Sassafras: The Important American Tree
From an Indigenous medicine to a European export to a vital ingredient of a popular drink, sassafras has sealed its place in American culture and history.
BRIT Collections
Botanical Research Institute of Texas | Fort Worth Botanic Garden
Plant specimen (2022-08-22) by Douglas GoldmanBRIT Collections
Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) is a North American tree steeped in history and unique qualities. It is found primarily in woodlands throughout the Northeast and Southeast United States and has been an important plant in indigenous and American culture for hundreds of years.
Plant specimen (circa 1671) by Arnoldus MontanusBRIT Collections
Sassafras, a distinctive and attractive tree, was admired by European settlers in the Americas. Here a Sassafras tree is depicted in a fantastical scene of the Americas, which also includes a large Petunia plant, lizards, snakes, and Indigenous peoples.
19th century medical illustration
Sassafras was long touted for its medical benefits. This hand painted engraving shows a sassafras leaf (bottom right), a human stomach, sternum, tarantula, and scorpion.
Sassafras was used by indigenous peoples in North America for both culinary and medicinal purposes. Infusions of different parts of the plant were used to treat many illnesses.
Sassafras leaves were made into poultices to treat injuries such as sprains, bruises, wounds, and insect bites. The name Sassafras comes from the Latin word saxifragus, which means “stone breaker,” probably a reference to its use as a treatment for kidney stones.
Flavorful and useful
Sassafras leaves were used as a herb, in the same way bay leaves are used. They were also ground into a powder to season food. Sassafras roots were used to make tea, and the wood from the tree was used for furniture.
Cajun cuisine
Filè, still a staple in Cajun cuisine today, is made from the ground leaves of sassafras. It's an essential seasoning for gumbo, which comes from the Choctaw word for sassafras, “kombo.”
Growing popularity
Sassafras trees were well-documented in European publications about plants and medicines in North America.
By the 17th Century, Europeans had heard so much about the medicinal values of sassafras that it literally became worth its weight in gold as an export.
17th century trade
Sassafras was a major export commodity throughout England and Europe. At one point was the second-largest export, behind tobacco.
Root tea
Sassafras root was used by indigenous peoples to make an aromatic and pleasant-tasting tea. The root has a strong, distinctive taste, and European settlers referred to it was “root tea.”
Tea to beer
This concoction eventually evolved into what we now call “root beer”. It was reportedly enjoyed by such famous people as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson.
Commercial sassafras success
The reputation of sassafras' medicinal qualities, saw root beer sold in the mid 19th Century as a treatment for many illnesses. The most famous root beer of the time was created by Charles Hires. He supplied root beer syrup, marketed as a health drink, to pharmacies and soda fountains across the USA.
Is sassafras really the medicinal cure-all?
Modern research says 'no'. In fact, in 1960 scientists found that safrole, a chemical compound in the plant, is a carcinogen, and the FDA banned its use in commercial food and drugs. Modern root beer production utilizes artificial flavors or natural extracts with the safrole removed.
Story created by Alyssa Kosyaem, Philecology Herbarium, Botanical Research Institute of Texas and Fort Worth Botanic Garden.
References:
Danilovich, Nio, "The Medicinal Rotos of Root Beer Date Back to Pre-Colonial Times." The Daily Meal, 2023. https://www.thedailymeal.com/1265041/origin-story-root-beer/
Immel, Diana L. "Plant Guide: Sassafras." United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service. USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center. https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/cs_saal5.pdf
Shade, Pam, "Sassafras: Native Gem of North America." Cornell Botanic Gardens, 2022. https://cornellbotanicgardens.org/sassafras-native-gem-of-north-america
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