[26] Some modern researchers conclude that the oil, roots and bark of sassafras have analgesic and antiseptic properties. Jul 26, 2016 - Explore Arbor Day Foundation's board "Sassafras Trees", followed by 3348 people on Pinterest. Suitable for a majority of landscapes, the sassafras tree is a sight to behold. The young leaves and twigs are quite mucilaginous, and produce a citrus-like scent when crushed. [16], Sassafras albidum ranges from southern Maine and southern Ontario west to Iowa, and south to central Florida and eastern Texas, in North America. Carey and Gill rate its value to wildlife as fair, their lowest rating. The flowers of the sassafras tree give way to dark blue fruit, or drupes, favored by a variety of birds. With their fragrant foliage and textured bark, sassafras trees (Sassafras albidum) add year-round interest to landscaping in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 to 9. The sassafras (Sassafras albidum) is a small, handsome deciduous tree with a height of about 30 feet and a spread of about 20 feet. Sassafras trees are known to repel mosquitoes and other insects. You must plant both male and female trees if you wish for fruit production. Loved reading about this old, old tree on the historical plaque nearby. Sassafras trees scientific name is Sassafras albidum and hails from the family Lauraceae. The genus Sassafras was first described by the Bohemian botanist Jan Presl in 1825. Pruning these ornamental beauties is rarely a necessity except initially to develop a strong structure. Taiwanese sassafras, Taiwan, is treated by some botanists in a distinct genus as Yushunia randaiensis (Hayata) Kamikoti, though this is not supported by recent genetic evidence, which shows Sassafras to be monophyletic. [11] Sassafras was known as fennel wood (German Fenchelholz) due to its distinctive aroma. "Middle Eocene Dicotyledonous Plants from Republic, Northeastern Washington". Sassafras albidum is an important ingredient in some distinct foods of the United States. Early toothbrushes were crafted from sassafras twigs or wood because of its aromatic properties. Not in the sense of the bark but in the way it regrows. ... Sassafras trees grow from 9.1 to 18 m (30 to 59 ft) tall and spreading 7.6 to 12 m (25 to 39 ft)[4] The trunk grows 70 to 150 cm (28 to 59 in) in diameter, with many slender branches, and smooth, orange-brown bark. The stand appeared to stay pure and fully alive for over 100 years. Some small mammals also consume sassafras fruits.[19]. [20] Sassafras is no longer used in commercially produced root beer since sassafras oil was banned for use in commercially mass-produced foods and drugs by the FDA in 1960 due to health concerns about the carcinogenicity of safrole, a major constituent of sassafras oil, in animal studies. As they mature the bark turns from green to grayish. It was last measured in 2016. Sassafras tzumu may be found in Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Zhejiang, China. https://cookingwildandfree.blogspot.com/2012/10/sassafras-candy.html Die-off began before drought set in. I was excited to join some friends during their recent Sassafras harvest in order to obtain pictures to go with my article and share in the bounty of the harvest as well. More Sassafras Tree Facts. Sassafras leaves and twigs are consumed by white-tailed deer and porcupines. [37], This article is about the various species of the sassafras tree of the Northern Hemisphere; for the North American sassafras, see. Sassafras trees are cold hardy in USDA zones 4-9. Sassafras twigs have been used as toothbrushes and fire starters. The roots and bark of the sassafras tree was used to make oil. In the northern part of its range it grows as small trees while in the South it may become 80 feet tall. [18], The leaves, bark, twigs, stems, and fruits are eaten by birds and mammals in small quantities. Close-up of Sassafras flowers, which appear in the spring before the leaves. Too bad the locals don’t respect it — there was a lot of trash around the base of the tree. [15] In deciduous tropical Lauraceae, leaf loss coincides with the dry season in tropical, subtropical and arid regions. Sassafras is a genus of three extant and one extinct species of deciduous trees in the family Lauraceae, native to eastern North America and eastern Asia. Sassafras is commonly found in open woods, along fences or in fields. Actually, it’s a grouping of sassafras trees, the feature tree being the massive one. Sassafras is a key ingredient in spring tonics. Toxnet: Toxicology Data Network. ... Sassafras trees grow from 9.1 to 18 m (30 to 59 ft) tall and spreading 7.6 to 12 m (25 to 39 ft)[4] The trunk grows 70 to 150 cm (28 to 59 in) in diameter, with many slender branches, and