What happens if you eat sassafras?

Sassafras is no longer considered safe for human consumption, especially when safrole oil is included. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration currently prohibits sassafras bark, oil, and safrole as flavorings or food additives. Among one of the biggest potential pitfalls of sassafras is its reported link with cancer.

Is sassafras oil illegal in the US?

Sassafras oil and safrole have been banned for use as a drug and as flavors and food additives by the FDA because of their carcinogenic potential. However, their use and sale persist throughout the US.

How do you get safrole out of sassafras?

Safrole can be obtained through natural extraction from Sassafras albidum and Ocotea cymbarum. Sassafras oil for example is obtained by steam distillation of the root bark of the sassafras tree. The resulting steam distilled product contains about 90% safrole by weight.

Is sassafras poisonous?

It was also used as a tea. But sassafras tea contains a lot of safrole, the chemical in sassafras that makes it poisonous. One cup of tea made with 2.5 grams of sassafras contains about 200 mg of safrole. This is about 4.5 times the dose that researchers think is poisonous.

Do sassafras leaves contain safrole?

To be clear, the leaves of the sassafras tree do not contain enough safrole to be banned, so filé powder is fine for consumption and sale.

Is safrole a controlled substance?

NOTICE – Safrole and Sassafras Oil are used in the Illicit Manufacture of MDMA. MDMA is a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law.

Is gumbo filé illegal?

Sassafras has been found by the FDA to contain Saffrole, and supposed carcinogenic and so has been banned, this means that gumbo file powder is illegal.

Is it possible to grow a sassafras tree from seed?

Growing Sassafras Tree You can grow the tree from seeds but it will take a lot of time, so it’s better that you purchase a well-grown specimen from a nursery. Transplant it to a location where the tree can get a lot of direct sunlight. Sassafras tree grows well in dry and sandy soil.

Are there any side effects to taking Sassafras?

With side effects that range from allergies to hallucinations and potential issues with cancer attached, sassafras no longer maintains the popularity it did years ago. Still, many enjoy the flavorful addition sassafras presents in teas, candy and other creations.

What are the uses of the sassafras tree?

All parts of the sassafras tree are useful and used for culinary and medicinal purposes. Its leaves and flowers are used in salads and to flavor many other dishes. You can grow the tree from seeds but it will take a lot of time, so it’s better that you purchase a well-grown specimen from a nursery.

How tall does a sassafras tree grow in Kentucky?

Sassafras is common in Kentucky and is one of the first trees to grow in abandoned fields (with the help of visiting birds that love to eat the tree’s fruit). Owensboro, Ky., is home to the national champion, a 78-foot-tall sassafras with a 69-foot spread.