Mountain High
Raw Sassafras Vinegar

As you may recall, the entire poison-oak plant is covered with an oily resin. The human skin can erupt in horrible itching after it comes in direct contact with the oil.  That can happen either by touching the plant or touching something that has contacted it, such as clothing or firewood.  Even when the plant is dead it can cause harm.  In fact, breathing smoke that came from firewood contaminated with poison oak can cause severe agony inside the lungs. 

Scratching an outside wound caused by poison oak does not alleviate the itching.  About the only thing that scratching does accomplish is increase the size of the wound.  That does not dilute the pain or the itch.  Furthermore, scratching the wound can place some of that oil under your fingernails and thus it can be transported to other vulnerable areas, and even transfer portions to other people. 

What chemical does all this damage?  Urushiol is the poison scientists have tracked down as the guilty culprit in the poison oak oil.  For more information check out the web site at:  http://www.cattail.nu/ivy/ivy_resin.html

Poison Oak

Every year millions of dollars are spent on controlling the agony caused by poison oak.  Many patients prefer the agony of the poison to the agony caused by the cure. 

HOWEVER, a topical cleanser made from sassafras leaves may be the best poison oak remedy available.  It has the ability to soothe the symptoms and alleviate poison oak (and poison ivy) pain and itching by actually dissolving the oil.  You won't have any yucky patches left stuck all over you either.  Furthermore, you can use the cleanser as often as necessary.

Well yes, it does feel like wet water, and that's good!  Most of the water in the United States does not feel like wet water.  In some places it feels like a wet chemical bath.  Just about all city water contains chlorine -- and other chemicals. Simply toweling off after a regular shower or bath leaves those chemicals from the soap or shampoo smothering your body.

On the other hand, the clean, cool feeling that comes from splashing on this sassafras cleanser will linger far longer than if you were to simply towel off.  Not only does this give a soothing effect immediately, it seems to produce a healing touch that lasts all day long.  This is not an astringent.  It is not a detergent.  It is a cleanser because it DISSOLVES the foreign particulates and carries them away, leaving nothing but a clean, healthy feeling behind.

WARNING:  As with anything that touches the skin, just try a little bit on one tiny spot and make sure YOU don't have an adverse reaction to this wash BEFORE using it wholeheartedly.

At the risk of making this sound like a miracle plant, sassafras also makes a great and gentle shampoo.  Used as an after bath splash you'll be left feeling clean most of the day.   After the shaving process is completed the sassafras cleanser can simply be splashed over the face.  I have seen it work wonders with a staph infection on my grand daughter.  I have seen it bring cooling relief to a woman suffering from shingles for six years.

Out in the woods -- or just camping out in the back yard -- sassafras cleanser will stand you in better stead than soap and water.  You will stay clean far longer, and rinsing is not necessary.  Like I said, just splash it on and forget it.  In cold weather, damp it off with a towel, if you must.

sassafras cleanser also works on rashes produced by other agents, like those experienced in the crotch area. Campers can use it to soothe the bite of annoying insects.

What people like best about sassafras cleanser is that it is so inexpensive.  Just find yourself a sassafras tree and you've got it for free.  That makes it so cheap that you could in fact, afford to take a bath in it.  Consequently, when the effectiveness wears down, just splash some more on.

Okay.  The first thing we want to do is identify the tree itself.  Currently,  http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Sassafras.html has better pictures than I can produce on the web of the leaves on the sassafras tree.  Be sure to note there are three different shapes of leaves on the same tree and at the same time and usually, right together.

If you are doing purely scientific research I suggest plucking the leaves in the spring time right after the new leaves unfurl, and do it before breakfast.  At this time of the year and day they are fresh and clean.  However, the leaves may be plucked at any time while they are still green as they lose little potency. 

After plucking the leaves, trim away any stems, right up to the leaves.  Rinse the leaves quickly and place in a NON aluminum saucepan.  Fill the pan three fourths full of distilled water, then put in enough leaves that the water begins to feel full. 

There is a setting on your stove that you use to MAINTAIN a boil.  For example, you turn the heat up to HIGH to bring it to a boil, then you turn it down a notch or two where it will continue to boil.  Use this lower setting and bring your water slowly to a boil.  Turn off the heat immediately and let the mixture cool.  Remove the leaves before pouring the cleanser into a soft plastic or glass container that you can put a lid on. Use cheese cloth as a filter.

The mixture can be kept in the refrigerator until needed.  For easiest dispensing, pour some off into a squirt bottle -- or spray bottle -- as needed.  If anybody sees you using it and asks what in the world you are making now I suggest that you respond with the words:

Mountain High
Raw Sassafras Vinegar.

That will keep them out of it.

If they want some for their own use, send them to this page.
In fact, send them here whether they want some or not.

Of course, if you are SELLING this idea to them you'll want to give it a better name, something like: MORNING SPLASH. 

Wow.  That name makes me want to get it all over me.  And, I do.  After shaving I will rinse my face first.  Then I run some of this sassafras liquid through my hair, then I rinse my face with it, and I go all the way down to my chest with it.  One rinse in the morning and my hair, face and neck feel clean all day.

The other day I needed to wash my windshield before leaving on a trip.  The sassafras squirt bottle was handy so I took it.  The windshield came out sparkling clean but I noticed the backs of my mirrors were even dirtier than the windshield had been.  It took two cleanings but the mirror backs came out sparkling clean.

After the trip I went out with dishwashing detergent and tried to clean the backs of those mirrors.  Even after two HARD scrubbings with a webbed sponge they were still dirty.  Sassafras again came to the rescue.