Monday, February 15, 2016

Sassafras, Brain Tonic

We love to read and collect old bottles. Sassafras is the herb that is often easy to recognize because of its mitten shaped leaf. The bark of the root is found in many different "Root Beers" as it has a very pleasant flavor. The PA German consider the root a "Spring Tonic". It is a very mild blood thinner and is used in the spring to get the body moving again after a sluggish winter. Sassafras is a plant native to the US and one the Native Americans also used for flavoring and as a tonic. The leaf of sassafras is ground up and included as one of the ingredients to make "Gumbo File" powder, a thickening agent in Creole cooking.

4 comments:

Linda Jennings said...

I remember my grandmother talking about health benefits of sassafras years ago.

Bernideen said...

I need a swig right now - believe me!

Marilyn Miller said...

Sounds interesting. My mother use to make root beer from a bottle that looked similar to that.

Angela McRae said...

Brain Tonic? Ah, if only it were that simple, I'd order a quart or two! :)