Herbal Medicine for Preppers: Sassafras

[00:00:00] Hey y'all, welcome to this week's show. I think you're going to find this one particularly interesting. We will be continuing our series on the medicinal uses of trees and this is one kind of depending on where you live. You may think of it more as a shrub but it is actually a tree and it was once one of the most widely used herbs in herbal medicine. In fact, its export to Europe was one of the first

[00:00:30] major industries in the North American colonies. Before really tobacco was being grown commercially, before indigo had been discovered, before rice had been cultivated, America's probably second only to furs. I mean fur trade was really how America was founded. The next biggest export was probably sassafras. In a really interesting book, it's called

[00:01:00] The Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart. You know, a lot of these herbs were used in cocktails, right? And so she does, it's actually a really interesting herb book as well as being a cocktail book. It's really one of my favorites. She mentions that in the 1730s, sassafras was mentioned as being used to promote perspiration,

[00:01:26] to help with thick and viscous humors, to remove obstructions and cure the gout and palsy. Godfrey's Cordial, which was a book written in the 1800s, well, which was actually a formula, I should say, a formula written in the 1800s, was considered a cure-all. It was, yeah, it was a cocktail, but it was like something you would take, basically, for colds and anything else that ail

[00:01:55] you would take. And it included molasses, and laudanum. So opium tincture, it was at least going to make you feel better. That would be one heck of a drink, actually. She says that unfortunately, it's fallen out of use. Well, yeah, that would be one heck of a cocktail. But really, the reason, all sassafras

[00:02:18] has fallen out of use in modern herbal medicine, except in home use, and that's because our government

[00:02:28] has been using, in my opinion, some very flawed reasoning. I guess this was back in the early 70s, mid-70s.

[00:02:37] They did some tests where they essentially gave, if you were to, like, compare this to how much a human

[00:02:47] being would have to take of sassafras tea or something else to the studies they did on mice, just like they

[00:02:53] did with comfrey and a couple other herbs, it would be like an entire swimming pool full of sassafras tea,

[00:02:59] and you'd have to drink it all in one day. So that would kill you any way you look at it. Well, they gave

[00:03:05] essentially that much concentrated sassafras to mice, and it gave the mice cancer, and I frankly think

[00:03:14] that is an absolutely irrelevant, ridiculous study, and a waste of taxpayer dollars, as most things are.

[00:03:25] Before then, sassafras had been used by Native American tribes and settlers and was very,

[00:03:32] very popular in Europe, but they banned it. They took it off the market. You cannot legally buy or sell

[00:03:38] sassafras for use in herbal medicine or beverages anymore, and remember, they were using a highly

[00:03:46] concentrated, really, sassafras oil where we would just be using the natural product as a tea or tincture,

[00:03:53] and I'm sure even today, certainly when I was growing up in the Appalachian Mountains,

[00:03:59] sassafras was considered a spring tonic. They said it would cleanse the blood after a long winter of

[00:04:05] being stuck inside and help you not to catch a cold or get the flu or whatever, and they thought it was

[00:04:12] good for cholesterol and blood pressure and everything, and it is certainly good for the lungs.

[00:04:19] It helps clear out the congestion. They said it would strengthen immunity, and frankly,

[00:04:24] I believe hundreds of years of empirical evidence, a lot more than I believe. I think this was a study

[00:04:32] actually commissioned by the army, and I mean, what's the army doing messing with sassafras? I

[00:04:37] mean, it's just kind of ridiculous, so anyway, going back to historical use of sassafras,

[00:04:44] Miss Grieve in the 1930s wrote that sassafras was aromatic, stimulant, diaphoretic,

[00:04:51] alternative. It is rarely given alone, but often combined with sassafras in chronic rheumatism,

[00:04:58] syphilis, and other diseases. You see, in the 1700s, the main reason it was so popular in England

[00:05:05] was they thought it was a cure for syphilis, and I think they actually used it for gonorrhea as well.

