Sassafras Leaves (File powder)

Sassafras leaves are an important ingredient in some distinct foods of the United States. It is the main ingredient in traditional root beer and sassafras root tea, and ground leaves of sassafras are a distinctive additive in Louisiana Creole cuisine (see the article on filé powder, and a common thickening and flavoring agent in gumbo).

Sassafras leaves and flowers have also been used in salads, and to flavor fats or cure meats.

Medicinal properties: Numerous Native American tribes used the leaves of sassafras to treat wounds by rubbing the leaves directly into a wound and used different parts of the plant for many medicinal purposes such as treating acne, urinary disorders, and sicknesses that increased body temperature, such as high fevers.