Blood purifier
In the ozarks people dug sassafras roots in the spring.
They could not go to the store for fresh fruits and vegetables, and by this time, their supplies of preserved fruits and veggies where either running out or the nutritional quality was declining. The point is they where likely deficient in many essential nutrients.
Add some real vitamins and minerals that are fresh and concentrated with some sugar or honey and make a tea. Guess what? It made them feel a lot better. They were not trained in nutrition, or physiology, so they said it was a blood purifier. Remember a deciduous tree stores its resources in the roots to prepare for the spring.
People today are not likely to be deficient in many nutrients unless there is some other disease process going on, so no it is not going to have the same effect, but I like the taste and smell.
Dan