[00:05:11] No idea if it helped or not, but they swore by it, and like I said, this was like one of our biggest

[00:05:17] exports in the 1700s. She said sassafras, which is the oil, is found to be slowly absorbed in the

[00:05:25] alimentary canal, the intestines essentially, escaping through the lungs unaltered and through

[00:05:32] the kidneys oxidized into piperanalic acid. A teaspoonful of the oil, though, will produce

[00:05:39] vomiting, dilated pupils, stupor, and collapse in even a young man. So the oil is very different than

[00:05:47] just taking the root and, well, as my great-grandparents did, just chewing on it and

[00:05:52] using it basically like a toothbrush. But sassafras tea and sassafras used in root beers

[00:05:58] was remarkably popular. Again, combined with sarsaparilla, and we've talked about sarsaparilla

[00:06:04] before, she said it's used as a local applicant. Now this is again the oil for rheumatic pains,

[00:06:12] and has been praised as a dental disinfection. And yes, sassafras used to be a common ingredient

[00:06:18] in toothpaste. The oil has caused abortion in several cases. It will cause a miscarriage.

[00:06:25] Very dangerous. So, I mean, I just say stay away from the oil of the plant and stick with it in its

[00:06:31] natural state. And actually, in its natural state is, about as far as I know, the only way you can

[00:06:38] still buy it legally, and it's because the leaves are what you may know as gumbo filae.

[00:06:45] Well, you'll know it if you've got a Cajun, well, probably Creole too, but definitely Cajun blood

[00:06:51] in you. Or if you're from Louisiana, that's something that folks learn from the Native Americans. You just

[00:06:56] take those leaves and pound them up into a fine powder and use them to thicken soups. It's somewhat

[00:07:02] related to the bay tree and the myrtle, and it has an aromatic good flavor. I use gumbo creole,

[00:07:12] gumbo filae quite a bit. And it's kind of hard for me to get that out because, of course, Hank Williams

[00:07:18] had his famous song, Jambalaya. Son of a gum will have big time on the bayou, right? And he says,

[00:07:28] Jambalaya, crawfish pie, and filae gumbo. Well, it's actually gumbo filae. But if you're in Louisiana,

[00:07:34] you call it gumbo filae or they'll laugh at you. But the rest of it, the rest of us tend to

[00:07:40] mispronounce it as filae gumbo. But it doesn't really matter. You can find it at any grocery store.

[00:07:45] And I highly recommend it. Of course, you can also make it yourself. Fall of the year,

[00:07:50] collect the leaves just as they're starting to dry, not before they really turn red. They're

[00:07:54] beautiful, bright red. Probably even better in the summer. You can collect the green leaves and dry

[00:08:00] them yourself. But, you know, either way is going to work, actually. They have that slightly

[00:08:06] mucilaginous quality and a really good scent. But the root is what we mainly use for herbal medicine.

[00:08:12] Awesome. She said that Dr. Shelby of Huntsville, Alabama stated that it would prevent and remove

[00:08:22] the injurious effects of tobacco. I don't think it really does, probably. But yes, sassafras was often

[00:08:30] combined with smoking tobaccos and chewing tobaccos. It was a very popular flavoring and ingredient.

[00:08:35] And she said a lotion of rose water or distilled water with sassafras pith filtered after standing

[00:08:43] for four hours is recommended for the eyes. Now, sassafras was so widely known that Brother Aloysius,

[00:08:50] a gosh, what was he, Swiss or German? He was Father Nape's protege, but I think he was actually Swiss.

[00:08:59] Anyway, he said that sassafras is a tree that grows in North America. The bark and wood are used

[00:09:07] medicinally and have a stimulating diuretic and diaphoretic properties. So it stimulates appetite,

[00:09:14] essentially. Diuretic means, of course, removes excess fluid and diaphoretic means can help break a fever.

[00:09:20] Sassafras is recommended for catara or congestion, rheumatism and gout, scrofulous skin conditions,

[00:09:26] scurvy and dropsy. And he used a decoction, which was just the root boiled in water, as I would.

