I,m 85 year old Ozark hillbilly and gtew up drinking sassadras tea in the spring to thin the blood after winter, at family reunions and clan camps the younger generation are still amazed that i can just return frok a walk and mae tea from roots for them. I also harvst some 50 different herbs and roots for my clans medical use.

I was born in 53 and I made sassafras tea and also chewed on the roots as a kid. I remember when people started saying it was bad for you. I also remember when they said cranberries would kill you. That put a damper on thanksgiving. Turns out they were only bad for you if you ate more than five pounds a day for twenty years. Guess I’ll harvest some sassafras this year thanks for posting

Yes .make that root beer video. Thank you.

When I was a child, sassafras root was our candy. We would just chew on it. We did not actually eat the root, just chew on it. It was yummy.

In 1966 my grandma showed me and my brother how to gather sassafras roots, cat nip and ripe may apples. We made tea and drank some other tea’s from woods ! Those were heavenly times! Great job

When you steep the roots, put the plate or lid on the pot while the root releases its flavor. My covering your pot, the oils won't evaporate.

Sasafras! My grandmother kept a bag of roots in her kitchen cabinet for tea! And file't is ground leaves for seafood seasoning!

I was working cutting up trees for firewood and I came across the sassafras tree and The Roots. I cut up some of them for firewood. When I burned them they gave off a wonderful root beer Aroma to the whole cabin. They smelled delicious and brought back memories in my childhood when you could buy a 4 oz bottle of root beer extract and make your own. The extract was made by hires or A&W

I live in Arkansas, I remember my grandfather making this tea whenever he didn’t feel well. He lived well into his 90s. I’m going to start looking for this plant. Thanks for the video. You got yourself another sub.👍

The price of sassafras root bark is high; I would love to find a tree that I could legally harvest. Your video is the first one I've watched that explains exactly how to harvest the root from both a mature and a young tree. It is nice to know that you can harvest root from a mature tree without killing that tree. I make root beer kefir using sarsaparilla bark plus other ingredients. It tastes and foams just like bought root beer, but it has the health benefits of kefir. Water kefir has two ferment periods; the 2nd period is to infuse it with flavor and increase its fizz. This is my recipe: for a 1/2 gallon glass jar (filled 3/4 full with 1st ferment), add 2 Tb sugar, *2 Tb molasses, 2 whole cloves, 1 tsp anise seed, 2-3 heaping Tb ginger root (peeled or not, and chopped), 1 Tb sarsaparilla root (I bought from Jovvily on Amazon - I am not associated with them), 2-3 drops wintergreen essential oil (the wintergreen is not optional - it greatly helps the flavor). Depending on the type of fermenting caps used, the jar may need to be burped several times a day. I have had it foam up and out of the jar while burping. Hence, I always had another empty jar ready for the overflow or opened it after first placing it in a pot. Lately, when I asked my husband to burp the kefir, he unscrewed the cover the slightest bit to allow the pressure to escape gradually - so no overflow. *Note: I typically add a @ 1/2 tsp of molasses to my 1st ferment for the sake of adding good minerals, so my 1st ferment already has a darker color. More molasses may be needed to make the 2nd ferment darker to make it look like "real" root beer, though I would rather adjust it only for the sake of flavor and not how it appears.

Sassafras. As a kid in Jacksonville, Florida, we would pull up the little ones and take our little hunting knives to the root and scrape off the bark and then chewed on 'em. And I'm still here. Oh yeh ... I'm 76.

Yaaaasssss on the root beer video please!! A lot of sassafras grows here in the Deep South.

My grandmother, who lived her whole life in Western Kentucky, made us grand kids sassafras tea at least once that I can remember. It seems like she boiled the roots but then had to remove the scum on top once or twice. I'm 67 now, so my memory might be fuzzy, but that's how I recall it -- I also remember that in the '60s we could get sassafras extract in a bottle at the store. Still, today, I'll pull off a leaf to chew on while hiking or camping.

It’s logical that if human subjects were given doses,proportional to rats,that the saffrol or its metabolites would appear in urinalysis,also.In my 50’s Appalachia childhood,my Grandma used to make this strong Sassafras extract and tea.There are dozens of these saplings on my property.I think I’m going to experiment a little with it this spring.Thank you for the tutorial.

