Makes you think

A simple tale within a tale that gives you a recipe and a bit more....

Sassafras Tonic/Tea  –

Let’s begin by defining some words we use in holistic healthcare.  

Tonic: A tonic is a beverage or medicine that is intended to restore or invigorate the body, often with a refreshing or stimulating effect. A tonic is typically used for a short duration.

Tea: "True tea" specifically refers to beverages made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. This includes varieties like green tea, black tea, and oolong tea. 

Tincture: A tincture is a concentrated extract of a plant or herb, typically made by soaking the herb in alcohol (or another solvent like vinegar). The resulting liquid is potent and is often taken orally, typically using a dropper. 

Tisane: Tisane is another term for herbal tea or herbal infusion. It refers to beverages made by steeping various parts of plants (leaves, roots, flowers, etc.) other than the Camellia sinensis plant in hot water. These are typically caffeine-free. However, these terms for me were learned much later in life.

At the beginning of spring every year my dad and sometimes us kids would go out and search for the sassafras tree.  They were easy to spot when the leaves were on the trees even for me.  But what I wish I would have paid closer attention to was how my dad identified the red root sassafras from the white root sassafras without digging.  Because that knowledge is now not obtainable for me.  He would say the red is more potent than the white.  The white and the red would be gathered though. Looking back, we just needed a small piece of the root to make a quart jar of “tea”.  We never killed any of the trees by taking this small amount.  They had an amazing root system that I know now goes back to the mother tree. 

He would prepare us “sassafras tea” (we called it tea then and I still do) sometimes on the Warm Morning wood stove, as we all silently grumbled in our heads, because there was no talking out loud about it. I remember lining up from oldest to youngest. From my view, the sassafras tea looked like dirt (laughing now). We all received a round of the reddish-brown liquid, about 4 ounces for each of us.  Surprisingly, it did not taste like dirt and was good.  BUT!  I knew the castor oil spoon had to be the size of a ladle for soup, and it tasted worse than dirt!  The Juicy Fruit was just a huge disappointment…Now I want you to know at 5 years old this was simply torture!   Oh!  I can still taste it and I never chewed Juicy Fruit gum again! 

Fast forward to the information age and the medical concern of taking sassafras.  If you do not know about this I’ll give you the abridged. 

The U.S. Food and Administration (FDA) banned the use of safrole and sassafras oil as food additives in 1960 due to these carcinogenic concerns. This ban includes sassafras tea and root beer made with sassafras extract containing safrole. 

I agree this is a concern.  However, a person would have to consume large amounts of sassafras tonic/tea to achieve a toxic amount in the body and sassafras oil is very concentrated and the extract but the tea is not.  This is why I included the terminologies at the beginning of this blog.  Sassafras was never intended for use as a daily beverage like we drink iced tea or herbal tisanes.  It was meant medicinally as a tonic.  To be used for a brief period of time to support cleansing, clearing, and stimulating our bodies.  Here are some benefits:  Sassafras tea, traditionally made from the root bark of the sassafras tree, has been used for centuries for a variety of medicinal purposes, including blood purification, easing digestive issues, and reducing inflammation. 

Native American uses:

• Blood purifier and detoxifier: Native Americans and traditional herbalists used sassafras root decoction for this purpose.

• Spring tonic: Historically, it was used as a spring tonic to purify the blood and cleanse the liver.

• Diuretic: Sassafras tea has been used as a diuretic.

• Digestive aid: It has been used to relieve gas and colic.

• Skin ailments: Sassafras has been considered valuable for skin diseases and eruptions.

• Other traditional uses: Some have used it for kidney, bladder, chest, and throat issues, as well as for colds, fever, arthritis, gout, high blood pressure, stomach aches, and eczema.

I have continued the spring tonic tradition as I can. Even today, I chewed a leaf as I walked through the woods. Interestingly, the sassafras tree has had a blight that took out most all the sassafras trees where I used to live.  I am happy to report in the magical woods in my new location, the sassafras tree thrives. 

I tell you this happy story to let you know two things.  One, there is information that seems to portray a simple tonic as completely toxic, yet that information is not completely true.  A very powerful symbolism is in that statement.  There are still those that can discern the difference.  Two, there is an inherent pull to decide for ourselves what supports our own wellbeing. May we find the courage to choose with love for all sentient beings.

Today, I was reminded how words fail us sometimes. I write in prose often enough because I find myself trying to express a dichotomy that needs to be formed into acceptable understanding. This dual nature rests between Light and Dark and I was also reminded today and we can hold both simultaneously.... Thank you💚

Recipe for Sassafras tea:

1 Tbsp. chopped root or bark of sassafras (click bark for a link to purchase)

8 to 12 oz of water

Steep for 20 minutes

Allow to steep further for more potency

Strain

Enjoy plain or with honey

NOTE: Take as tonic 4oz at a time for no more than 3 days. Take first thing in the morning.

Please feel free to respond to this post I would enjoy your thoughts on this particular tale within a tale...

Tina💜