Condition
Treatment Support
warming diuretic
Application
tea, tincture
Sassafras
(Sassafras albidum)
Also know as Common sassafras
Botanical Information
An aromatic deciduous tree with broad one-to-three lobed leaves, small yellow flowers, small bright blue fruits in the laurel family.
Working with Sassafras
Part(s) Used
Root Bark
Herb Forms
Bulk herb, tincture.
Sassafras is used externally as a wash for poison oak and insect bites. Taken as a tea, sassafras is used as a diaphoretic during colds and flu and is a traditional "blood purifier" taken in the spring as part of a cleansing program. The root bark provides much of the flavor one associates with root beer, and it is used to form an important part of a traditional root beer brew, along with burdock and other cleansing herbs. As a warming diuretic, it is useful for arthritic and rheumatic conditions.
Sassafras has a taste of SPICY and a temperature of WARM.
Cautions
Not for use during pregnancy. Sassafras contains the essential oil ingredient, safrole, which has demonstrated carcinogenic activity in animals–this has provoked the Food and Drug Administration to restrict the trade of the herb. Many herbalists feel t
Conditions treated with Sassafras
Condition
Treatment Support
Application
Condition
Treatment Support
diaphoretic
Application
tea, tincture
Condition
Treatment Support
anti-inflammatory
Application
tea as a wash
Condition
Treatment Support
warming diuretic
Application
tea, tincture
The information given here is designed to help you make informed choices about your health. The information is drawn from numerous sources—both traditional medicine practice, from the clinical experience of many herbalists currently practicing, and supported by decades of scientific research from the author. The research most consulted includes human clinical trials that help to determine the most effective and safe herbs for various needs, the best doses, and types of preparations.
The information offered in this database is not intended as a substitute for any that may have been prescribed by your health practitioner or physician.