smooth, orange-brown bark. Sassafras oils were used in tonics as medical panaceas. The current champion sassafras grows in Owensburg, Kentucky. [36] These plants are primarily harvested for commercial purposes in Asia and Brazil. (See the article on filé powder, and a common thickening and flavoring agent in gumbo.) If using the roots, make sure to wash off any dirt and debris and if there is root bark, peel it off to reveal the tender root below. [32] Sassafras wood was also used by Native Americans in the southeastern United States as a fire-starter because of the flammability of its natural oils found within the wood and the leaves. [33], Steam distillation of dried root bark produces an essential oil which has a high safrole content, as well as significant amounts of varying other chemicals such as camphor, eugenol (including 5-methoxyeugenol), asarone, and various sesquiterpenes. According to the Champion Tree National Register, the largest sassafras in the country is 62 feet tall, has a crown spread of 51 feet, and is found in Daviess County, KY. Sign up to get all the latest gardening tips! While the tree has a propensity for multiple trunks, it can easily be trained into a single trunk. Sassafras trees are known to repel mosquitoes and other insects. [21][22], Sassafras leaves and flowers have also been used in salads, and to flavor fats or cure meats. Sassafras, Sassafras albidum, is a member of the laurel family and is native in much of the eastern woodlands, including all of Arkansas. Native Americans distinguished between white sassafras and red sassafras, terms which referred to different parts of the same plant but with distinct colors and uses. Its 4- to 8-inch leaves emit a fragrant aroma when crushed, as do the showy yellow spring blooms. Sassafras albidum is a very useful tree. According to the paper, "Sassafras and its Role in Early America, 1562-1662," author B.W. Find more gardening information on Gardening Know How: Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. Some sources claim it originates from the Latin saxifraga or saxifragus: "stone-breaking"; saxum "rock" + frangere "to break"). No herbicides applied. Different parts of the sassafras plant (including the leaves and stems, the bark, and the roots) have been used to treat, "scurvy, skin sores, kidney problems, toothaches, rheumatism, swelling, menstrual disorders and sexually transmitted diseases, bronchitis, hypertension, and dysentery. [28], Sassafras wood and oil were both used in dentistry. [23][24], Numerous Native American tribes used the leaves of sassafras to treat wounds by rubbing the leaves directly into a wound and used different parts of the plant for many medicinal purposes such as treating acne, urinary disorders, and sicknesses that increased body temperature, such as high fevers. Sassafras used to be popular for making bedsteads, for the same reason. A pleasant tree in cultivation, the leaves of sassafras can be spectacular in autumn. [6] Three-lobed leaves are more common in Sassafras tzumu and Sassafras randaiense than in their North American counterparts, although three-lobed leaves do sometimes occur on Sassafras albidum. Sassafras plants are endemic to North America and East Asia, with two species in each region that are distinguished by some important characteristics, including the frequency of three-lobed leaves (more frequent in East Asian species) and aspects of their sexual reproduction (North American species are dioecious). Too bad the locals don’t respect it — there was a lot of trash around the base of the tree. A Spanish physician in 1574 announced that sassafras was a cure for almost every human ailment. Safrole is a precursor for the clandestine manufacture of the drugs MDA and MDMA, and as such, sales and import of sassafras oil (as a safrole-containing mixture of above-threshold concentration) are heavily restricted in the US. But sassafras tea contains a lot of safrole, the chemical in sassafras that makes it poisonous. Big Sassafras Tree. Higinbotham declared that sassafras "has probably had more to do with the making of early American history than any other plant," and author Lesley Bremness wrote, "sassafras was perhaps the first Native American herb to be exported to Europe." With heights up to 60 feet, these trees provide shade and elegance. It can also be made into a stand alone sassafras tea. The flowers of the sassafras tree give way to dark blue fruit, or drupes, favored by a variety of birds. Fungal diseases such as leaf spot can also affect sassafras trees, but rarely requires treatment. Sassafras trees have ovate lobe-less leaves, two-lobed leaves, and three-lobed leaves. If you are growing sassafras tree, you should know that scales, Japanese