SASSAFRAS ALBIDUM

FAMILY :: LAURACEAE
SASSAFRAS, PAVAME: A large, aromatic, deciduous tree native to the southern Atlantic USA and probably one of the first North American medicinal herbs exported to Europe (in 1574). The root bark and wood are used as a Central Nervous System stimulant, and as an aromatic, carminative, diaphoretic and diuretic. Contains the essential oil, safrole, once used as a flavoring (in soft drinks and opium compounds), and now used as a starting point in the synthesis of MDA and MDMA and other amphetamine-related drugs. Safrole is also considered carcinogenic.