Sarsaparilla

Smilax ornata

Also: Jamaican sarsaparilla, Smilax regelii, Zarzaparrilla

WarmingMoisteningTonifying

A warming root for the liver, the skin, and stiff, dry joints.

A prickly climbing vine of tropical American forests whose long, slender roots were dug, dried, and shipped to Europe by the ton. Sarsaparilla warms and moistens, stirs a sluggish liver, and clears chronic skin trouble and rheumatic stiffness over weeks of steady use.

Energetics: Warming, moistening, toning
Taste: Sweet, earthy, faintly bitter
Family: Smilacaceae (greenbrier family)
Parts used: Root

Medicinal uses 4

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Traditional useLab and mechanism studiesClinical studies

Sluggish liver & digestionTLC
Warms and moves a stagnant liver and helps the body make more of its food.
Rashes & eczemaTLC
A classic alterative for chronic psoriasis and eczema; a 1940s clinical report found it cleared or improved psoriasis in many patients.
Joint pain & arthritisTLC
Moistens and eases stiff, dry, rheumatic joints over long use.
Acne & breakoutsTLC
Part of long-term blends for stubborn breakouts.

Preparations

Root decoction, homemade root beer syrup, and tincture.

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Cautions

Its saponins can upset the stomach in large amounts.
Buy true Smilax. Indian sarsaparilla (Hemidesmus) and wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis) are different plants sold under the same name.

Medication interactions

Practitioner Practitioners are able to see the 3 types of medicine flagged for sarsaparilla, each with the mechanism and what to do. The plain-language cautions above stay open to everyone.

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Pregnancy & breastfeeding

PregnancyAsk your practitioner

Sarsaparilla has a long history as a tonic and flavoring, but pregnancy has not been studied; check with your practitioner before medicinal doses.

BreastfeedingAsk your practitioner

Little is known about it in breast milk; check with your practitioner before medicinal doses.

Folklore

Its Spanish name, zarzaparrilla, joins zarza, bramble, and parrilla, little vine. In the sixteenth century Spanish ships carried the root to Europe as a celebrated cure for syphilis. In nineteenth-century America it flavored a fizzy tonic drink sold at soda fountains and Western saloons, a cousin of root beer.

How to grow

A tropical evergreen climber that needs warmth and moisture year-round; outside the tropics it is a greenhouse plant. Roots are dug from wild and cultivated vines and dried in bundles.

In the wild

Rainforests of Mexico and Central America, with related species across the Caribbean and South America. North America's greenbriers are temperate cousins in the same genus.

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