sassafras tea
Root tea mountain folks drank as a spring tonic.
Also called sass tea, sassafras tonic.
Updated September 24, 2026
sassafras tea pronunciation
/SASS-uh-frass tee/
Meaning
Sassafras tea is boiled from sassafras roots or tender twigs, then strained and sweetened. Appalachian families used it as a spring tonic to "thin the blood" after a long winter. It smells and tastes a little like old-time root beer. Folks still talk about it on porches and in Foxfire-style kitchen lore.
How folks use it
- “Mama put on a pot of sassafras tea first warm day of March.”
- “Granddaddy swore by sassafras tea every spring.”
Origin and etymology
Sassafras is a native tree of the eastern woods. Cherokee and other Southeastern peoples used it long before settlers. Appalachian and Southern farm families kept the root tea as everyday spring medicine and a kitchen drink. Modern science later flagged safrole in the root oil, so commercial versions are usually treated.
Frequently asked questions
Is homemade sassafras tea safe?
Old-timers drank it for generations, but the root has safrole, which regulators later tied to liver trouble in animal tests. If you brew it, know the risk and keep it rare.