Sassafras-The Original Root Beer

Sassafras, Sassafras albidum, is a plant that I have walked passed for years and never sampled even though I knew it was edible. Today I was going to change that. 

Sassafras is a tree that grows anywhere from ten to fifty feet. Its leaves consists of three different types-ovate (or egg-shaped), two lobed (like that of a mitten), and three lobed (like that of two-thumbed mitten).  You can find examples of all of these on a single branch (Peterson, Lee, and Roger Tory Peterson). The bark develops furrows that deepen and whose ridges become flattened with age. The furrows are cinnamon-reddish at the base and turn reddish-brown with maturity. The ridges intersect to give the bark a woven appearance (Wojtech, Michael). It is a perennial meaning its life cycle lasts for more than two years and it is native to Canada and the lower 48 states. It is of special concern in the state of Maine where it is borderline endangered. There is no other legal status listed for the remaining states (Conservation Service, Natural Resources Resources). 

Everything about the plant is aromatic. You can bruise the leaves, scratch the bark, and nap the roots and inhale it's lemony/chemically smelling aroma. 

Sassafras is one of the main ingredients in the traditional root beer along with various herbs, roots and spices, filtered water, and cane sugar. According to Wiki the European settlers adopted the use of Sassafras tea from the Native Americans and turned it into the carbonated, sugar laden, foamy drink known as root beer. 

Safrole-the plants main odor and flavor component-is listed on the FDA poisonous plant database. I have included their source regarding this claim below. 

"Dihydrosafrole on chronic feeding produced benign and malignant esophageal tumors. Safrole is a hepatic carcinogen. Liver changes produced by isosafrole, safrole, and dihydrosafrole were of the same general type and included hepatic cell enlargement, which was usually focal and resulted in the formation of nodules; adenomatoid hyperplasia; cystic necrosis; fatty metamorphosis; and bile duct proliferation. The magnitude of liver changes was much greater with safrole than with the other two compounds. Safrole produced liver changes in mice. Similar treatment with the allylbenzene and methylenedioxybenzene moieties of safrole produced changes only with methylenedioxybenzene and were less than that observed with the parent compound. This was confirmed in rats by Taylor et al. (1964). All compounds studied produced liver alterations with the exception of allylbenzene and piperonal (FDA)."

 Today safrole-free sassafras is used in root beer. Foster and Duke argue that the amount of ethanol in a can of beer is more carcinogenic than the amount of the safrole in traditional root beer (Foster, Steven, and James A. Duke)…what say the FDA to that?  Further, scientists based their findings on the effects of laboratory animals from the isolated potent chemical administered in high doses. The whole plant was not used in these experiments so the effects on the isolated compound on laboratory animals is not necessary the same for people drinking the brewed tea from the whole plant (Derby, Blance Cybele. My Favorite Plants). The early European settlers used to drink this tea as a blood tonic (Foster, Steven, and James A. Duke).

I figured one glass would not have a great effect on me getting cancer and my curiosity got the best of me so I headed out onto the trail to find some Sassafras.

You can make a tea from the roots and a spice from the leaves. The roots can be harvested year round. The leaves can be collected right up until they turn yellow in Fall. To prepare Sassafras tea you need to first dig up a Sassafras saplings. Their bright green stems and unique leaves make them easy to spot. According to Blanche Cybele Derby, the root system of Sassafras is so extensive that extracting a few actually helps the tree. You're essentially weeding out saplings so that the well established trees can benefit. The roots can be boiled until the water turns reddish-brown and then sweetened to taste. 

Further, the leaves can be dried and ground into file powder to thicken soups. The traditional spice of Louisiana and French-style dishes (Norman, Jill). Add the file powder to soups after the soup has been removed from heat, otherwise the soup becomes stringy (Derby, Blance Cybele. My Wild Friends)

Below I have included pictures to help you locate and prepare this wild edible for yourself. 

Sassafras Bark-Notice How it Looks Woven

Sassafras Bark-Damp with Rainwater 

Sassafras-Green Stem of Sapling

Sassafras-Bright Green Stem

Sassafras-Leaves Turning Yellow in Fall

Roots being Boiled 

Boiled Sassafras Roots

Sassafras Tea

Fresh Leaves

Dried Leaves

Grinding Leaves with Mortar and Pestle 

Sifting Out Debris from Ground Leaves

File Powder

Broth-Pre-File Powder

Broth After the Addition of File Powder

Works cited

Conservation Service, Natural Resources Resources. "Welcome to the PLANTS Database | USDA  PLANTS." Plants Database. USDA, 03 Oct. 2016. Web. 09 Oct. 2016. <http://www.plants.usda.gov/>.

Definitions

Derby, Blance Cybele. My Favorite Plants. Northhampton, MA: Wild Weed Woman, 2004. Print.

