The Prepper Broadcasting Network - Herbal Medicine for Preppers: Sassafras

Starting point is 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 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.

Starting point is 00:00:58 There's a really interesting book. It's called The Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart. You know, a lot of these herbs were used in cocktails, right? And so she does, it's called 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 the sassafras was mentioned as being used to promote perspiration to help with thick and viscous humors, so congestion, 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,

Starting point is 00:01:50 but it was like something you would take basically for colds and anything else that ailed you. And it included molasses, sassafras oil, and laudanum, so opium tincture. It was at least going to make you feel better. That would be one heck of a drink actually uh she says that unfortunately it's fallen out of use well and uh yeah that would be one heck of a cocktail but um really the reason all sassafras um has fallen out of use in

Starting point is 00:02:20 modern herbal medicine except in home use and that's because our government has been using in my opinion some very flawed reasoning I guess this was back in the early 70s mid 70s they did some tests where they essentially gave if you were to like compare this to how much a human being would have to take of sassafras tea or something else to the studies they did on mice just like they did with comfrey and a couple other herbs it would be like an entire swimming pool full of sassafras tea and you'd have to drink it all in one day so So that would kill you any way you look at it. Well, they gave up essentially that much concentrated sassafras to mice and it gave the mice cancer.

Starting point is 00:03:12 And I frankly think that is an absolutely irrelevant, ridiculous study and a waste of taxpayer dollars as most things are. study and a waste of taxpayer dollars as most things are. Before then, sassafras had been used by Native American tribes and settlers and was very, very popular in Europe. But they banned it. They took it off the market. You cannot legally buy or sell sassafras for use in herbal medicine or beverages anymore. And remember they were using a highly concentrated really sassafras oil where we would just be using the natural product as a tea or tincture. And I'm sure even today certainly when I was growing up in the Appalachian Mountains sassafras was considered a spring tonic.

Starting point is 00:04:01 They said it would cleanse the blood after a long winter of being stuck inside and help you not to catch a cold or get the flu or whatever. And they thought it was good for cholesterol and blood pressure and everything. And it is certainly good for the lungs. It helps clear out the congestion. They said it would strengthen immunity. And frankly, I believe hundreds of years of empirical evidence, a lot more than I believe. I think this was a study actually commissioned by the army. And I mean, what's the army doing messing with sassafras? I mean, it's just kind of ridiculous. So anyway, going back to historical use of sassafras, Ms. Greve in the 1930s wrote that sassafras was aromatic, stimulant, diaphoretic, alternative.

Starting point is 00:04:52 It is rarely given alone, but often combined with sarsaparilla in chronic rheumatism, syphilis, and other diseases. You see, in the 1700s, the main reason it was so popular in England was they thought it was a cure for syphilis. I think they actually used it for gonorrhea as well. No idea if it helped or not, but they swore by it. And like I said, this was like one of our biggest exports in the 1700s. She said, The saphral, which is the oil, is found to be slowly absorbed in the alimentary canal,

Starting point is 00:05:27 the intestines essentially, escaping through the lungs unaltered and through the kidneys oxidized into piperanalic acid. A teaspoonful of the oil, though, will produce vomiting, dilated pupils, stupor, and collapse in even a young man so the oil is very different than just taking the root and well as my great-grandparents did just chewing on it and using it basically like a toothbrush but uh sassafras tea and sassafras used in root beers was remarkably popular uh again combined with sarsaparilla and we've talked about sarsaparilla before it she said it's used as a local applicant now this is again the oil for rheumatic pains and has been praised as a dental disinfection and yes sassafras used to be a common ingredient in

Starting point is 00:06:19 toothpaste the oil has caused abortion in several cases. It will cause a miscarriage. Very dangerous. I just say stay away from the oil of the plant and stick with it in its natural state. Actually, in its natural state, about as far as I know, the only way you can still buy it legally is because the leaves are what you may know as gumbo filet. Well, you'll know it if you've got any Cajun, well, probably Creole too, but definitely Cajun blood in you, or if you're from Louisiana, that's something that folks learn from the Native Americans. You just take those leaves and pound them up into a fine powder and use them to thicken soups. It's somewhat related to the bay tree and the myrtle

