-=> Sean Dennis wrote to Dave Drum <=-

 DD> "The roots and barks of the sassafras tree contain a high concentration
 DD> of the chemical named safrole."

 SD> You can purchase safrole-free sassafras extract.  My friend makes his
 SD> own rootbeer using that and it tastes pretty good to me.

Personally I think that the kerfluffle over saffrole has almost as much
credibility as the sensationalised cancer scare over artificial sweetner, 
Saccharin was placed on the list of cancer-causing chemicals by the 
Department of Health and Human Services in the late 1970s or early 1980s.

Then someone took a look at the numbers and found that the amounts fed 
to  lab aminals to cause *some* of them to develop tumors was the equivalent
of an average-size humern bean drinking several gallons diet soda per day
for several weeks.

 SD> As an aside, here's the federal law that allows the use of safrole-free
 SD> sassafras: https://tinyurl.com/5n8wfsdd (ecfr.gov)

I know. One of my confuser group member is a scoutmaster and every year
at holiday season he gifts all who show up for the Xmas meeting with a
750 mL botte of his troop's root beer. Complete w/real cork stopper and
a warning to keep it referierated to keep the cork from blowing out.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
 
      Title: Root Beer
 Categories: Beverages, Herbs
      Yield: 40 Bottles
 
      1 oz Sassafras
      1 oz Allspice
      1 oz Yellowdock
      1 oz Wintergreen
    1/2 oz Wild cherry bark
    1/2 oz Coriander seeds
      1 oz Hops
      3 qt Molasses
    1/2 pt Yeast *
      4 ga Cold water
 
  Mix together the sassafras, allspice, yellow dock,
  wintergreen, wild cherry bark, coriander seeds, hops
  and molasses.
  
  Cover them with boiling water, allow to stand for 24
  hours, then filter, add the yeast and cold water.
  
  The beer will be ready in twenty-four hours. Bottle
  and seal.
  
  "This is a recipe from a very old (1914) canning,
  preserving and pickling book I have."
  
  * I'm unsure if the recipe really means a HALF-PINT
  of yeasties - or if it means 1/2 packet of yeast. UDD
  
  Posted by: Gidget Lowther
  
  From: http://www.recipesource.com
  
  Uncle Dirty Dave's Archives
 
MMMMM

... "Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one" -- A. J. Why
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52