Derby, Blance Cybele. My Wild Friends: Free Food from Field and Forest. Northhampton, MA: Wild Weed Woman, 2001. Print.

FDA. "FDA Poisonous Plant Database." FDA Poisonous Plant Database. US Department of Health and Human Services, 12. Web. 12 Oct. 2016. <http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/Plantox/Detail.CFM?ID=11254>.

Foster, Steven, and James A. Duke. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000. Print.

Norman, Jill. Herbs & Spices. New York: DK, 2002. Print.

Peterson, Lee, and Roger Tory Peterson. A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1978. Print.

Wojtech, Michael. Bark: A Field Guide to Trees of the Northeast. Hanover: U of New England, 2011. Print.

Yarrow Tea

Introduction:

The first time I was introduced to Yarrow was while I was attending Tom Brown's wilderness survival camp in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. I was attending the flintknapping workshop. The instructor was intently chipping away at a stone shaping it into an arrowhead when his finger opened up. Without any verbal instruction, his wife plucked this feathery-looking leaf from the ground and handed it to her husband, the instructor. He chewed on this leaf for about 3 seconds and then placed it on his finger. The bleeding stopped. 

I have walked past this plant for many years without sampling. It's one of those plants that grows everywhere so after that first introduction the novelty wears off pretty quickly. After much research my interest in this plant was reignited when I learned about its vast medicinal uses from a simple preparation of the dried herb.

Plant description:

Yarrow is perennial, meaning its lifecycle continues for more that two years. It was introduced to the lower 48 US states and it is native to Alaska. It is considered invasive in the North East, so happy harvesting (Conservation Service, Natural Resources Resources)! Yarrow flowers from June to September producing umbels of flat-topped flower clusters. These flowers consist of 4-6 petals growing in a ray surrounding tiny disc flowers. The petals have three teeth at their tips and the petals tend to be wider than they are long. The stems are gray-green and covered in a fuzzy down. The leaves are stalkless and cling right to the stem. The leaves are finely dissected giving them a feathered or fern-like appearance. I think the leaves look like little pine bows. Wild Carrot also produces leaves that are finely dissected but these leaves are multi-branched. I have included a picture of each below for your discernment. The first year Yarrow plant produces a single leaf that protrudes from the ground. The leaf looks like a feather that has landed upright in the grass, as if there is such a thing as the Yarrow bird. The whole plant is aromatic when bruised. This plant resides in open areas-fields, roadsides, and waste grounds (Thieret, John W., William A. Niering, and Nancy C. Olmstead) so it can be easily located in both urban and rural settings. 

Edibility:

The leaves can be eaten fresh as an addition to salads or cooked for an interesting side. The dried and ground seeds and flowers can apparently be used as a seasoning. The first year roots can be consumed as a cooked vegetable (Runyon, Linda). You can enjoy an herbal tea by steeping the dried leaves for 10-15 minutes(Peterson, Lee, and Roger Tory Peterson). You can also use the whole plant when in flower (Foster, Steven, and James A. Duke. ) Add 1 Tbs of dried herb to one cup boiling water (Cichoke, Anthony J.) 

Medicinal Uses:

Yarrow, Achillea millefolium is named after Achilles. Legend has it that he used the poulticed herb to treat his wounded soldiers in battle. This may not be too far from the truth as the Native Americans used it as a poultice to treat wounds (Cichoke, Anthony J). Yarrow is also know to stop both internal and external bleeding. A topical compress or poultice of fresh herb acts as a vulnerary or styptic (blood stopping)( Thieret, John W., William A. Niering, and Nancy C. Olmstead)/( (Cichoke, Anthony J.)  The astringency causes blood vessels to constrict thus stopping bleeding (Foster, Steven, and James A. Duke). The alkaloids within Yarrow give it its hemostatic (blood stopping) capabilities (Britton, Jade.)

Yarrow is a diaphoretic, meaning it breaks a fever by inducing perspiration ( Thieret, John W., William A. Niering, and Nancy C. Olmstead)/(Runyon, Linda)/(Britton, Jade). In this way the virus can be eradicated from the body through sweating (Britton, Jade) which may provide relief from cold and flu symptoms (Foster, Steven, and James A. Duke. )

Yarrow has many gastrointestinal implications as it can stimulate appetite, sooth indigestion, and calm gastric inflammations (Foster, Steven, and James A. Duke. ) Yarrow increases the flow of bile which aids in digestion (Cichoke, Anthony J.) Salicylic acid, one of the components of the volatile oil, and the azulenes have antispasmodic-properties meaning they work to relax smooth muscles/reduce spasms of the gastrointestinal tract.