Starting point is 00:07:06 and uh it has an aromatic good flavor uh i i use gumbo creole gumbo filet quite a bit and uh it's kind of hard for me to get that out because of course hank williams had his uh famous song um uh jambalaya son of a gun will have big time on the bayou right and he says jambalaya crawfish pie and filet gumbo well it's actually gumbo filet but if you're in Louisiana you call it gumbo filet or they'll laugh at you but the rest of it rest of us tend to mispronounce it as filet gumbo but it doesn't really matter. You can find it at any grocery store, and I highly recommend it. Of course, you can also make it yourself. Fall of the year, collect the leaves just as they're starting to dry, not before they really turn red. They're

Starting point is 00:07:54 beautiful bright red. Probably even better in the summer. You can collect the green leaves and dry them yourself, but you know, either way is going to work, actually. They have that slightly mucilaginous quality and a really good scent, but the root is what we mainly use for herbal medicine. She said that Dr. Shelby of Huntsville, Alabama, stated that it would prevent and remove the injurious effects of tobacco. I don't think it really does, probably, but yes, sassafras was often combined with smoking tobaccos and chewing tobaccos. It was a very popular flavoring and ingredient. And she said a lotion of rose water or distilled water with sassafras pith filtered after standing for four hours, it's recommended for the eyes. Now, sassafras was so widely known that Brother Aloysius, a, gosh, what was he, Swiss or German?

Starting point is 00:08:54 He was Father Nape's protege, but I think he was actually Swiss. Anyway, he said that sassafras is a tree that grows in North America. Anyway, he said that sassafras is a tree that grows in North America. The bark and wood are used medicinally and have stimulating diuretic and diaphoretic properties. So it stimulates appetite, essentially. Diuretic means, of course, removes excess fluid. And diaphoretic means it can help us break a fever. Sassafras is recommended for cataract or congestion, rheumatism and gout, scrofulous skin conditions, scurvy and dropsy.

Starting point is 00:09:34 And he used a decoction, which was just the root boiled in water, as I would. Resources of the Southern Fields and Forests, written by a French botanist hired by the Confederacy in the 1860s, said, whilst engaged in active duties as a surgeon to the Holcomb Legion, whenever a soldier suffered from measles, pneumonia, bronchitis, or cold, his companion or nurse was directed to procure the roots and leaves of sassafras, and a tea was made from this he said the leaf of the tea contained a great deal of mucilage and that gum arabic could be substituted but anyway that was supposed to help with feverish conditions essentially pneumonia and bronchitis especially but he said after the

Starting point is 00:10:23 conquests made by the Spaniards in Florida, sassafras was used in the treatment of syphilis. And this is going back, what, 1500s? Spanish came in late 1400s, 1500s in Florida. The warm infusion being applicable in cutaneous or skin diseases. The root is employed in the Carolinas with a combination of guiaca or sarsaparilla which is far more common. Sarsaparilla is the root essentially that's like a common name for any member of the Aurelia family and most members of the Greenbrier family.

Starting point is 00:11:07 They all have adaptogenic properties in some amount. The Aurelias certainly being stronger, except for the Mexican and South American Greenbrier, which is actually the true sarsaparilla. They also use the Chinese briar that's in the Smilax family. So whether you're in either family, they're not interchangeable. Like I said, some are stronger than others. We talked about this before, but in early America colonial times, they were all used interchangeably and all found to be useful and usually brewed into a root beer he said it was diaphoretic and diuretic useful in rheumatism Albright speaks highly of it or Albert I guess Albert speaks

