. The European settlers learned to drink it from the natives who inhabited the area. My FIL was born and raised in Manteo on Roanoak Island and would talk about the "ol timers" making and drinking it.

02-24-2012, 06:37 PM	#22
Zane71464 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Ohio NRA Member Contributor Posts: 5,350	Re: Sassafras Tea, do any of you use it? Very interesting thread Carver! Before we knew how to make it and didnt do any research on how to do it, we went out and got the bark. Boild it and added some suger and drank it down. (wasnt that bad at all) Plenty of sassafras tree's in this area. __________________ Two Words; "Simple Man", song by Charlie Daniels sums up my thoughts on a "few things"!

02-24-2012, 07:49 PM	#23
BlackEagle Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: UK Posts: 3,161	Re: Sassafras Tea, do any of you use it? Sassafras tea is one of the treats I look forward to when I get over to visit family and friends. I managed to bring back some liquid concentrate called Pappy's; it's a little like the difference between instant coffee and fresh ground coffee, but it still has the flavor. I've been rationing it out. The other treat I look forward to is sorghum.

02-29-2012, 12:00 AM	#24
whymememe Former Guest Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: FEMA Region IV Contributor Posts: 1,445	Re: Sassafras Tea, do any of you use it? Sassafras trees are indigenious to south east Alabama. When I was a boy out in the bush, I ran across them often. I would just break off a twig and chew it, I enjoyed the taste. Some of the family would dig up the roots and make tea. I don't believe it will hurt you. If someone was padding the FDA's pockets like the big pharmaceuticals do, they still would allow it with a little warning.