👍❤️ Yes , Let's see the root beer making

Yes I would love to see a natural soda made with this!

When I was a kid we always had a bottle of Zatarains Root Beer extract which was made of sassafras. We drank that instead of Kool-Aid. The stuff made now is nothing but chemicals...I still make my file'. As for the roots we always just peeled the bark off and brought it to a boil then simmered them.

I used to love drinking sassafras tea when I could still get the bark. hard to find these days.

I remember the tea made by my grandma back in the 70's. Still have gobs of them on my property.

We'd love to see a video of you making carbonated rootbeer!

I'm 73 and have been drinking sassafras tea for all my life. My dad had a grove of sassafras trees but you couldn't drink too much as it can be used just like aspirin. Cheers from eastern TN

Grew up drinking sassadras tea every late fall. We used it to ward off the winter flue. The leaves once dried and ground was used in soupes and gumbo as a thickener.

You are bringing back a lot of memories of mine as a kid .I lived in the 50's when kids were verboten to have gum in school but most boys had pocket knives. If you took a root of sassafras and used your pocket knife to cut a number of thin discs that would fit in the coin pocket of your wallet you could slip one under your tongue and have that root beer taste of the sassafras without chewing or giving yourself away.

You got yourself a new subscriber. I watched because I love root and have fond memories of Grandmom's homemade root beer from sasafras. It's on my list of things to find on my property.

Love sassafras…dang…use to gather it in Ala. but can’t find it or grow it in central Texas…miss it dearly….😢

I've made root beer, tea, and candy from sassafras roots. Chewing on the leaves is refreshing. I thought they were a little citrusy, but good coolant for hot summer days..

Sassafras jelly is great on pork chops. Just thin the jelly with water and put on the chops when they are just about done. Over rice, it's so good! I have also used mayhaw jelly on chicken. Forager Dr. Mark Vorderbruggen ( Merriweather Foraging Texas) is a chemist by trade. I've taken classes from him. He doesn't have a problem with consuming sassafras. Also, the leaves will dry for file very quickly even without a dehydrator. BUT it takes a huge amount for a small amount of powdered file. I just blitz mine in a coffee grinder until it's the size as other dried spices instead of powdering it. I add it at the end of cooking gumbo.

There are two types of sassafras roots. White root is or was normally used for tonics as well as medicine. The red root was more about removing toxins from body and make the best flavor and medicinal use.

One of my favorite trees ever! Sassafras tea, file' powder...made all of it! Its a BEAUTIFUL tree even if you don't use it for food/medicinal purposes. We have huge ones and they have the most amazing canopies...just love everything about them! Thanks for doing this video! Definitely deserve a follow!!👍❤️🌳

When I was a kid we had sassafras all over the property. I’d go out with my Dad and dig up some around Easter and make tea. I miss that stuff.

I just found this channel. Good job.

Thank you! Looking forward to finding these friends!

What probly happened was that it had serious healing properties so they flawed the study to stop prople from getting it. Great video .ty.

Great and fair presentation on a wonderful plant. This is one of a small handful of plants used in various root beers presenting that distinct smell and taste.

I would like to hear additional information about making root beer. Great video!

Sassafras contains several compounds that have been studied for their potential heavy metal chelation properties. Some of the compounds in sassafras that are known for their chelating abilities include safrole, eugenol, and myristicin. These compounds have been shown to bind to heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and mercury, helping to remove them from the body.

Thank you for teaching us about Sassafras. I appreciate it. My brother used to make tea in the early 1970's.

Awesome video! Thank you for this content... sooo needed today!

I drank a lot of sassafras tea when I was a kid in the 50's. No problems just a lot of enjoyment! Plus it grew in the St. Louis area where I lived--so, that far north.

So so happy to have stumbled on your video! I'm an old hippie, as my daughter says, and dearly loved the advent of the home medicine, homemade foods resurgence of the 1960s and 70s when I was young. I'm even happier to find you young folk marrying real science and ecology/biology today. So much smarter. I have missed homemade root beer. Can't wait to see your recipe. Ooh, and bayberry candles and oil for Christmas, maybe. Thanks.

Thanks for the solid information and reasonable explantion! More people need access to such information. Great job!

