Sassafras, Sassafras albidum, is one of the few
species at where the common name is at least part of the binomial name while
only a few more are direct translations with recognizable roots. Sassafras is also relatively easy to identify
because the alternately arranged leaves have three distinct shapes, simple or
unlobed, mitten shape or one lobed, and two lobed. There is also a distinctive smell to the
crushed leaves. The roots are used to
make sassafras tea, but it is only good if you like licorice, anise, and/or
root beer flavor. The dried and powered
leaves are known as gumbo filé (pronounced FEE-lay and rhymes with fillet)
where it is used as a thickener. I have
a good gumbo recipe, which is modified from the ones I found the first time I
ever searched the internet using gopher, back then there were more recipes for
explosives than gumbo although it could also qualify since one of those
recipes referred to rue as Cajun napalm.
Sassafras tea and specifically sassafras oil, safrole, was found to
cause liver cancer in rats, therefore, even the roots were banned from sale in the
United States and Canada, even though this link to cancer only appears in
rats. Regardless another reason why it
will probably remain banned is it being a precursor to the drug ecstasy. I’m just as surprised as you are by this, thus showing
what I know about the drug culture considering that the most experimentation I
have done, besides tasting chewing tobacco and doing ‘hard stuff’ like cola and
especially chocolate, is with tea made from yaupon, Ilex vomitora.
The