Maintaining healthy blood pressure is an essential part of preventing heart disease, stroke and other medical conditions. Since high blood pressure, or hypertension, rarely presents symptoms in the early stages, you'll need regular blood pressure screenings. Sassafras tea, a highly aromatic beverage, was once valued as a spring tonic, but in 1960, the Food and Drug Administration banned the herb from use in human food, due to tests indicting the herb is likely to cause cancer. Despite the ruling, sassafras is still popular in some areas, according to the "Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine."
Sassafras
Sassafras albidum is the botanical name for the sassafras tree that is native to North America and grows abundantly throughout the eastern part of the United States. Tea, prepared from root shavings, contains safrole, a volatile oil thought to be responsible for the herb's medicinal effects as well as its carcinogenic effects.
Uses
Sassafras tea is diuretic, making it once popular for treating urinary tract disorders. Native Americans used the herb to help new mothers recover from giving birth, reports the "Gale Encyclopedia." Folk medicine use of sassafras continues today and includes the treatment of syphilis, PMS, colds, flu and high blood pressure, although there is no evidence that sassafras tea is beneficial for treating any of these conditions.
Effect on Blood Pressure
Despite the folk use of sassafras to lower blood pressure, in high doses, safrole, the active and poisonous constituent of sassafras, may actually cause high blood pressure, warns Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Additional Risks
Do not drink sassafras tea. In addition to being a cancer-causing agent, safrole can produce side effects, even in low doses. These include hot flashes, drowsiness and diaphoresis, meaning increased perspiration, reports Sloan-Kettering. At high doses, the herb may also cause hallucinations and rapid heart rate. There is no safe amount of sassafras tea. Ask your doctor about diet and lifestyle recommendations for maintaining healthy blood pressure, and don't use herbal remedies until your doctor assures you they are safe and effective.
References
- "Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine"; Jacqueline L. Longe; 2005
- FDA; CFR -- Code of Federal Regulation Title 21: Substances Prohibited From Use in Human Food: Safrole
- Sloan-Kettering: Sassafras January 2010
