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Plants

Sassafras albidum

Sassafras

a perennial woody deciduous member of the Sassafras genus in the family Lauraceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Lauraceae
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Height
25 m
Spread
15 m
Fertility
self sterile
Flower type
dioecious

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The extracted essential oil is poisonous in large quantities[25][7]. The essential il contains safrole which is known to be carcinogenic and potentially harmful to the liver[24]. The essential oil has been banned as a food flavouring in America, even though the potential toxicity is lower than that of alcohol[18].

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Leaves - raw or cooked. The young leaves can be added to salads whilst both old and young leaves can be used as a flavouring and as a thickening agent in soups etc[13][14][28][31][33][2][12]. They have a mild aromatic flavour[K]. The leaves are often dried and ground into powder for later use[33][6][12]. The young shoots have been used to make a kind of beer[25]. The dried root bark can be boiled with sugar and water until it forms a thick paste[12]. It is then used as a condiment[12]. The root and the berries can also be used as flavourings[28][5]. Winter buds and young leaves - raw[31][12]. A tea is made from the root bark, it is considered to be a tonic[11][14][28][31]. The tea can also be made by brewing the root in maple syrup, this can be concentrated into a jelly[12]. A tea can also be made from the leaves and the roots. It is best in spring. A tea can be made from the flowers[13].

Product or use
Condiment
Product or use
Tea
Plant part
Leaves

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Sassafras has a long history of herbal use. It was widely employed by many native North American Indian tribes who used it to treat a wide range of complaints, valuing it especially for its tonic effect upon the body[23]. It is still commonly used in herbalism and as a domestic remedy. The root bark and root pith are alterative, anodyne, antiseptic, aromatic, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic, stimulant and vasodilator[25][16][27][7]. A tea made from the root bark is particularly renowned as a spring tonic and blood purifier as well as a household cure for a wide range of ailments such as gastrointestinal complaints, colds, kidney ailments, rheumatism and skin eruptions[18][21][23]. The mucilaginous pith from the twigs has been used as a poultice or wash for eye ailments and is also taken internally as a tea for chest, liver and kidney complaints[18]. An essential oil from the root bark is used as an antiseptic in dentistry and also as an anodyne[17]. The oil contains safrole, which is said to have carcinogenic activity and has been banned from use in American foods - though it is less likely to cause cancer than alcohol[18]. In large doses the oil is poisonous, causing dilated pupils, vomiting, stupor, collapse and kidney and liver damage[25][21]. The oil has been applied externally to control lice and treat insect bites, though it can cause skin irritation[21].

Product or use
Alterative
Product or use
Anodyne
Product or use
Antiseptic
Product or use
Aromatic
Product or use
Carminative
Product or use
Diaphoretic
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Stimulant
Product or use
Vasodilator

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

An essential oil is obtained from the bark of the root[30] and also from the fruits[25]. One hundred kilos of root chips yield one litre of essential oil under steam pressure - this oil comprises about 90% safrol[22]. The oil is medicinal and is also used in soaps, the coarser kinds of perfumery, toothpastes, soft drinks etc[25][27][29][33]. It is also used as an antiseptic in dentistry[30]. A yellow dye is obtained from the wood and the bark[25][9]. It is brown to orange[9]. The plant repels mosquitoes and other insects[11][14]. Wood - coarse-grained, soft, weak, fragrant, brittle, very durable in the soil. It weighs 31lb per cubic foot and is used for fence posts and items requiring lightness[27][33][10][19].

Product or use
Dye
Product or use
Essential
Product or use
Repellent
Product or use
Wood

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Canopy, Secondary canopy

Environment

Range
Eastern N. America - Maine to Ontario, south to Florida and Texas.
Habitat
Deciduous woodlands and thickets on rich sandy well-drained soils[26][31][6][7]. Found on moist soils[33].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - best sown as soon as ripe in a cold frame[15]. Stored seed requires 4 months cold stratification at 4°c[4]. It is best sown as early in the year as possible. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as possible and grow them on in the greenhouse. One report says to harden off the plants as soon as possible[32], but young plants are frost-tender[3] and so we recommend growing them on in the greenhouse for their first winter and then planting them out in early summer. Give the young trees some protection for at least their first winter outdoors[K]. Root cuttings, taken from suckers, 1 - 2cm long taken in December. Plant horizontally in pots in a greenhouse[32]. Suckers in late winter. Plant straight out into their permanent positions[15].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Requires a deep, fertile, well-drained, lime-free, near neutral soil in sun or light shade[3][15]. Does well in a woodland garden[8], especially in a sheltered position along the edge[15]. The plant is tender when young, the young shoots of older trees can also be damaged by late spring frosts[3][21]. A very ornamental plant[1] with a wide range of uses, it is occasionally cultivated and often gathered from the wild[30]. All parts of the tree contain essential oils and give off a pleasant spicy aroma when crushed[20]. The stem bark is highly aromatic, more so than the wood. The root stem bark is the most pleasant of all[22]. The flowers have a spicy perfume[22]. Trees are long-lived, moderately fast-growing and disease-free in the wild[19][20]. They can begin flowering when only 10 years old and good seed crops are usually produced every 2 - 3 years[20]. The trees spread by root suckers and can form thickets[20]. Although some flowers appear to be hermaphrodite, they are functionally either male or female and most trees are dioecious[20]. Both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

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  2. Kavasch. B. Native Harvests. Vintage Books 1979-00-00 ISBN 0-394-72811-4

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  3. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  4. Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0942375009

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  5. Brouk. B. Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-12-136450-x

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  6. McPherson. A. and S. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-253-28925-4

    ↩1↩2

  7. Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.

    ↩1↩2↩3

  8. Taylor. J. The Milder Garden. Dent 1990-00-00

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  9. Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. 1974-00-00 ISBN 0-02-544950-8

    ↩1↩2

  10. Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952-00-00

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  11. Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  12. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  13. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩1↩2

  14. Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978-00-00 ISBN 0-88266-064-0

    ↩1↩2↩3

  15. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  16. Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983-00-00 ISBN 0-553-23827-2

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  17. Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980-00-00 ISBN 0-449-90589-6

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  18. Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0395467225

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  19. Vines. R.A. Trees of North Texas University of Texas Press. 1982-00-00 ISBN 0292780206

    ↩1↩2

  20. Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980-00-00 ISBN 0442238622

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  21. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  22. Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8

    ↩1↩2↩3

  23. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2

  24. Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas Botanical Research Institute, Texas. 1999-00-00 http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm

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  25. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7

  26. Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00

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  27. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  28. Harris. B. C. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health 1973-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  29. Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.

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  30. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩1↩2↩3

  31. Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982-00-00 ISBN 0442222009

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  32. Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  33. Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20278-X

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

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