Sassafras
\n| Sassafras |
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\n| '[[Scientific
classification]] |
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| Species''' |
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\n| Sassafras officinale |
Sassafras is a tree or shrub (
Sassafras officinale) of the
Lauraceae family. It was probably introduced to Europe from
Florida.
A toxic oil, safrol, distilled from the root-bark or the fruit is used as a fragrance in
perfumes and
soaps. The root bark is also used to make tea. A yellow dye is obtained from the wood. The shoots are used to make
root beer (formerly
alcoholic, but now a
soft drink). The leaves are used for thickening sauces and soups, and when dried and ground are known as
filé powder, a spice used in
Cajun,
Creole, and other
Louisiana cooking, such as the dish
filé gumbo. The pith is used in the
US to soothe eye inflammation and ease catarrh. Although sassafras can serve many useful purposes, safrol is now recognized by the
USDA as a
carcinogen. In large quantities sassafras may act as a hallucinogen.
Sassafras is unusual in having three distinct leaf patterns on the same plant.
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- Sassafras, Victoria is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
\nCategory:Herbs
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