Yarrow can act as an Expectorant to dislodge phlegm and mucus from airway passages so that it can be easily expelled (Foster, Steven, and James A. Duke). In this way the body can be rid of Catarrh,  or excess mucus (Cichoke, Anthony J.) As topical wash it can be used to treat skin irritations such as burns (Runyon, Linda.) and insect bites (Cichoke, Anthony J.) Yarrow is also an analgesic and relieves pain (Foster, Steven, and James A. Duke. ) 

Photographs:

Umbel of White Flowers from Greater than 1 Year Old Plant

First Year Leaves

First Year Leaf 

Not to be Confused with Wild Carrot Leaves (they smell like carrots)

Drying the Herb

Dried Herb

Dried Herb in Tea Ball

Yarrow Tea

Glossary 

Antispasmodic-relieves involuntary spasms, for example the gastrointestinal tract

Analgesic-pain reliever 

Astringency-blood vessel constricting capabilities 

Catarrh-excess mucus

Diaphoretic-sweat-inducing 

Expectorant-helps to dislodge phlegm and mucus from airway passages so that it can be easily expelled

Perennial-having a life-cycle or more than two years. 

Stalkless-lacking a stem or petiole

Vulnerary-blood stopping

Styptic-blood stopping

Hemostatic-blood stopping

Works cited

Britton, Jade. The Herbal Healing Bible. New York: Chartwell, 2012. Print.

Cichoke, Anthony J. Secrets of Native American Herbal Remedies: A Comprehensive Guide to the Native American Tradition of Using Herbs and the Mind/body/spirit Connection for Improving Health and Well-being. New York: Avery, 2001. Print.

Conservation Service, Natural Resources Resources. "Welcome to the PLANTS Database | USDA  PLANTS." Plants Database. USDA, 03 Oct. 2016. Web. 09 Oct. 2016. <http://www.plants.usda.gov/>.

Definitions

Foster, Steven, and James A. Duke. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000. Print.

Peterson, Lee, and Roger Tory Peterson. A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1978. Print.

Runyon, Linda. The Essential Wild Food Survival Guide. Shiloh, NJ: Wild Food, 2007. Print.

Thieret, John W., William A. Niering, and Nancy C. Olmstead. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Eastern Region. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2001. Print.

Wild Chamomile

According to the Peterson, "Medicinal Plants and Herbs," field guide, the dried Chamomile flowers used to make tea have been used for colic, diarrhea, insomnia, indigestion, gout, sciatica, headaches, colds, fevers, flu, cramps, and arthritis. With all these health benefits it's no wonder it still occupies shelf space at the supermarket.

I could purchase a box of tea but I thought it would be more fun to go out and harvest some of my own since it is locally abundant. However, I have been teased all summer long by the Ox-Eye Daisy which is similar to Chamomile with its ray of white flowers and yellow central discs for there are some discerning traits that can only be detected up close. The leaves of the Ox-Eye Daisy are  irregularly lobed and those of the Chamomile look feathered, like miniature pine bows.  Both the Ox-Eye Daisy and Chamomile have yellow centers but those of the daisy are depressed in the middle while those of the Chamomile are domed like a little beehives or honeycombs. When pinched the Chamomile flowers emit a sweet apple-like scent whereas those of the daisy remain odorless. These distinguishing characteristics remain unknown while you motor down 290, as both are found in disturbed areas and waste grounds.

I have learned that you can spend countless hours studying your books but the real learning takes place outdoors. On page, the plant is one-dimentional but outside these plants can tantalize all of your senses. You can feel the woolen leaf of mullein, taste the sweet flesh of a Juneberry, smell the sweetness of pineapple weed, gaze upon the blue petals of violets, and hear the thuds of Black Walnuts landing at the base of their trunks.  During these encounters you can make your own observations and notice the things that are not mentioned in your guide book such as the fine hairs covering the tops of the leaves or the almost microscopic black dots that line the stem. It's where you will take note of the neighboring plants and feel the texture of the soil from which its herbaceous body burgeons. This is referred to "dirt time" A.K.A. hands on learning for the naturalist.

My dirt time quest brought be to the grassy doorstep of my long sought after Wild Chamomile which I happened upon after I pulled over near a pond and followed the dirt path that lead to the waters edge. The white daisy-like petals, yellowed domed central disks, and feathered leaves were a sight for tired eyes.

It has been a month since I plucked the Chamomile flowers from their stems and brought them home to dry. They are so pretty in their dehydrated state. I wish I could preserve how delicate they look. Instead I will steep them in hot water. Even now that they are in the tea ball awaiting their final dunk, I am reluctant. It is not long before the water in the mug turns a pale yellow.

Wild Chamomile-Whole Plant

Wild Chamomile-Yellow Domed Center

Wild Chamomile-Ray of White Petals

Wild Chamomile-Feathered Leaves 

Wild Chamomile-Flower Heads

Wild Chamomile-Dried Flowers

Flowers Awaiting Steeping 

Chamomile Tea

First Cup of Wild Chamomile Tea