[00:09:36] Resources of the Southern Fields and Forests, written by a French botanist hired by the Confederacy in the

[00:09:41] 1860s, said, whilst engaged in active duties as a surgeon to the Holcomb Legion, whenever a soldier

[00:09:52] suffered from measles, pneumonia, bronchitis or cold, his companion or nurse was directed to procure the

[00:09:59] roots and leaves of sassafras. And a tea made with this, a tea was made from this. He said the leaf

[00:10:08] of the tea contained a great deal of mucilage and that gum arabic could be substituted. But anyway,

[00:10:14] that was supposed to help with feverish conditions, essentially. Pneumonia and bronchitis especially.

[00:10:21] But he said, after the conquest made by the Spaniards in Florida, sassafras was used in the

[00:10:27] treatment of syphilis. And this is going back, what, 1500s? Spanish came in, late 1400s, 1500s,

[00:10:34] 1500s in Florida. The warm infusion being applicable in cutaneous or skin diseases.

[00:10:42] The root is employed in the Carolinas with a combination of, I don't even, oh, guiaca.

[00:10:51] Well, we don't even need to worry about that. Or sarsaparilla, which is far more common. And

[00:10:56] sarsaparilla is the root, essentially, that's like a common name for any member of the Aurelia family

[00:11:04] and most members of the Greenbrier family. They have a, all have adaptogenic properties in some

[00:11:11] amount. The, the Aurelia's certainly being stronger, except for the Mexican and South American

[00:11:19] Greenbrier, which is actually the true sarsaparilla.

[00:11:23] They also use the Chinese briar, that's in the Smilax family. So whether you're in either family,

[00:11:31] they're, they're not interchangeable. Like I said, some are stronger than others. We talked about this

[00:11:36] before, but in early America colonial times, they were all used interchangeably and all found to be

[00:11:43] useful and usually brewed into a root beer. He said it was diaphoretic and diuretic, useful in rheumatism.

[00:11:51] Albright speaks highly of it, or Elbert, I guess Elbert speaks highly of it in gout.

[00:12:00] I think we can skip ahead a little bit. Oh, the mucilaginus properties was good for irritation

[00:12:05] of the bowels. Also good as a demulsant or softening agent. Good for the bowels and bladder being more

[00:12:13] efficacious than that of the leaves of, um, oh, Benny, uh, sesame. So yeah, that's, you know,

[00:12:20] sesame seed. Yeah, the leaves actually have a good, um, medicinal use. King's American Dispensatory in

[00:12:27] 1898 still, of course, had it listed as official medicine, which it was well into the 1950s, at least.

[00:12:35] Under actions, medicinal uses, and dosage, uh, sassafras is a warm aromatic stimulant,

[00:12:41] alternative, diaphoretic, and diuretic. It is generally used in combination with other alternatives.

[00:12:47] Alternatives are sort of like how people used to use the word tonic. It means something that kind of

[00:12:52] gradually brings you back to health, or as the old folks used to call it a blood cleanser. Modern herbalists

[00:12:58] don't like that term, blood cleanser. Um, yeah, anyway, um, it, it helped after those long winters

[00:13:06] where you'd been in with wood smoke eating salt pork and, you know, root vegetables. It just kind of

[00:13:11] helped you get ready for spring. Um, let's see. In syphilitic affections, chronic rheumatism,

[00:13:20] scrofula, and many cutaneous eruptions, it is very useful. Stubborn cases also require the aid of

[00:13:27] vapor or spirit of sulfur baths. Um, the mucilage or pith is used as a local application

[00:13:34] in acute ophthalmalia and emulsant drink in disorders of the chest, bowels, kidneys, and bladder.

[00:13:40] The oil in doses from five to 10 drops on sugar, so very, very small amounts. We're not even talking

[00:13:45] more than a quarter teaspoon really. It's used to afford relief in the distressing pain, attending

[00:13:51] menstrual obstructions, and that followed parturition, uh, also used in diseases of the

[00:13:57] kidney and bladder. I have also, this is the Dr. King actually writing this, I have derived some

[00:14:04] benefit from its internal use in gonorrhea and obstinate gleat, uh, five to 10 drops on sugar

[00:14:10] three times a day. Externally as a rubifacient, that means like a liniment, uh, it, that, that oil is,

[00:14:16] you know, somewhat warming to the skin. That's what helps with arthritis and such as that.