Starting point is 00:11:56 highly of it in gout I think we can skip ahead a little bit oh the mucilaginous properties was good for irritation of the bowels. Also good as a demulsant or softening agent. Good for the bowels and bladder being more efficacious than that of the leaves of, oh, Benny, sesame. So yeah, that's, you know, sesame seed. Yeah, the leaves actually have a good medicinal use. King's American Dispensatory in 1898 still, of course, had it listed as official medicine,

Starting point is 00:12:31 which it was well into the 1950s at least. Under Actions, Medicinal Uses, and Doses, sassafras is a warm aromatic stimulant, alternative, diaphoretic, and diuretic. It is generally used in combination with other alternatives. Alternatives are sort of like how people used to use the word tonic. It means something that kind of gradually brings you back to health, or as the old folks used to call it, a blood cleanser. Modern herbalists don't like that term, blood cleanser. Yeah, anyway, it helped after those long winters where you'd been in with wood smoke

Starting point is 00:13:07 eating salt pork and you know root vegetables it just kind of helped you get ready for spring um let's see in syphilitic affections chronic rheumatism scrofula and many cutaneous eruptions it is very useful stubborn stubborn cases also require the aid of vapor or spirit of sulfur baths the mucilage or pith is used as a local application in acute ophthalmology and emulsant drink in disorders of the chest bowels kidneys and bladder the oil and doses from five to ten drops on sugar so very very amounts, we're not even talking more than a quarter teaspoon really, is used to afford relief in the distressing pain attending menstrual obstructions and that follow parturition, also used in diseases of the kidney and bladder. This is Dr. King actually writing this. I have derived some benefit from its internal use in gonorrhea and obstinate glee.

Starting point is 00:14:11 Five to ten drops on sugar three times a day. Externally as a rubefacient, that means like a liniment. That oil is somewhat warming to the skin. That's what helps with arthritis and such as that. It is said to check the progress of gangrene. So probably has some antiseptic properties. I would be willing to bet on that actually an infusion of the bark and hot water administered internally and applied externally is reported reported an excellent treatment for Ruiz poisoning

Starting point is 00:14:40 what is that this poison sumac so another good useac Getting up to more modern times, but just before the ban, Rodale's illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs states, The root bark contains antiseptic constituents. Making it an effective remedy for skin wounds and sores, it has been recommended for relief from the itching of poison ivy and poison oak, just like it said for poison sumac. The gummy core of the branches was once used to soothe tired eyes. And getting up to modern use, plants for a future states medicinal use of sassafras. Sassafras has a long history of herbal use. It was widely employed by many Native American Indian tribes who used it to treat a wide range of complaints, valuing it especially for its tonic effect upon the body, or alternative as we would say today.

Starting point is 00:15:39 It is still commonly used in herbalism as a domestic remedy. The root bark and root pith are alternative, anodyne, antiseptic, aromatic, carminative, that means settles an upset stomach essentially, with gas especially, diaphoretic, diuretic, stimulant, and vasodilator can actually dilate blood vessels. A tea made from the root bark is particularly renowned as a spring tonic and blood purifier, as well as a household cure for a wide range of ailments such as gastrointestinal complaints, colds, kidney ailments, rheumatism, and skin eruptions. The mucilaginous pith from the twigs has been used as a poultice or wash for eye ailments. Also taken internally is a tea for the chest, liver, and kidney complaints. An

Starting point is 00:16:26 essential oil from the root bark is used as an antiseptic in dentistry. I don't think it is anymore, but it was. And also as an anodyne. The oil contains saffron, which is said to have a carcinogenic activity and has been banned from use in American foods, though it is less likely to cause cancer than alcohol. Yes, that is true. One can of beer is actually far more carcinogenic than, I probably shouldn't say this, but it is my opinion that it's more carcinogenic than a gallon of Sest for ST. Again, just my opinion, but that's what the old folks said.