beetles, weevils and moths can affect it but the damage is minimal and you do not need any steps to control these pests. A southern Louisiana specialty, gumbo is a delicious stew with a number of variations but usually seasoned with fine, ground sassafras leaves, at the end of the cooking process. The tree is fairly drought tolerant as well. [17] Sassafras randaiense is native to Taiwan. Sassafras albidum can be pruned and kept at shrub size by cutting them to the ground every 2-3 years. American beavers will cut sassafras stems. There were 3 of the trees and they were at about 12', so yours might be bigger. This moderate grower has a surface root system, which does not cause any problems; however, it has a very long and deep tap root that makes transplanting larger specimens a challenge. [2], The largest known sassafras tree in the world is in Owensboro, Kentucky, and is over 100 feet (30 m) high and 21 feet (6.4 m) in circumference.[7][8]. In temperate climates, the dry season is due to the inability of the plant to absorb water available to it only in the form of ice. For a more detailed description of uses by indigenous peoples of North America, and a history of the commercial use of Sassafras albidum by Europeans in the United States in the 16th and 17th centuries, see the article on the extant North American species of sassafras, Sassafras albidum. The candy made from sassafras trees is very delicious and is an old favorite in the South. One cup of tea made with 2.5 grams of sassafras contains about 200 mg of safrole. In modern times, the sassafras plant has been grown and harvested for the extraction of sassafras oil. Southern sassafras trees may grow to be larger than their northern counterparts. Today, sassafras trees grow freely and are still used in many homes to make sassafras tea or homemade sassafras root beer. Sassafras tree bark. It is used in a variety of commercial products[which?] Sassafras trees will put out new shoots underneath mature trees from Spring all the way to Late Fall. The tree is designated as an ornamental tree because of its strange shaped leaves. The rich flavor from sassafras roots have also been put in soups and stews for an unusual extra flavor. [9][10] Sassafras trees are not within the family Saxifragaceae. The trees can develop a variety of insect and disease problems that are generally not serious. However, when they have their leaves, they are very easy to identify. [16][23] Sassafras oil has also been added to soap and other toiletries. My County Agent doesn't seem too concerned, but I am. The wood of sassafras trees has been used as a material for building ships and furniture in China, Europe, and the United States, and sassafras played an important role in the history of the European colonization of the American continent in the 16th and 17th centuries. This section incorporates text from a public domain work of the US government: Safrole: Human Health Effects. Sassafras flowers are small, attractive, bright yellow-to-green blossoms. Do Not Plant the Sassafras Tree in a Wide Open Location. Other sassafras leaf browsers include groundhogs, marsh rabbits, and American black bears. Sun-loving adult sassafras trees average 30 to 50 feet in height, with a branch spread typically 2/3 of the height and a trunk size ranging 1-3 feet in diameter. Here's a bunch of seedlings (greenish trunks) around a mother sassafras tree (brown trunk). The trees compared to the shrub layer that is Sassafras albidum The genus Sassafras includes four species, three extant and one extinct. [4][13], Many Lauraceae are aromatic, evergreen trees or shrubs adapted to high rainfall and humidity, but the genus Sassafras is deciduous. Although very unusual, there was a pure patch of Sassafras reported in 1923. Despite the huge controversy around Sassafras Tree’s safety and the safety of its active compound Safrole, once a flavorful medicinal plant, this ornamental tree is still favorable by many gardeners. EMBED1 DEAR JESSICA: I can't get rid of hundreds of sassafras saplings. The species are unusual in having three distinct leaf patterns on the same plant: unlobed oval, bilobed (mitten-shaped), and trilobed (three-pronged); the leaves are hardly ever five-lobed. (Picture taken end of February in Houston). Leaves and twigs of the tree are eaten by other wildlife such as deer, cottontails and even beaver. The fruit is a drupe, blue-black when ripe. It grows well in moist, well-drained, or sandy loam soils and tolerates a variety of soil types, attaining a maximum in southern and wetter areas of distribution. Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems: The leaves may turn yellow while veins remain green (chlorosis) in alkaline soils. The Sassafras tree is a fragrant, warm weather tree found throughout the American South where it is well-known for its striking fall foliage and shapely height. Sassafras albidum Sassafras Tree, Sassafras albidum, a captivating, native North American tree known for its brilliant display of fall foliage and aromatic smell. All parts of the plants are fragrant. All parts of sassafras are aromatic, when crushed produces a citrus-like scent. Sassafras trees are susceptible to verticillium wilt but other than that are fairly pest resistant. The sassafras tree does best in partial shade and a balanced soil with sand to aid in drainage. The rich flavor from sassafras roots have also been put in soups and stews for an unusual extra flavor. Although very unusual, there was a pure patch of Sassafras reported in 1923. Sassafras are deciduous trees, meaning that they lose their leaves each year. †Sassafras yabei. Sign up for our newsletter. Description. "[27], Before the twentieth century, Sassafras enjoyed a great reputation in the medical literature, but became valued for its power to improve the flavor of other medicines. Owensboro, Ky., is home to the national champion, a 78-foot-tall sassafras with a 69-foot spread. The genus Sassafrus (Sassafras spp.) According to the Champion Tree National Register, the largest sassafras in the country is 62 feet tall, has a crown spread of 51 feet, and is found in Daviess County, KY. or their syntheses, such as the insecticide synergistic compound piperonyl butoxide. Moderate- and high-severity fires injure mature trees, providing entry for pathogens. Actually, it’s a grouping of sassafras trees, the feature tree being the massive one. All the Sassafras trees on my 60 acre farm have died. Keep reading to learn more. Sassafras randaiense [1] The name "sassafras", applied by the botanist Nicolas Monardes in 1569, comes from the French sassafras. I tried Tenacity and a few other wee If you fall into this category and the above sassafras info intrigues you, you may be wondering how to grow sassafras trees. Sassafras trees grow from 9–35 m (30–115 ft) tall with many slender sympodial branches, and smooth, orange-brown bark or yellow bark. More Sassafras Tree Facts. Because they dry and burn easily in winter, i took a trencher and just made an 18" deep trench about 35" in diameter, in the fall, after the temperatures cooled. [25] East Asian types of sassafras such as Sassafras tzumu (chu mu) and Sassafras randaiense (chu shu) are used in Chinese medicine to treat rheumatism and trauma. Low-severity fires kill seedlings and small saplings. Sassafras albidum Sassafras Tree, Sassafras albidum, a captivating, native North American tree known for its brilliant display of fall foliage and aromatic smell. Fire Effects on Sassafras . Outside of its native area, it is occasionally cultivated in Europe and elsewhere. Beaver Damage To Trees: How To Protect Trees From Beaver Damage, Learn About Beaver Repellent - Beaver Control Information, Gumbo Limbo Info – How To Grow Gumbo Limbo Trees, Planting A Giving Garden: Food Bank Garden Ideas, Giving To Food Deserts – How To Donate To Food Deserts, December To-Do List – What To Do In December Gardens, What Is A Hackberry Tree: Learn About Hackberry Growing, Pine Tree Dying Inside Out: Needles Browning In Center Of Pine Trees, Unhealthy Mandevilla Plants: How To Treat Mandevilla Disease Problems, Naranjilla Plants – Naranjilla Growing Information And Care, Recipes From The Garden: Pressure Cooking Root Vegetables, Gratitude For The Garden – Being Grateful For Each Growing Season, 7 Reasons To Do Your Garden Shopping Locally, Thankful Beyond Words – What Represents Gratefulness In My Garden. It is also used in the production of sassafras tea. What is a sassafras tree and where do sassafras trees grow? Robert L. Metcalf "Insect Control" in Ullmann’s Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry" Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, 2002. The tiny, yellow flowers are generally six-petaled; Sassafras albidum and Sassafras hesperia are dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate trees, while Sassafras tzumu and Sassafras randaiense have male and female flowers occurring on the same trees. Here are some interesting facts and useful information on […] It grows in moist well-drained or sandy loam soils and tolerant of a variety soil types. [2][3][4] The genus is distinguished by its aromatic properties, which have made the tree useful to humans. Sassafras berries, appearing in July in East Texas. [16] Sassafras was also used as an early dental anesthetic and disinfectant. The stand appeared to stay pure and fully alive for over 100 years. Sassafras are deciduous trees, meaning that they lose their leaves each year. includes