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It is healing throughout the alimentary and eliminative systems, and is an effective cleanser of the whole body. Sassafras is often used to cover the disagreeable taste of herbal bitters. The pith makes an excellent demulcent and healing drink for the stomach and intestines (and is an antidote for poisoning by acid or alkaline corrosives).
It is a deciduous tree. The stem grows from 10-125 feet tall and is covered with a rough, grayish bark. Leaves are alternate, downy on the lower side, and variable from ovate to elliptic, entire or 3-lobed. The small, yellowish-green flowers grow in racemes, blooming before the leaves appear. The fruit is a pea-sized, yellowish-green drupe.
It is a anodyne, antiseptic, diaphoretic, diuretic, and stimulant. The root bark tea was a famous spring blood tonic and blood purifier, used traditoinally for stomachaches, arthritis, high blood pressure, kidney ailments, colds, fevers, and skin problems.
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