| Related sites for http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/s/sassaf20.html |
| Wilderness_Survival__Edible_Plants Describes the identification and preparation of flora for consumption. Includes diagrams, the Universal Edibility Test, and lists of edible varieties. | | You_Can_Become_a_Hardcore_Forager Article from Backwoods Home Magazine, issue 47. Includes information on tools needed, safety, preparation, as well as details on some plants, frogs, turtles and fish. | | Disgusting_critter_just_needs_a_new_image_____and_gravy_ Humorous article from The Standard-Times containing information on eating nutria. (November 19, 1997) | | American_Cheese_Society From the not-for-profit organization which promotes cheeses. General information for all cheese types. | | Black_Diamond The snack that peels with a twist. Cheestrings product info, games, activities and contests. [Requires Flash.] | | British_Cheese_Board Information on British cheeses, including links to producers and recipes. | | Canadian_Cheese_Encyclopedia Information about cheeses including history, recipes, and cheesemaking. | | Cheese_101 A cheese primer for beginner cooks from the Reluctant Gourmet. | | The_Cheese_Diaries Pictures and posts from writers who adore cheese of all kinds. | | Cheese_Island Quirky reviews of various cheeses, paying attention to the all-important distinction between "good cheese" and "bad cheese." | | Cheese_of_France Official site on French cheese. Quizzes, recipes and suitable wines suggested. | | Cheese_com Everything you want to know about cheese. Extensive search features. | | Cheeses_From_Spain The Spanish Trade Commission's visual guide to hundreds of regional Spanish "quesos" | | Cheeses_of_France Origin of cheese and specific information about French cheese. | | The_Cheeseweb Information about cheese, cheesemakers, cheese sellers and cheese events around the world. | | Cook\'s_Thesaurus___Cheeses Synonyms, equivalents, and substitutions for a variety of semi-firm cheeses. | | DolceVita_Cuisine A concise look at Italy's most popular cheeses. | | Dream_Cheese Descriptions of various types of specialty cheeses including their origins and serving suggestions, tips on buying and storing, receipes. | | Epicurious__Cheese General introduction to cheese and links to more specific descriptions of many gourmet cheeses. | | French_Cheeses Overview 400 French cheeses with wines, regions, and seasonal recommendations. | | Great_Cheeses_of_New_England Descriptions of area cheeses, with chefs' cheese recipes, tips on nutrition, storage, serving and pairings. | | Greek_Cheeses Descriptions of the varieties commonly used, including feta. | | Hispanic_Cheeses A guide to Hispanic cheeses and creams. | | I_Love_Cheese The American Dairy Association's official site includes recipes and information on nutrition and storage of cheese. | | Lancewood_Cheese The official site for this South African cheese producer. Includes recipes and other helpful information. | | Mousetrap_Cheese Information about a working cheese dairy in Herefordshire, England, and information about the cheeses. | | Netherland\'s_Cheese Information on cheesemaking, cheese markets, museums, and serving suggestions for cheeses from the Netherlands. | | Norwegian_Cheeses Recipes and information regarding Norwgian cheeses. | | Real_California_Cheese The official site for California cheese includes cheesemaker listings and a virtual cheese-making tour. | | Safe_Handling_of_Cheese Factsheet from Clemson University: Recommendations for storage and handling of cheese. | | Switzerland_Cheese_in_Canada Cheese photographs and descriptions, recipes, points of sale in Canada, and promotional contests of authentic Switzerland cheese. | | Truth_About_Cheese Brief comments on a selection of popular cheeses. | | Vermont_Cheese_Council Trade organization to advance the production and image of premier cheeses from the state. | | Whatleigh\'s_Grilled_Cheese Recipes, ideas and advice on making the perfect grilled cheese sandwich. | | Wisconsin_Cheese_Guide Prairie Ridge provides information on Wisconsin cheeses including storing, cooking and nutritional information. | | Wisconsin_Milk_Marketing_Board Regional cheese news and facts, including kids' games, scholarships, recipes, and a form to send away for a cheese-and-beer map. | | ASK_Jello College students find meaning in attempting to make a 100-gallon bowl of jello. | | The_Gallery_of_Regrettable_Food__Jell-O Traces the decline and fall of western civilization as seen through the medium of Jell-O ads of the 1930s and '40s. Part of James Lileks' humorous and nostalgic site. | | How_Jell-O_Killed_the_Dinosaurs Explains what *really* happened to the dinosaurs. Includes pictures. | | Jello A rambling poem. |
|
botanical.com - A Modern Herbal | Sassafras  Nees, Sassafras(Sassafras albidum Nutt.)Click on graphic for larger imageSassafrasBotanical: Sassafras officinale (LEES and EBERM.)Family: N.O. LauraceaeDescriptionConstituentsDosagePoison and AntidotesOther Species ---Synonyms---Sassafras varifolium. Laurus Sassafras. Sassafrax. Sassafras radix. ---Parts Used---Bark-root and the root, pith. ---Habitat---Eastern United States, from Canada to Florida, and Mexico. ---Description---The name 'Sassafras,' applied by the Spanish botanist Monardes in the sixteenth century, is said to be a corruption of the Spanish word for saxifrage. The tree stands from 20 to 40 feet high, with many slender branches, and smooth, orangebrown bark. The leaves are broadly oval, alternate, and 3 to 7 inches long. The flowers are small, and of an inconspicuous, greenishyellow colour. The roots are large and woody, their bark being soft and spongy, rough, and reddish or greyish-brown in colour. The living bark is nearly white, but exposure causes its immediate discoloration. The roots