only three species of tree, the most common of which, white sassafras (S. albidum), is frequently referred to as sassafras. Long grown for its medicinal properties as well as file powder (powdered leaves), the leaves of growing sassafras trees are initially a vibrant green but come autumn they turn glorious colors of orange-pink, yellow-red and scarlet-purple. You don't need much but you'll probably have to do it a few times as they keep emerging. It can also be made into a stand alone sassafras tea. Leaves are 3"-7" long and bright to medium green in summer changing to enchanting colors of deep orange, scarlet, purple and yellow in the fall. The large taproot makes it difficult to transplant, and sassafras trees send out root suckers, creating a multistemmed shrub or colony if … Sassafras trees grow wild in the fencerows in theis area and rarely do you see on in someone's yard. These eye- popping colors make it a lovely tree specimen for the landscape, while its canopy habit creates a cool shaded oasis during the hot summer months. Sassafras is a tree commonly found throughout the eastern United States that grows up to about 60 feet in height. A deciduous tree (or shrub) native to North America, growing sassafras trees can grow to 30 to 60 feet tall by 25 to 40 feet wide with a rounded canopy made up of short layered branches. Sassafras Branches. The sassafras is an ornamental tree. I'm with the tea lovers, but if you want to get rid of the new sprouts you can spray the newly emerging leaves with something like round up . The species are unusual in having three distinct leaf patterns on the same plant: unlobed oval, bilobed (mitten-shaped), and trilobed (three-pronged); the leaves are hardly ever five-lobed. Teas are traditionally made from the roots and file powder from the leaves. The roots and bark of the sassafras tree was used to make oil. Loved reading about this old, old tree on the historical plaque nearby. Sassafras (includes photo of five-lobed leaf), Southern Research Station (www.srs.fs.fed.us), https://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/a?dbs+hsdb:@term+@DOCNO+2653, Wikibooks:Traditional Chinese Medicine/From Sabal Peregrina To Syzygium Samarangense, U of Arkansas: Division of Agriculture Plant of the Week: Sassafras, GardenGuides.com Sassafras – Shrub Plant Guide, Plants for a Future: Plant Portrait – Sassafras albidum, The Jefferson Monticello: The Lucy Meriwether Lewis Marks exhibit – article by Wendy Cortesi, FossilMuseum.net: Rare Sassafras Plant Fossils, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sassafras&oldid=991071496, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from September 2015, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2012, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2019, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from May 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 28 November 2020, at 03:01. Otherwise, sassafras tree care is straightforward. Sassafras Branches. Provide the tree with adequate irrigation but do not overwater or allow sitting in sodden soils. I have an area about 50 x 100 feet that once had several large sassafras trees, and now has a huge number of their offspring. It can be grown in U.S. Hardiness Zones 6 to 8. Sassafras trees are male or female and while both flower, the male being the showier bloomer, only the females bear fruit. & Wehr, Wesley C. 1987. [35], Sassafras oil has also been used as a natural insect or pest deterrent, and in liqueurs (such as the opium-based Godfrey's), and in homemade liquor to mask strong or unpleasant smells. The branching is sympodial. Sassafras fruits are eaten by many species of birds, including bobwhite quail, eastern kingbirds, great crested flycatchers, phoebes, wild turkeys, gray catbirds, northern flickers, pileated woodpeckers, downy woodpeckers, thrushes, vireos, and northern mockingbirds. It was last measured in 2016. In oak savanna in Indiana, sassafras showed significantly less susceptibility to low-severity fire than other species. †Sassafras hesperia It is beautiful as a stand-alone feature in your landscape with yellow flowers in early spring before leaves appear, […] I love the smell of root beer when I mow them, but within a few days the leaves grow back. Interestingly, four and five-lobed leaves can appear, but we will discuss this a little later. Or cut the newbies down … [citation needed], Sassafras is commonly found in open woods, along fences, or in fields. Methods of cooking with sassafras combine this ingredient native to America with traditional North American, as well as European, culinary techniques, to create a unique blend of Creole cuisine, and are thought by some to be heavily influenced by a