All parts of the tree are aromatic. Gather the root bark anytime, dry for later use. Sassafras was used extensively for food and medicine by Native Americans long before European settlers arrived. Sassafras bark was one of the first exports of the New World. The young leaves can be added to salads and have a mild aromatic flavor.
Sassafras tea is made from the root bark, it is refreshing and tonic.
The root bark and root pith are used in alternative medicine as an alterative, anodyne, antiseptic, aromatic, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic, stimulant and vasodilator. An Infusion is used to treat gastrointestinal complaints, colds, liver and kidney ailments, rheumatism skin eruptions and as a blood purifier. The production of sassafras oil by distillation of the root and root bark is a small industry in the southeastern section of the country. Now prohibited for use as a flavoring or food additive because it is said to have carcinogenic properties, though it is less likely to cause cancer than alcohol. A sassafras tree repels mosquitoes and other insects.