Starting point is 00:17:10 And they take those roots and they steep them in whiskey, homemade or otherwise. And that would be part of their cough syrup with a little wild cherry bark. It was used for toothaches. It was used for everything, and most of those folks I knew lived to be well into their 90s and beyond. And what's more carcinogenic than one can of beer? Well, I guess one cigarette, or how about a good hamburger? You know, that char you get on the outside of a hamburger or grilled food?

Starting point is 00:17:43 Actually more carcinogenic. And we don't really worry about eating hamburgers, do we? I had a nice, very good hamburger actually last night. A nice char on the outside and still red and bloody on the inside. Exactly how I like it. But of course, if you believe the government knows best, just disregard everything I just said. If you don't think the government knows best, do as you please. Remember my disclaimer at the end of the show.

Starting point is 00:18:10 Don't hold me responsible for it. You make your own decisions, but I know what I do. In large doses, the oil is poisonous, causing dilated pupils, vomiting, stupor, collapse, and kidney and liver damage. So, yeah, I would just say stay away from the oil i mean unless you're going to use it topically the oil has been applied externally to control lice and treat insect bites though it can cause skin irritation as it is that warming quality like a liniment peterson field guide to Eastern Central Medicinal Plants says root bark tea is a famous spring tonic and blood purifier. Also a folk remedy for stomach aches, gout,

Starting point is 00:18:53 arthritis, high blood pressure, rheumatism, kidney ailments, colds, fevers, skin eruptions. Mucilaginous twig pith has been used as a washer poultice for eye ailments but also taken internally in tea for chest bowel kidney and liver ailments leaves are mucilaginous once used treat stomach aches widely used as a base for soup stocks that's gumbo filet warning saffron found in the oil sassafras is reportedly carcinogenic and is banned by the FDA. Yet the saffron in a 12-ounce can of old-fashioned root beer is not as carcinogenic as the alcohol in a can of beer. So this is something you'll see widely stated in herbal medicine. And as I said, I believe it to be true.

Starting point is 00:19:49 in herbal medicine. And as I said, I believe it to be true. And most of the people who wrote these books had clinical evidence to back that up. So Botany in a Day states, sassafras is usually a small tree found on the edges of forests throughout the east. The bark of the root was the first commercial product sent to Europe by the colonists. Its leaves are a key ingredient in gumbo. And I do love gumbo. Yeah, if you get my book, The Omnivore's Guide to Home Cooking, I got several good gumbo recipes in there. That's one of my favorite foods. Anyway, the leaves as well, the flowers and drupes make a nice tea.

Starting point is 00:20:21 Now, this plant does actually form drupes. Drupes, several actually form drupes. Several trees form drupes. A peach, I believe, is a drupe. A pecan is a drupe. It looks like a little berry or whatever, and they're very pretty. They're purple. A lot of people use them ornamentally with the red leaves and such to make wreaths and but it makes a a nice tea i've never used the flowers i can't speak to that the root is recommended as a tea in traditional medicine to help people through transitions between seasons but also during life changes such as moving to a new job or moving homes i don't know how or if that works but you know job or moving homes. Sassafras contains a volatile compound called saffrol, which was shown to be carcinogenic,

Starting point is 00:21:10 in studies with rats and mice in the 1960s, leading to it being banned by the FDA, banning sassafras as a flavoring or food additive. Later research by James Duke debunked the early studies, but the ban is still in effect. I guess we'll wrap it up there. You know, right now they are debating a continuing resolution in Congress and everybody's all freaked out that the government's going to shut down. You know, frankly, having been in and around Washington, D.C. quite a bit in both my childhood and professional life, who the heck's going to notice? Everybody, D.C. is a ghost town during Christmas and New Year's and Hanukkah and, you know, Thanksgiving. I mean, the place is empty.

Starting point is 00:21:59 There is no, hardly anybody, I should say, working in those government offices. There is hardly anybody, I should say, working in those government offices. Every essential spending is still going to be in place. Soldiers are going to get paid. Social security checks are going to get sent out. The FBI is still going to be investigating Catholics for praying the rosary outside of abortion clinics. Everything's going to go on as normal and nobody's going to notice. Well, I think this is a really good example. Like if I could talk to Elon Musk or Vivek Ramaswamy, I'd say, hey, look, you know, this is what the government does with their money.