[00:14:21] But it is said to check the progress of gangrene, so probably has some, uh, antiseptic properties.

[00:14:28] I would, I would be willing to bet on that actually. An infusion of the bark in hot water

[00:14:33] administered internally and applied externally is reported, reported in an excellent treatment

[00:14:38] for ruis poisoning. What is that? This poison sumac. So another good, uh, use there. Getting up to more

[00:14:45] modern times and, but just before the ban, uh, in 1970s, Rodale's illustrated encyclopedia of herbs

[00:14:52] states, the root bark contains antiseptic constituents. Well, there you have it. They just verified that.

[00:14:58] Making it an effective remedy for skin wounds and sores, it has been recommended for relief from the

[00:15:04] itching of poison ivy and poison oak. Um, just like it said for poison sumac. The gummy core of the branches

[00:15:10] was once used to soothe tired eyes. And getting up to modern use, um, plants for a future states,

[00:15:20] medicinal use of sassafras. Sassafras has a long history of herbal use. It was widely employed by

[00:15:27] many Native American Indian tribes who used it to treat a wide range of complaints, valuing it,

[00:15:33] especially for its tonic effect upon the body or alternative as we would say today.

[00:15:39] It is still commonly used in herbalism as a domestic remedy. The root bark and root pith are

[00:15:45] alternative, anodyne, antiseptic, aromatic, carminative, that means settles and upsets stomach,

[00:15:51] essentially, uh, with gas, especially diaphoretic, diuretic stimulant and vasodilator. It can actually

[00:15:58] dilate blood vessels. A tea made from the root bark is particularly renowned as a spring tonic and

[00:16:05] blood purifier, as well as a household cure for a wide range of ailments such as gastrointestinal

[00:16:12] complaints, colds, kidney ailments, rheumatism, and skin eruptions. The mucilaginous pith from the

[00:16:17] twigs has been used as a poultice or wash for eye ailments. Also taken internally is a tea for the

[00:16:23] chest, liver, and kidney complaints. An essential oil from the root bark is used as an antiseptic in

[00:16:29] dentistry. Um, I don't think it is anymore, but it, it was, and also as an anodyne. The oil contains

[00:16:36] safrol, which is said to have a carcinogenic activity and has been banned from use in American foods,

[00:16:42] though it is less likely to cause cancer than alcohol. Um, yes, that, that is true. One can of

[00:16:50] beer is actually far more carcinogenic than, um, I probably shouldn't say this, but it is my opinion

[00:16:58] that, uh, it's more carcinogenic than, uh, a gallon of, uh, sassafra ST, you know, um, again, just my

[00:17:08] opinion, but that's what the old folks said. And they take those roots and they steep them in, in

[00:17:13] whiskey homemade or otherwise. And that would be a part of their cough syrup with a little, uh,

[00:17:20] wild cherry bark. Uh, it was used for toothaches. It was used for everything. And most of those folks

[00:17:26] I knew lived to be well into their nineties and beyond. So, um, and what's, what's more carcinogenic

[00:17:32] than one can of beer? Well, um, I guess one cigarette or how about a good, a good hamburger?

[00:17:39] You know, that char you get on the outside of a hamburger or grilled food, actually more

[00:17:45] carcinogenic. And we don't really worry about eating hamburgers, do we? I had a nice, uh,

[00:17:50] very good hamburger actually last night, a nice, uh, char on the outside and still red and bloody on the

[00:17:57] inside exactly how I like it. But of course, um, if you believe the government knows best,

[00:18:03] just disregard everything I just said. And if you don't think the government knows best,

[00:18:06] do as you please. Remember my disclaimer at the end of the show. Don't hold me responsible for it.

[00:18:12] You make your own decisions, but I know what I do in large doses. The oil is poisonous,

[00:18:17] causing dilated pupils, vomiting, stupor, collapse, and kidney and liver damage. So yeah, the, the don't,

[00:18:25] I would just say stay away from the oil. I mean, unless you're going to use it topically.

