How to Make Sassafras Tea

Reviewed by Jennifer Levasseur

Last Updated: July 2, 2024 Approved

Root beer gets its name from the oil extracted from the root of the sassafras tree. If you live in a region where this tree grows in the wild, you may be able to make your own drink from this same plant. Here is how to make sassafras tea.

Ingredients

Sassafras roots, dried
Water
Sugar

Steps

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It has been estimated that one cup of strong sassafras tea could contain as much as 200 mg [milligrams] of safrole, more than four times the minimal amount believed hazardous to humans if consumed on a regular basis".^{[1]
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Research source} Aromatic oil derived from the sassafras root bark was formerly much utilized in flavoring confections, soft drinks, and pharmaceutical products.^{[2]
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Trustworthy Source

PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health

Go to source} Such use was banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1960 after safrole was found to be hepatocarcinogenic (liver-cancer-causing) in the rat.^{[3]
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Research source}
It is found in cool damp shady areas in the southern United States. It is a thin tree, usually with few limbs, and leaves that have three unequal lobes opposite the leaf stem. When the sap is down (the tree is dormant for winter), the bark and roots have a distinctive root beer odor when scraped.^{[4]
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Tress-passing and removing trees, or anything else from private property is a criminal offense.
Keep them in a cool, dry place during the drying time to prevent them from rotting.
The bark is where the tree stores its sap during the dormant, winter months. Store these strips of root skin in airtight containers like zipper freezer bags until ready to use.
Boil about 2 to 4 ounces of this bark in a quart of water for twenty minutes or so and then allow it to steep until it cools.^{[5]
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Question

Can I use the sticks, twigs or leaves to make sassafras tea?

Community Answer

Not the leaves, but in high summer when the sap is running, small twigs can be used. It's stronger, though, and you need about three times the water as shown above.

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Question

Where can I find sassafras tea in the store?

Community Answer

On the tea aisle. It's usually pre-made and bottled.

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Question

What is the best time of year to dig up roots?

Community Answer

The late fall or early winter, after the leaves have changed color, but before the stored sugar is used by the tree.

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Tips

Keep the pot used to boil the roots loosely covered to prevent the sap from evaporating out while boiling, and maintain only sufficient heat to simmer the root material.

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Sassafras trees commonly grow in the edges of fields and clearings, and are considered a nuisance by many farmers, so you may be able to simply ask for permission to harvest them from these areas.

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Because sassafras trees are usually thin and fairly straight, the trunk of trees you remove are suitable for making walking sticks.

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Warnings

Sassafras is a blood-thinner (AKA: A Detoxification Agent for the Body) Use in small amounts. Make your blood too thin and it will come through the skin. Ask an old farmer and he'll tell you how much.

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Sassafras contains agents that are known to cause liver damage and cancer according to FDA of the USA.

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Do not eat the small, white berries of the sassafras tree. Use any herbal ingredients with caution, as their toxicity may be unknown.

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Never remove any plant growing on state or national parks, or any other property without permission.

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