Starting point is 00:22:38 They do stupid things. And even when they're debunked and shown to be false, And even when they're debunked and shown to be false, they still ban sassafras as a food additive or an herbal medicine in the United States. You know, not only is it not a bad thing when the government shuts down, I? So people won't be able to get their bags checked and get screened as potential terrorists when they get on flights to travel during Christmas. What a nice guy he is, right? He doesn't have to do that. Their budgets are in place. They would get paid one way or the other. But just like Barack Obama shut down the national monuments just to make it hard on people, especially D-Day veterans who are coming to visit Washington, D.C., Biden will probably do something like that, and who

Starting point is 00:23:30 knows what else, just so you can get the headlines talking about how evil Donald Trump is and all that. Now, I think this would be a really good example of saying, hey, look, a lot of, even going back to the 60s, and certainly further back than that, a lot of, even going back to the 60s and certainly further back than that, a lot of our money has been absolutely wasted by stupid people who want to control our lives. And it's time we maybe start cutting those budgets and undoing some of this. So, just my opinion. That's my soapbox statement for the day. Y'all have a wonderful Christmas.

Starting point is 00:24:06 I guess you can still order my books from Amazon. Probably get them there in time for Christmas. I don't know. Obviously, it's too late to order my spoons or wood carvings or anything like that. Remember, if you need a last-minute gift, a subscription to either of my Substack newsletters, either my Judson Carroll Master Herbalist newsletter or my Catholic newsletter, The Uncensored Catholic, would be a wonderful gift, and I send you free e-books.

Starting point is 00:24:31 So even if it's like Christmas morning and you realize you forgot somebody, I'll have my computer on or my phone turned on. You send somebody a gift subscription, I'm going to send you those e-books right away. I did that last year,ped out a few people who actually needed a last minute gift. I'll be glad to do it again this year. It's a great value. I send you two free e-books. It's about a $20 value for I think the Subtech newsletter is $8 a month. Of course, you could buy a six month or one year

Starting point is 00:25:04 subscription. Whatever. A minimum is $8 a month. Of course, you could buy a six-month or one-year subscription, you know, whatever. But a minimum of $8, you can give somebody any of my 15 books. And you can probably, whether it's a cookbook or a herb book or a religious book, you're going to find something. Homesteading, prepping, I mean, you're going to find something somebody's interested in on that list. And if not, hey hey just keep the books for yourself give them the subscription and they can enjoy that and you can enjoy the books or heck i don't care if you both get the books i'm gonna send it to you as a pdf i can't

Starting point is 00:25:35 control if you pass it on and i really don't mind if you do so have a wonderful christmas and i will talk to you um you know, most likely next Friday. All right, have a good one. The information in this podcast is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or condition. Nothing I say or write has been evaluated or approved by the FDA. I'm not a doctor. The U.S. government does not recognize the practice of herbal medicine, and there is no governing body regulating herbalists. Therefore, I'm really just a guy

Starting point is 00:26:08 who studies herbs. I'm not offering any advice. I won't even claim that anything I write or say is accurate or true. I can tell you what herbs have been traditionally used for. I can tell you my own experience and if I believe in herbs help me. I cannot nor would I tell you to do the same. If you use an herb anyone recommends, you are treating yourself. You take full responsibility for your health. Humans are individuals and no two are identical. What works for me may not work for you. You may have an allergy, a sensitivity, an underlying condition that no one else even shares and you don't even know about. Be careful with your health. By continuing to listen

Starting point is 00:26:45 to my podcast or read my blog, you agree to be responsible for yourself, do your own research, make your own choices, and not to blame me for anything ever.

The Prepper Broadcasting Network - Herbal Medicine for Preppers: Sassafras

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