[Sca-cooks] sassafras/file'

[Halima al-Shafi'i of Raven's Cove]

Most times when referring to sassafras, people are referring to the root
bark, as in sassafras tea, or used in making authentic root beer.  File'
powder, however, is the powdered leaves of the sassafras tree, sometimes
mixed with powdered thyme or oregano.  It is an unusual tree, in that it
has three distinctly different shaped leaves on the same tree.  Either
plain oval, shaped like a mitten with one "thumb" (lobe") on one side,
or a two-"thumbed" mitten.  It is very common in the southeast US, and
grows in the edges of woods and in fencelines.  You harvest the root
bark in the winter when the tree is dormant.  If you need some sassafras
leaves, please let me know and I'll go out and pick you some, dry them,
and drop them in the post!

Halima al-Shafi'i
Stronghold of Raven's Cove
(Certified Master Herbalist Candidate)