My boyfriend is clear trees on his property for fencing and some of the trees are sassafras trees. So he's been boiling some sassafras roots and making tea with them. I want to know more about this root. It has a smell of root beer and something else I just can't put my finger on it. Some sort of candy, I think. Help
Yes, you are correct!! It has been used in candy, jelly, sodas, pop corn and more.
www.rootbeerbarrels.com/sassafras.htm www.oryans.com/oldfasahacas.html www.ohioproud.org/ohioproud/recipes/pappy.pdf wildmanstevebrill.com/Web%20Recipes/SassafrasPeanutSauce.html Sassafras roots have a long history of used as a spring tonic and cleanser and was also one of the herbs used in the original root beer that was intended for that purpose:
www.forevermore.net/rants/Food-Rants/Root-Beer-Recipe.html It is also used as a thickening agent in the traditional gumbos of the Deep South. See:
www.richters.com/questions-and-answers/01-19980405-2 I used sassafras root in my practice as part of a hormonal regulation tea blend and as a general alterative as a tincture or tea. It adds a wonderful taste to what are normally bitter medicines.