Safrole is a useful, naturally-occurring chemical precursor that also happens to be found in some of the foods we eat, such as nutmeg and cinnamon. Most notably though, it is found highly concentrated in the roots of the sassafras tree, which is the root that originally put the "root" in "root beer". Ever since its ban in the 1960's however, root beer just hasn't been the same. So in this video, I'll be extracting safrole from wild sassafras and using it to make my own authentic, safrole-based root beer!

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Notes on legality and YouTube-friendliness: safrole itself is NOT a drug. I am not showing how to make drugs. As far as I can tell, you can own safrole in the United States, but you cannot buy or sell it. The amount I made is fairly benign in the eyes of law enforcement, however, if I had made more than a few hundred grams, I might have some explaining to do!
Regarding YouTube, this type of content does not go against the community guidelines: as long as other people are allowed to put up videos of List I precursors (such as benzaldehyde, iodine, or phosphorus), I should be able to do the same.

WARNING: safrole, while fairly safe in low doses, can be poisonous if more than a few milliliters is ingested. Also, safrole itself does not possess the significant psychoactive properties that its derivatives do, so don't try getting high off of it! By the time you take enough to notice its effects, you'll be in pretty bad shape. I take no responsibility for the actions of individuals who attempt to replicate my work. I do not condone drug use or the illicit synthesis of MDMA and other amphetamines.

0:00 Intro
0:21 Root beer is a lie
1:24 Obtaining the forbidden root
2:06 Getting the safrole out
2:51 Steam distillation
4:06 Isolating and washing the safrole
5:21 Making root beer
8:36 Tasting REAL root beer!
9:53 Final thoughts
10:22 Promoting something important
11:06 Conclusion