blend of cultures. It is the main ingredient in traditional root beer and sassafras root tea, and ground leaves of sassafras are a distinctive additive in Louisiana Creole cuisine. To grow your sassafras trees into healthy mature specimens, avoid the common mistakes in planting and care noted below. The roots are frequently dug up, dried, and boiled to make sassafras tea. The trees compared to the shrub layer that is The tree is designated as an ornamental tree because of its strange shaped leaves. Early European colonists reported that the plant was called winauk by Native Americans in Delaware and Virginia and pauane by the Timucua. Its 4- to 8-inch leaves emit a fragrant aroma when crushed, as do the showy yellow spring blooms. It is also used as a fungicide, dentifrice, rubefacient, diaphoretic, perfume, carminative and sudorific. Use should be cautious because they have been found to potentially contain carcenogens. Rabbits eat sassafras bark in winter. For most animals, sassafras is not consumed in large enough quantities to be important, although it is an important deer food in some areas. Sassafras oil was the original source of the flavor of root beer. The bark of the tree has a wrinkled appearance. Although a fully mature tree can reach 80 feet, most only grow 20 to 30 feet tall, so sassafras trees are suitable for a backyard. I am trying to create a woodland-ish garden with the anchor of a large maple tree, shrubs, eventually perennials, etc, so I am tryign to gradually clear out sassafras and nasty rose-like briar patch and put in what I want. [5] All parts of the plants are fragrant. Not in the sense of the bark but in the way it regrows. Sassafras tzumu They are quite pretty with their unique leaves and lovely fall color. [29] It is banned in the United States for use in commercially mass-produced foods and drugs by the FDA as a potential carcinogen.[21]. Sassafras trees have aromatic, yellow-green spring flowers, with a fragrance similar to root beer, and the green leaves turns an impressive orange-red in fall. The Arbor Day Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservation and education organization. Due to its canopy-like, rich and colorful foliage, it is a very attractive tree for landscaping. 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). We inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. Deciduous sassafras trees lose all of their leaves for part of the year, depending on variations in rainfall. Sassafras is a key ingredient in spring tonics. Leaves are 3"-7" long and bright to medium green in summer changing to enchanting colors of deep orange, scarlet, purple and yellow in the fall. Sassafras is a very strong tree. Sassafras is a very strong tree. Sassafras trees scientific name is Sassafras albidum and hails from the family Lauraceae. I was excited to join some friends during their recent Sassafras harvest in order to obtain pictures to go with my article and share in the bounty of the harvest as well. However, when they have their leaves, they are very easy to identify. Big Sassafras Tree. Tiffany Leptuck, "Medical Attributes of 'Sassafras albidum' – Sassafras"], Kenneth M. Klemow, Ph.D., Wilkes-Barre University, 2003. They will grow in clay, loam, sand and acidic soils provided there is adequate drainage. Sassafras trees grow from 9–35 m (30–115 ft) tall with many slender sympodial branches, and smooth, orange-brown bark or yellow bark. [29][30], Sassafras albidum is often grown as an ornamental tree for its unusual leaves and aromatic scent. We get 40-60" of precipitation per year, and the soil is mostly decent clay based soil, sometimes rocky. The branching is sympodial. See more ideas about sassafras tree, plants, tree. [12][clarification needed]. [31] The durable and beautiful wood of sassafras plants has been used in shipbuilding and furniture-making in North America, in Asia, and in Europe (once Europeans were introduced to the plant). All parts of sassafras plants, including roots, stems, twig leaves, bark, flowers, and fruit, have been used for culinary, medicinal, and aromatic purposes, both in areas where they are endemic and in areas where they were imported, such as Europe. Is there a disease rampant that is killing all the Sassafras similar to the ones that killed all the Mimosa trees years ago and a certain kind of Oak not too long ago? Sassafras trees will grow in part shade to part sun and are soil tolerant. Wolfe, Jack A. Many other trees contain similarly high percentages and their extracted oils are sometimes referred to as sassafras oil,[34] which once was extensively used as a fragrance in perfumes and soaps, food and for aromatherapy. https://www.gardenanalyst.com/ornamental/trees/sassafras-tree-information