I’m glad you informed me that the volatiles boil off for another reason too who’s is that I’d heard that hummingbirds don’t like mint, yet I had a bag of Ricola candy and wanted to have that melted in to my hummingbird feeder, for the flowery flavors and perhaps benefits. It was a hit with the hummingbirds!

I'm so gad you did this video. I wasn't sure how to identify the tree. Great info. Thank you ❤

Just found your page. So informative. I’ll definitely pass this on to friends and family 😊

Root beer recipe - Yes please!

I'm loving this. Thank you!

Used it. Know where to find it in multiple places. Great tree!

Thank you! what a great video. So well done 🌱👍

We always harvest sassafras root. sometime Spring sometimes early Autumn .We make little 3 or 4 inch length bundles (2 or 3 roots split in Half. Tie them together with butcher string. Steep them in a tall tea pot of water for about 20 minutes on the stove. When done steeping just let the bundle dry on the stove top over night ,or until next use. We usually have the root bundle make about 3 full tea pots before they are no longer useful. The trick to making it GOOD TASTE like root beer is to add 4 or 5 drops of vanilla extract!. Add a teaspoon (or less) of sugar to each hot cup of tea along with the few drops of vanilla extract. I make SUN TEA by the gallon in a jar in the summer. Once steeped all day in the sun... I take out my bundles of roots and let dry for another day...I add my sugar to the whole gallon and add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the whole gallon jar... I shake vigorously for about 3 minutes and stick it in the fridge where I will have cold homemade root beer for 5 or 6 days.

Good info and presentation. Thank you!

Very cool. Hope you do root beer vid.

Enjoying your videos. They are Very helpful!!

I live on property that sassafras grows there I've been making root beer from this tree I am 70 years old no liver problems

Love the smell of fresh sassafras.

Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge of making root beer,and tea.We have a lots of sassafras trees in our property so I will do my best to make root beer and root beer tea. Thank you again for sharing.👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺☮️☮️☮️☮️

I'm definitely not a "foodie". I rarely go to much trouble to consume things just for the pleasure or flavor of things, but I really enjoyed this video! I love plants and animals and I love learning about them. You are extremely good at presenting and teaching! Pleasing style and no clickbait foolishness. Have you covered licorice root before? I have a lot of entertainer and musician friends who swear by it to sooth a sore throat and preserve their voice.

Id definitely like to see you make root beer. I have done it before with mixed results. Id love to see your process. Thanks for the content you provide.

I've chewed a very small sassafras sprout's root after rubbing it off on my britches. Didn't swallow it, just the juice. Out in the woods dehydrated and cramping it seemed to help. It definitely tasted better than the dandelion root I chewed on the other day, lol. Woo! You gave some good advice in that people taking any pharmaceuticals must be even.more cautious. Anyway, thanks for the video. Very informative.

Awesome video. Thank you!!

Extremely well done. I am impressed. Now I want to go find some sassafras 😏

Our land here in virginia is thick with these trees. Walking through the woods, it smells so good

IM from as far south is Louisiana as you go, DuLarge -Louisiana -My grandmother was what’s called a “treatuer “ and used sassafras among other items to treat wounds, infections ,colds etc. We lived among the Houmas Indians and were very familiar with them. Had lots of good friends. She was a catechism teacher for the Catholic Church and prayer was a big part of the healing process. We always put file in our gumbo . To me its not gumbo if there isn’t any sassafras ground up leaves. I make my own and make sure to use the tiny leave stems too.

I loved (well I guess I still love) the big sassafras in my yard. Then dozens of them started coming up on the other side of the yard. I remember sassafras sticks, sassafras tea, and root beer from my youth, and went online to find instructions and recipes. That is when I learned about the FDA ban.

I love the color in the fall.

We dug sassafras roots in the fall when the sap is low and the flavor is best. Love sassafras tea

Great video. Thank you.

Tastes just like root beer. Cows love to eat the leaves too. My granny taught me to harvest the young roots, peel them, & boil in water 15 mins for a spring tonic or a root beer drink. (Your way probably better) I never experienced any bitter taste, but I only used short, "new" root tips. We only drank it seasonally. I'm 75 & pretty healthy...didn't hurt me!

Great video!

I would love to see a video on making soda! Thanks.

I miss digging up a root and enjoying a wonderful glass of sass tea!! I would still be drinking the wonderful tea but I moved out of the mountains and away from the source.