[00:18:30] Um, the oil has been applied externally to control lice and treat insect bites,

[00:18:35] though it can cause skin irritation as it has that warming, um, quality like a liniment.

[00:18:42] Peterson field guide to Eastern Central medicinal plant says root bark tea is a famous spring tonic

[00:18:49] and blood purifier. Also a folk remedy for stomach aches, gout, arthritis, high blood pressure,

[00:18:55] rheumatism, kidney ailments, colds, fevers, skin eruptions. Mucilaginous twig pith has been used

[00:19:02] as a washer polter for eye ailments, but also taken internally in tea for chest, bowel, kidney,

[00:19:09] and liver ailments. Leaves are mucilaginous. Once used, treat stomach aches, widely used as a base

[00:19:15] for soup stocks. That's a gumbo filae. Warning, saffron found in the oil of sassafras is reportedly

[00:19:21] carcinogenic and is banned by the FDA. Yet the saffron in a 12 ounce, yes, actually it says yet

[00:19:29] the saffron in a 12 ounce can of old fashioned root beer is not as carcinogenic as the alcohol

[00:19:35] in a can of beer. So this is something you'll see widely stated in, in herbal medicine.

[00:19:42] And as I said, I believe it to be true. And, um, most of the people who wrote these books,

[00:19:49] uh, had clinical evidence to back that up. So botany in a day states, sassafras is usually a

[00:19:55] small tree found on the edges of forest throughout the east. The bark of the root was the first

[00:20:00] commercial product sent to Europe by the colonists. Its leaves are a key ingredient in gumbo.

[00:20:05] And I do love gumbo. Um, yeah, if you get my book, the omnivore's guide to home cooking,

[00:20:11] I got several good gumbo recipes in there. That's a, you know, that's one of my favorite foods.

[00:20:16] Uh, anyway, uh, the leaves as well, the flowers and droops make a nice tea. Now that's, uh, this plant

[00:20:22] does actually form droops, um, droops, several trees form droops. Uh, a peach, I believe is a

[00:20:30] droop, a pecans, a droop, you know, uh, they, it looks like a little berry or whatever. And, um,

[00:20:37] they're very pretty. They're purple. A lot of people use them, uh, ornamentally with like the red,

[00:20:42] uh, leaves and such to make wreaths and, but it makes a nice tea. I've never used the flowers.

[00:20:48] I can't speak to that. The root is recommended as a tea in traditional medicine to help people

[00:20:54] through transitions between seasons, but also during life changes, such as moving to a new job

[00:21:00] or moving homes. I don't know how, or if that works, but you know, uh, sassafras contains a

[00:21:06] volatile compound called Saffiril, which was shown to be carcinogenic in studies with rats and mice in

[00:21:12] the 1960s, leading to it to be banned by the FDA, uh, banning sassafras as a flavoring or food

[00:21:20] additive. Later research by James Duke debunked the early studies, but the ban is still in effect.

[00:21:27] I guess we'll wrap it up there. Um, you know, right now they are debating a continuing resolution

[00:21:34] in Congress and everybody's all freaked out that the government's going to shut down.

[00:21:39] Um, you know, frankly, having been in and around Washington DC quite a bit in both my

[00:21:45] childhood and professional life, who the heck's going to notice everybody DC is a ghost town

[00:21:53] during Christmas and new year's and Hanukkah and you know, Thanksgiving. I mean, the place is empty.

[00:21:59] There is no, hardly anybody I should say working in those government offices. Um, every essential

[00:22:07] spending, uh, is still going to be in place. Soldiers are going to get paid. Social security checks are

[00:22:14] going to get sent out. The FBI is still going to be investigating Catholics for playing, praying the

[00:22:20] rosary outside of abortion clinics. Uh, everything's going to go on as normal and nobody's going to notice.

[00:22:26] Well, I think this is a really good example. Like if I could talk to Elon Musk or Vivek Ramaswamy,

[00:22:34] I'd say, Hey, look, you know, this is what the government does with their money. They do stupid things.

