Sassafras tree

Sassafras is a plant whose root bark is used to make medicine.

Despite serious safety concerns, sassafras is used for urinary tract disorders, swelling of the nose and throat, syphilis, bronchitis, high blood pressure in the elderly, gout, arthritis, skin problems and cancer. Sassafras is also used as a tonic and as a "blood purifier". Some people apply sassafras directly to the skin to treat skin problems, rheumatic joint pain, swollen eyes, sprains and insect bites. Sassafras oil is applied to the skin to kill bacteria and head lice. Sassafras was formerly used as a flavoring for root beer and as a tea. However, sassafras tea contains a lot of safrole, the chemical that makes sassafras poisonous. A cup of tea made from 2.5 grams of sassafras contains about 200 mg safrole. This corresponds to a dose of about 3 mg safrole per kilogram of body weight, which is about 4.5 times the amount that scientists consider toxic.

How does sassafras work?

There is not enough information available to say how sassafras might work as a medicine.

How effective is sassafras?

There is not enough scientific data to say how effective sassafras is for urinary tract problems, gout, arthritis, skin problems, swollen eyes, sprains and insect bites, and for use in cleansing the blood.

Further scientific research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of sassafras in these applications.

Safety and side effects

Sassafras appears to be safe and harmless in food and drink when it is free from safrole.

However, when used as a medicine, sassafras is not safe and harmless. Sassafras should not be ingested or applied to the skin. The safrole contained in sassafras root bark and oil can cause cancer and liver damage. Consuming 5 ml of sassafras oil can kill an adult. Even safrole-free sassafras used in medicinal quantities has been linked to tumors.

Sassafras can cause sweating and hot flashes. Large amounts can cause vomiting, high blood pressure, hallucinations and other serious side effects. When used on the skin, sassafras causes skin rashes.

Precautions and warnings

Sassafras is not safe for anyone to consume in medicinal quantities, but it is particularly dangerous for some groups of people:

Pregnancy and breastfeeding: one should not use sassafras during pregnancy. There are indications that sassafras could cause miscarriages.

Children: Sassafras is not safe and harmless for children. Just a few drops of sassafras oil can be fatal for children.

Surgeries: In medicinal amounts, sassafras can slow down the function of the central nervous system. There are concerns that sassafras may reduce central nervous system function too much when sassafras is combined with anesthetics or other medications used during or after surgery. For this reason, the use of Sassafras should be discontinued at least 2 weeks before upcoming operations.

Diseases of the urinary tract: Sassafras could aggravate these diseases.

Interactions

Care should be taken when combining Sassafras with the following medications:

Sedatives (barbiturates and CNS suppressive agents).

Sassafras can cause drowsiness and dizziness. Medications that cause drowsiness are referred to as sassafras. Taking lavender in combination with sedatives could increase drowsiness too much

Dosage

An appropriate dosage of sassafras depends on various factors such as age, state of health and others. At this time, there is insufficient scientific data to determine appropriate dosage ranges for sassafras. For this reason, you should follow the dosage instructions on the label and/or consult a doctor or pharmacist before use.