are imported in large, branched pieces, which may or may not be covered with bark, and often have attached to them a portion of the lower part of the trunk. The central market for all parts is Baltimore. The entire root is official in the British Pharmacopoeia, but only the more active bark in the United States, where wood and bark form separate articles of commerce. The bark without its corky layer is brittle, and the presence of small crystals cause its inner surface to glisten. Both bark and wood have a fragrant odour, and an aromatic, somewhat astringent taste. The tree, which has berries like those of cinnamon, appears to have been cultivated in England some centuries ago, for in 1633 Johnston wrote: 'I have given the figure of a branch taken from a little sassafras tree which grew in the garden of Mr. Wilmot at Bon.' Probably it was discovered by the Spaniards in Florida, for seventy years earlier there is mention of the reputation of its roots in Spain as a cure for syphilis, rheumatism, etc., though its efficacy has sincethen been much disputed. The fragrant oil distilled from the rootbark is extensively used in the manufacture of the coarser kinds of perfume, and for scenting the cheapest grades of soap. The oil used in perfumes is also extracted from the fruits. The wood and bark of the tree furnish a yellow dye. In Louisiana, the leaves are used as a condiment in sauces, and also for thickening soups; while the young shoots are used in Virginia for making a kind of beer. Mixed with milk and sugar, Sassafras Tea, under the name of 'Saloop,' could, until a few years ago, be bought at London streetcorners in the early mornings. SASSAFRAS PITH (Sassafras medulla) is only official in the United States. It is usually found in thin, cylindrical pieces, which are light and spongy, white and insipid. Its principal constituent is mucilage, which may be prepared by adding 60 grains of the pith to a pint of boiling water. This remains limpid when alcohol is added. It is used as a demulcent, especially for inflammation of the eyes, and as a soothing drink in catarrhal affection. [Top] ---Constituents---The root-bark contains a heavy and a light volatile oil, camphorous matter, resin, wax a decomposition product of tannic acid called Sassafrid, tannic acid, gum, albumen, starch, lignin and salts. Sassafrid bears some analogy to cinchonic red. The bark yields from 6 to 9 per cent of oil, of which the chief constituent is Safrol (80 per cent). It is one of the heaviest of the volatile oils, and when cold deposits four- or six-sided prisms of Sassafras camphor, which retain the odour. It should be preserved in well-stoppered, amber-coloured bottles, away from the light. Three bushels of the root yield about 1 lb. Safrol has been found to be one of those bodies which can exist either in a solid or a liquid condition long after freezing or melting-point. Chemically, it has been found to be the methylene ether of allyl-dioxibenene. It is found in many other species, is now commercially extracted from oil of Camphor, and could possibly be obtained from some members of the Cinnamomum family. Physiologically and therapeutically it is equivalent to oil of Sassafras. Oil of Sassafras is chiefly used for flavouring purposes, particularly to conceal the flavour of opium when given to children. In the United States of America it is employed for flavouring effervescing drinks. ---Medicinal Action and Uses---Aromatic, stimulant, diaphoretic, alterative. It is rarely given alone, but is often combined with guaiacum or sarsaparilla in chronic rheumatism, syphilis, and skin diseases. The oil is said to relieve the pain caused by menstrual obstructions, and pain following parturition, in doses of 5 to 10 drops on sugar, the same dose having been found useful in gleet and gonorrhoea. Safrol is found to be slowly absorbed from the alimentary canal, escaping through the lungs unaltered, and through the kidneys oxidized into piperonalic acid. A teaspoonful of the oil produced vomiting, dilated pupils, stupor and collapse in a young man. It is used as a local application for wens and for rheumatic pains, and it has been praised as a dental disinfectant. Its use has caused abortion in several cases. Dr. Shelby of Huntsville stated that it would both prevent and remove the injurious effects of tobacco. A lotion of rose-water or distilled water, with Sassafras Pith, filtered after standing for four hours, is recommended for the eyes. ---Dosage---Of fluid extract, 1/2 to 1 drachm. Of Sassafras bark, 1 to 2 drachms. Of oil of Sassafras, 1 to 5 drops. Mucilage, U.S.P., 4 drachms. [Top] ---Poison and Antidotes---The oil can produce marked narcotic poisoning, and death by causing widespread fatty degeneration of the heart, liver, and kidneys, or, in a larger dose, by great depression of the circulation, followed by a centric paralysis of respiration. ---Other Species---The name is also applied to the following: BLACK SASSAFRAS, or Oliveri Cortex (Oliver's Bark), a substitute for cinnamon in Australia. SWAMP SASSAFRAS, or Magnolia glauca, an aromatic, diaphoretic, tonic bitter. AUSTRALIAN SASSAFRAS, or Atherosperma moschatum, a powerful poison, useful in rheumatism, syphilis and bronchitis. SASSAFRAS GOESIANUM, or Massoja aromatica, yielding Massoi Bark. CALIFORNIA SASSAFRAS, or Umbellularia californica, the leaves of which are employed in headache, colic and diarrhoea. [Top] Purchase from Botanical.comSassafras LeafSassafras Root BarkSassafras Root Bark PowderCommon Name IndexA MODERN HERBAL Home PageBear in mind "A Modern Herbal" was written with the conventional wisdom of the early 1900's. This should be taken into account as some of the information may now be considered inaccurate, or not in accordance with modern medicine. © Copyright Protected 1995-2008 Botanical.com  |
|