[00:22:40] And even when they're debunked and shown to be false, they still ban sassafras in as a food additive or, uh,

[00:22:48] an herbal medicine in the United States. Um, you know, not only is it not a bad thing when the

[00:22:56] government shuts down, I mean, Biden's going to try to make it bad. He's, he's even talked about, um,

[00:23:01] sending the TSA home, right? So people won't be able to get their bag, their bags checked and get

[00:23:08] screened as potential terrorists when they get on flights to travel during Christmas. What a nice

[00:23:12] guy he is, right? Um, he doesn't have to do that. Their, their budgets are already in place. They

[00:23:17] would get paid one way or the other, but just like Barack Obama shut down the national monuments

[00:23:22] just to make it hard on people, especially D-Day veterans who are coming to visit, uh, Washington,

[00:23:27] D-C. Biden will probably do something like that. And who knows what else, just so you can get the

[00:23:32] headlines talking about how evil Donald Trump is and all that. No, um, I think this would be a really

[00:23:38] good example of saying, Hey, look, a lot of even going back to the sixties and certainly further back

[00:23:45] than that, a lot of our money has been absolutely wasted by stupid people who want to control our lives.

[00:23:52] And it's time we maybe start, um, cutting those budgets and undoing some of this. So just my

[00:24:00] opinion. That's my soapbox statement for the day. Uh, y'all have a wonderful Christmas. Um, I guess you

[00:24:07] can still order my books from Amazon, probably get them there in time for Christmas. I don't know.

[00:24:12] Obviously it's too late to order my spoons or wood carvings or anything like that. Remember if you

[00:24:17] need a last minute gift, a, uh, subscription to either of my sub stack newsletters, either my

[00:24:22] Judson Carroll master herbalist newsletter or, uh, my Catholic newsletter, the uncensored Catholic,

[00:24:28] um, would be a wonderful gift. And I send you free eBooks. So even if it's like, you know,

[00:24:33] Christmas morning and you realize you forgot somebody, I'll have my computer on or my phone

[00:24:38] turned on. You, um, send somebody a gift subscription. I'm going to send you those eBooks right away.

[00:24:43] I did that last year, helped out a few people who actually needed a last minute gift. And I'll be

[00:24:49] glad to do it again this year. Uh, it, it's a great value. You know, I send you two free eBooks.

[00:24:57] It's about a $20 value for, um, I think the sub stack newsletter is $8 a month. Of course you could

[00:25:02] buy a six month or one year subscription, you know, whatever. Um, but a minimum of eight bucks,

[00:25:07] you can give somebody any of my 15 books and you can probably, whether it's a cookbook or a

[00:25:14] herb book or a religious book, you're going to find something homesteading, uh, prepping. I mean,

[00:25:19] you're going to find something somebody's interested in on that list. And, um, if not, Hey, just keep

[00:25:26] the books for yourself. Give them a subscription and they can enjoy that. And you can enjoy the books

[00:25:31] or heck, I don't care if you both get the books. I'm going to send it to you as a PDF. I can't

[00:25:35] control if you pass it on. And I really don't mind if you do. So have a wonderful Christmas

[00:25:42] and I will talk to you. Um, you know, most likely next Friday. All right. Have a good one.

[00:25:49] The information in this podcast is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or condition.

[00:25:55] Nothing I say or write has been evaluated or approved by the FDA. I'm not a doctor. The U S

[00:26:01] government does not recognize the practice of herbal medicine. And there is no governing body

[00:26:06] regulating herbalists. Therefore, I'm really just a guy who studies herbs. I'm not offering any advice.

[00:26:11] I won't even claim that anything I write or say is accurate or true. I can tell you what herbs have

[00:26:16] been traditionally used for. I can tell you my own experience. And if I believe in herbs, help me,

[00:26:21] I cannot, nor would I tell you to do the same. If you use an herb, anyone recommends you are treating

[00:26:27] yourself. You take full responsibility for your health. Humans are individuals and no two are

[00:26:32] identical. What works for me may not work for you. You may have an allergy, a sensitivity,

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