Grandmother let boil for 10 min then let steap for 4 hours. Add sugar or cream and serve warm. After first brew, course chop and brew again. Then chop again and brew 2 times more. Saved tea in jars in refrigerator and could be stored up months. She had this tea once a day for 70 years without any issues and can remember only maybe 4 times being sick even with the flue.

I would love to see you make root beer

Just had to have a Sassafras tree cut down, loved the smell !!

My very favorite!!!

Grew up with sassafras... amazing aroma!

Heck yeah I wanna see your methods for making root 🍺 🍺 THAT AWESOME!!!!

Yes, I would like to see you make Root Beer!

I remember having sasafrass tea when i was sick as a kid.

Grows all over Long Island NY. We used to chew the roots

I grew up making sassafras tea and jelly. Now, I am living in the Ouachita Mountains of Oklahoma and there are no sassafras trees here. I have one growing in a large pot and now, that it is three years old, it is time to transplant it into the ground. Would love to see the revival of the sassafras tree in this area as they've been gone for about a hundred years here.

Great info

Unfortunately, here in Southwest Mississippi we have lost all our large sassafras trees to “laurel wilt”. We have a couple patches of smaller trees. This disease also kills the larger trees roots. What we have surviving are from the root systems of larger trees that were cut down years ago, along the yard/wood line and along the pond/field area.

We have sassafras growing all down our driveway. Please make a video about how to make real root beer!

We dug sasafrass every spring for my grandmother. She made a tea for a spring tonic that tasted like root beer. We all drank it for the peace of mind it gave granny.

I am a carver and have collected Johnny Appleseed wood across the Midwest where he roamed 😎

Gather the roots responsibly, please. With the deforestation of natural resources, Sassafras trees are not as abundant as they once were. They are limited in areas where they grow. Gathering too many roots can kill the trees. Also digging them up, and transplanting them is difficult. They do not transplant well, unless the new environment is very similar. Bottom line, if you find one, enjoy it responsibly; if you find one in your yard, you are blessed!!!😊

Sassafras has disappeared from the wild in my area of Northeast Georgia. Excellent content!

Had one of these trees in my yard once , every once in awhile I would hit an exposed root with the lawnmower and it smelled so good .

Thanks for video, enjoyed it. Would like to see one on wild cherry bark. I have been drinking magnolia tea, waiting on tincture.

My Grandma made sassafras tea every spring. If you can find them after a good wet spell in the spring you can just pull them up.

First of all, Matthew, THANK YOU FOR A VERY USEFUL VIDEO! Yeah ! An I loved the orange leaves with Mitten shapes. Unfortunately, our local highway controllers literally Shred the plants/trees along the road---not completely, just enough that it looks horrible---and in the summer they spray poison that kills some weeds (like Thistles) but also kills Chicory, Butterfly Weed, etc. There used to be a small Sassafras up the road. I should get out in my car and find a forest that is open to the public somewhere. Our local park is covered with vines that kill the trees. Not just the alien Japanese Honeysuckle vines but huge strangling vines that sometimes hang down like a swing, supporting a man's weight and getting to be an inch or three inches in width. It is also full of disease which kills the trees; they finally cut down a lot of diseased trees (before spring allowed them to put out leaves). Unfortunately, they left the diseased tree chopped trunks right next to healthier trees! A month later, they are still there.

Thank you so much 😁 you seem like a wonderful human

I use filè for my gumbo all of the time. Grew up chewing on the stems and drinking sassafras tea. No ill effects after several decades.

I can’t add any type of blood thinner due to health concerns. When I was a kid, there was a 15’ or so tall sassafras tree next to my house. I loved that tree. The smell was amazing. And while I’d occasionally break a small twig and chew it, the leaves were by far my favorite part. Not only did they taste amazing, they kept my mouth moist, letting me play that much longer. My mom would get onto me about it, saying it was bad for me, but, she said the same about girls. Hahahaha.

Yes definitely a video on real root beer !!!!!!

Great video, Matthew, thank you! Oh, the FDA...smh

Yes make the root beer video plz

I've got a small piece of property in south carolina covered up in sassafras...a lot of time I see it growing on roadsides near forests😊 yea heard the FDA declared it a carcinogenic years ago

They grow everywhere around here,been drinking it since I was a kid. 68 for 5 more months!!

I love the taste of sassafras tee.