Hillbilly Slang

Authentic sayings, folk stories, and mountain wisdom.

sassafras tea

Sassafras tea is an old Appalachian and Southern drink made by boiling sassafras roots or bark. It was used as both a spring tonic and an everyday tea, known for its red color and strong, root beer-like taste.

#SouthernWords   #Appalachia   #FoodandDrink   #Southern

Hillbilly Dude Says...
One of my brothers knew of a patch of sassafras up close to the whoop-dee-doos (where they'd jump their bikes), so we had sassafras tea ever now and again growin' up. We're crawling with it now, but I haven't had any in years. It's like root beer without the fuzz. 

Pronunciation

[SASS-uh-frass tee]

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Meaning & Usage

- A drink made from sassafras root (noun)

Mae:
What’s in that kettle?
Earl:
Sassafras tea - smells like springtime.

- A folk remedy tonic (noun, cultural sense)

Mae:
Why’d y’all drink that?
Earl:
Said it cleaned the blood come spring - just what folks done.
other spellings: spring tonic, sassafras root tea, root beer tea, and sass tea
★ The deep red color of sassafras tea made it stand out on the table. For mountain families, it wasn’t just a drink - it was tied to seasonal cycles and folk medicine. ★

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