Sassafras

(Sassafras officinalis)

Also called: Ague tree, Saxifrax, Cinnamon wood.

Description: This is a native of Mexico and also grows from Canada to Florida. It is imported in the form of chips from the bark.

Medicinal uses: Sassafras is often called 'spring medicine' as it purifies the blood and cleanses the entire system. It is valuable in all skin diseases and eruptions.

Part used: The bark of the root.

Directions for use: 1 pint of boiling water should be poured on to 1 oz. of the crushed bark and infused for fifteen minutes. A wineglassful should be taken four or five times daily.

In the southern parts of America, where this tree grows abundantly, the scent perfumes the air for great distances around. Sir Francis Drake first brought the roots of sassafras to this country from America and a tea made from it soon gained wide popularity as a cure for all ills. It was called 'saloop' and was served from many street stalls to English gentlemen who gathered in public to drink this remarkable new health brew!