Sassafras

[alforddm]

Here is the HUGE Sassafras tree that is on our fence line (and of course my cute little helper). The rabbits are under it. I think it is really close to the official record for Oklahoma. I really need to measure it all the way around. As you can see my 60" tape is far to short.

The buns absolutely love eating leaves from it. They will pass up other forage items and go straight for the sassafras branches. I've been reading up on it this morning and was excited to find that it has quite a few medicinal values as well. It has been used in the past to

To detoxify
For general health maintenance
To reduce inflammation
To treat mucositis (inflammation of the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat)
To treat rheumatoid arthritis
To treat sprains
To treat syphilis
To treat urinary tract disorders

It also seems that native americans used the leaves right on wounds. I'm thinking a rub of comfrey and sassafras might be really great. Thankfully there is quite a bit of smaller sassafras growing in our area so I don't have to try to dig roots from this particular tree.
The leaves are used to make the file (accented e) in gumbo.

 

[EnglishSpot]

Wow, a granddaddy tree!! In northern Ohio, it seems all the granddaddy trees are targeted and cut down. Mostly the excuse is, "It'll fall on the house." Um. Boo.

Hug that tree for me!! I'm glad it's still here!!

 

[Zass]

Sassafras is delicious.

We harvest and use a small amount of the root bark and powered dried leaves every year.

There is some concern, since concentrated safrole oil has been identified as a carcinogen to rodents in laboratory testing. Something about a substance their digestive tract produces that a human's supposedly does not??

And an internet search pints out to me that the concentrated oil is a part of some kind of illegal drug... Didn't know that. :? I don't think that any normal food consumption of that plant provides any kind of altered states of consciousness.

From what I get, it's much much much safer than say...beer or cigarettes though.
Probably safer than hotdogs or bacon too. But, it's still something one needs to be aware of.


A little bit on the controversy here:

http://eattheplanet.org/archives/1468

 

[alforddm]

Sassafras is delicious.

We harvest and use a small amount of the root bark and powered dried leaves every year.

There is some concern, since concentrated safrole oil has been identified as a carcinogen to rodents in laboratory testing. Something about a substance their digestive tract produces that a human's supposedly does not??

And an internet search pints out to me that the concentrated oil is a part of some kind of illegal drug... Didn't know that. :? I don't think that any normal food consumption of that plant provides any kind of altered states of consciousness.

From what I get, it's much much much safer than say...beer or cigarettes though.
Probably safer than hotdogs or bacon too. But, it's still something one needs to be aware of.


A little bit on the controversy here:

http://eattheplanet.org/archives/1468

Yeah, I got a bit of that while I was google uses for it but I'm not terribly concerned considering all the years it was used for root beer. :lol:

Speaking of root beer...I just got back from finding a young sapling. Going to try homemade root beer...

 

[Zass]

Yeah, I got a bit of that while I was google uses for it but I'm not terribly concerned considering all the years it was used for root beer. :lol:

Speaking of root beer...I just got back from finding a young sapling. Going to try homemade root beer...

The mature trees tend to produce a lot of clone saplings directly from the parent tree's root structure. We like to harvest those, as it's not too difficult for the main tree to shoot up replacement saplings in the same manner.

 

[alforddm]

It was much harder for me to find saplings than I thought it would be. I think that the cow must eat most of them. There are quite a few mature trees but hardly any saplings.