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Sassafras albidium, whose aromatic bark, leaves and roots were highly sought after in the early days of exploration for their medicinal properties. From the Native American Sassafras tree found from Maine to Florida and west to the Mississippi. File first came to prominence as a drug believed to be a cure for many digestive ailments and infectious diseases. File' is prepared from the leaves of the sassafras tree, Pure powdered sassafras leaves have long been used extensively in Cajun and Creole cooking. Because they thicken, as well as flavor, traditional seafood soups and stews, the name has become synonymous with gumbo.
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