Sassafras Tea Benefits and Side Effects Menu Verywell Fit Nutrition Weight Management Nutrition Facts Nutrition Basics Diets Meal Plans Meal Delivery Services View All News Fitness and Nutrition What to Buy How We Test Products Fitness Gear Nutrition Products Tools Recipe Nutrition Calculator Weight Loss Calorie Goal BMI Calculator Body Fat Percentage Calculator Calories Burned by Activity Daily Calories Burned Pace Calculator About Us Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Search Nutrition Facts Water and Beverages Sassafras Tea Benefits and Side Effects Learn Potential Risks Before You Make Sassafras Tea at Home By Malia Frey Malia Frey Malia Frey is a weight loss expert, certified health coach, weight management specialist, personal trainer​, and fitness nutrition specialist. Learn about our editorial process Updated on October 05, 2021 Medically reviewed Verywell Fit articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and nutrition and exercise healthcare professionals. Medical Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by Melissa Rifkin, MS, RD, CDN Medically reviewed by Melissa Rifkin, MS, RD, CDN Melissa Rifkin is a Connecticut-based registered dietitian with over 15 years of experience working in the clinical setting. Learn about our Medical Review Board Print Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman If you like root beer, you might enjoy sassafras tea. Sassafras was originally used to flavor the popular soda. The benefits of sassafras are widely reported on the internet. But not all of these advantages are supported by scientific evidence—even if you make natural sassafras tea at home. And there are significant health warnings that you should be aware of if you choose to drink this tea. What Is Sassafras Tea Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) is a relatively small, ornamental, deciduous tree that is native to Missouri but grown across the eastern United States. The tree has distinctive greenish-yellow blossoms that appear in April or May. But it is the roots and the root bark (or peeled root) that are used for medicinal purposes. Roots may be dried and used for tea and were formerly used as the flavoring for root beer. People who learn how to make sassafras tea at home may use either the leaves or parts of the root. It is prepared as many traditional herbal teas are prepared, pouring hot water over the leaves and allowing them to steep. You can also buy commercially-prepared sassafras tea bags or concentrate. Some of these products will state that they use "sassafras flavor" rather than sassafras in the making of the tea. Others will state that the sassafras used in the tea is "safrole-free." Safrole is found in certain parts of the sassafras tree and has caused significant concern among researchers. In animal studies, safrole has been shown to cause liver cancer and is classified as a carcinogenic substance. Risk increases with length of exposure and amount consumed. Sassafras Tea Risks and Side Effects The volatile oil—or rapidly evaporating essential oil— found in the roots of the sassafras tree contains safrole. Safrole has been classified as a Substance Generally Prohibited From Direct Addition or Use as Human Food. Concerns about safrole became significant after studies conducted in the 1960s and 1970s showed that safrole caused cancer in rodents. At that time, sassafras was used to flavor root beer. Since the 1970s, sassafras root can only be used as a flavoring if the safrole has been removed. Some health experts (most notably, Dr. Andrew Weil) still say that drinking sassafras tea is probably safe in moderation. However, other health organizations advise caution, stating more specifically that your cancer risk increases with the length of exposure and the amount consumed. Less notably, sassafras may also cause hot flashes or sweating. Sassafras Tea Health Benefits The health benefits of sassafras tea are reported to be numerous. The tea (and sassafras, in general) has a long history of medicinal use. Native Americans reportedly believed that sassafras was a miracle cure and promoted the tonic to European explorers who were less impressed with it. The purported benefits of sassafras include: Improved urinary tract healthReduced symptoms of arthritisClearer skin and eyesTreatment of sprainsReduced itching or swelling from bug bites or stingsA boost in immune healthImproved circulationReduced symptoms of goutImproved digestionReduced fevers Although you probably won't find medical doctors (and many other health providers) promoting the use or benefits of sassafras tea, some herbal practitioners still use it, believing that it is safe to consume in moderation. However, none of these reported benefits has been proven with high quality, published scientific research. The effectiveness of sassafras cannot be confirmed because the health concerns over sassafras make human research unlikely. A Word From Verywell Just because a product contains an ingredient that may cause cancer in humans or that has been shown to cause cancer in rodents, doesn't mean that it necessarily will cause cancer in you if you choose to consume it. But there are many alternatives to sassafras tea that may provide the same flavor and taste that you enjoy without the potential for harm. If you enjoy herbal tea, consider teas made from chrysanthemum or jasmine. You might also enjoy a cup of mint tea. Different types of tea provide different benefits—many which have been documented in scientific studies. Explore the various types to find one that you enjoy. 5 Sources Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Segelman AB, Segelman FP, Karliner J, Sofia RD. Sassafras and herb tea. Potential health hazards. JAMA. 1976;236(5):477. doi:10.1001/jama.1976.03270050033026 Sassafras. About Herbs, Botanicals, and Other Products. Memorial Sloane Kettering Cancer Center. Dolan LC, Matulka RA, Burdock GA. Naturally occurring food toxins. Toxins (Basel). 2010;2(9):2289–2332. doi:10.3390/toxins2092289 Setzer WN. The Phytochemistry of Cherokee Aromatic Medicinal Plants. Medicines (Basel). 2018;5(4):121. Published 2018 Nov 12. doi:10.3390/medicines5040121 Kamdem DP, Gage DA. Chemical composition of essential oil from the root bark of Sassafras albidum. Planta Med. 1995;61(6):574-5. doi: 10.1055/s-2006-959379 Additional Reading Sassafras Root Bark Tea. Therapeutic Research Center. Natural Medicines Database. Sassafras. Therapeutic Research Center. Natural Medicines Database. Sassafras. Memorial Sloan Kettering Integrative Medicine About Herbs, Botanicals & Other Products. By Malia Frey Malia Frey is a weight loss expert, certified health coach, weight management specialist, personal trainer​, and fitness nutrition specialist. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? 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