Sassafras

Sassafras is a tree (Sassafras officinale) of the Lauraceae family. It was probably introduced to Europe from Florida.

A toxic oil, safrol, distilled from the root-bark or the fruit is used as a fragrance in perfumes and soaps. The root bark is also used to make tea. A yellow dye is obtained from the wood. The shoots are used to make root beer (formerly alcoholic, but now a soft drink). The leaves are used for thickening sauces and soups, and when dried and ground are known as filè powder, a spice used in the Cajun dish filé gumbo. The pith is used in the US to soothe eye inflammation and ease catarrh. Although sassafras can serve many useful purposes, safrol is now recognized by the USDA as a carcinogen. In large quantities sassafras may act as a hallucinogen.