{"id":5503,"date":"2019-02-05T09:42:01","date_gmt":"2019-02-05T15:42:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/?p=5503"},"modified":"2019-02-05T10:12:10","modified_gmt":"2019-02-05T16:12:10","slug":"sassafras-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/2019\/02\/05\/sassafras-9\/","title":{"rendered":"Sassafras"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Sassafras<\/h1>\n

by Joshua Heston<\/strong><\/p>\n

The sassafras tree is fragrant \u2014 reminiscent of lemon \u2014 when its branches or leaves are crushed. There are no sassafras species outside of North America and its common (and Latin) names are derived from a Native American word for the tree.<\/p>\n

A generation ago, sassafras was regularly used as a spring tonic. The roots were dug in the spring, peeled, and brewed to make a strong, slightly pink tea. The tea was also used to stain Easter eggs.<\/p>\n

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Recently, sassafras tea has been denounced as dangerous.<\/p>\n

The large, often mitten-shaped leaves \u2014 dried and powdered \u2014 are used as fil\u00e8 in Creole cooking. The tree\u2019s shape is graceful, though not particularly tall, closely resembling that of the mango.<\/p>\n

Sassafras wood is dense and colorful \u2014 a popular choice for many carvers and mandolin makers. By mid-September, falling night temperatures cause sassafras leaves to turn brilliant shades of orange and yellow, making it one of the most colorful tree species of the autumn\u2019s Ozarks.<\/p>\n

Originally published May 28, 2009<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Sassafras (Sassafras albidum<\/em>)<\/h2>\n

Size: 30 to 40 feet tall; leaves 3 to 5 inches long. What to look for: leaves oval, 3-lobed, or mitten-shaped; twigs bright green, aromatic when crushed, fruits blue, berrylike; stump and roots sprout readily. Habitat:well-drained old fields and woods; often in hedgerows.<\/p>\n

\u2014 page 299, Wernett, Susan J., et al. North American Wildlife<\/em>. The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc., 1986.<\/p>\n

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From The Herbal Compendium:<\/h2>\n

Sassafras. Sassafras albidum (S. officinale).
\nBark: Vermifuge. Cathartic.
\nBark and Bark of the Root: Diuretic. Aromatic. Stimulant. Alterative. Diaphoretic. Stomachic. Aperient. Tonic.
\nPith: Demulcent. Mucilaginous.
\nValuable in scrofula and eruptive diseases, as as a flavor. The pith was used as an eyewash in ophthalmia, and as a drink in disorders of the chest, bowels, kidneys, and bladder. Useful as a spring tonic when made into a tea.
\n\u201cGrows in the U.S. and Can. Every part of the tree has a pleasant fragrance and an aromatic taste. Apr. June.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 page 172, Shaker Medicinal Herbs: A Compendium of History, Lore and Uses<\/em> by Amy Bess Miller<\/p>\n

[A word of safety: folk remedies on StateoftheOzarks are published for informational purposes only. These remedies are never intended to cure, treat or mitigate any disease or disease condition. For questions about disease or disease conditions, consult a qualified healthcare professional.]<\/strong><\/p>\n

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A WORD FROM THE ROOT DIGGER:<\/h2>\n

Sassafras. Was used as a spring tonic to thin the blood. It was also used as [a] delightful drink.<\/p>\n

\u2014 page 2, Chick Allen and Evelyn Fullerton, Ozark Root Digger<\/em>, 1974.<\/p>\n

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All photo credits: J. Heston. SOTO \u00a9 Archive. 10\/19\/05<\/h1>\n

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Sassafras by Joshua Heston The sassafras tree is fragrant \u2014 reminiscent of lemon \u2014 when its branches or leaves are crushed. There are no sassafras species outside of North America and its common (and Latin) names are derived from a Native American word for the tree. A generation ago, sassafras was regularly used as…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5495,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[582,581],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sotoarchive","category-sotofeature","category-582","category-581","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5503"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5503\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5520,"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5503\/revisions\/5520"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}