Smilax ornata explained

Smilax ornata is a perennial trailing vine with prickly stems that is native to Mexico and Central America.^[1] Common names include sarsaparilla, Honduran sarsaparilla, and Jamaican sarsaparilla.

It is known in Spanish as Spanish; Castilian: [[wikt:zarzaparrilla|zarzaparrilla]], which is derived from the words meaning "bramble" (from Basque "bramble"), and , meaning "little grape vine".^{[2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}

Uses

Food

Smilax ornata is used as the basis for a soft drink frequently called sarsaparilla. It is also a primary ingredient in old fashioned-style licorice,^[7] in conjunction with sassafras,^[8] which was more widely available prior to studies of its potential health risks.^[9]

Traditional medicine

Smilax ornata was considered by Native Americans to have medicinal properties, and was a popular European treatment for syphilis when it was introduced from the New World.^[10] From 1820 to 1910, it was registered in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia as a treatment for syphilis.

See also

• Hemidesmus indicus, Indian sarsaparilla
• Aralia nudicaulis, wild sarsaparilla or false sarsaparilla
• Sweet sarsaparilla (Smilax glyciphylla), a vine native to eastern Australia^[11]

External links

• Whatever happened to the soft drink sarsaparilla? Cecil Adams, 1977

Notes and References

1. http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=288960 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
2. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=sarsaparilla Sarsaparilla
3. Davidse, G. & al. (eds.) (1994). Flora Mesoamericana 6: 1–543. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, D.F.
4. Balick, M.J., Nee, M.H. & Atha, D.E. (2000). Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Belize with Common Names an Uses: 1-246. New York Botanic Garden Press, New York.
5. Espejo Serena, A. & López-Ferrari, A.R. (2000). Las Monocotiledóneas Mexicanas una Sinopsis Florística 1(9-11): 1–337. Consejo Nacional de la Flora de México, México D.F.
6. Nelson Sutherland, C.H. (2008). Catálogo de las plantes vasculares de Honduras. Espermatofitas: 1-1576. SERNA/Guaymuras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
7. Web site: Encyclopædia Britannica . sarsaparilla (flavouring) – Britannica Online Encyclopedia . Britannica.com . 2010-07-15.
8. Book: Era , P . The era formulary: 5000 formulas for druggists. A collection of original and prize formulas, to which has been added a selection of formulas from standard authorities in the English, French and German ... . D. O. Haynes & company . 1893 . 400 . 978-1-145-42702-0 .
9. 10.1021/tx7000527 . 2504026 . Apr 2007 . Dietz, B . Bolton, Jl . Botanical Dietary Supplements Gone Bad . 20 . 4 . 586–90 . 0893-228X . 17362034 . .
10. Wilson. H.. 1843-04-22. Sarsaparilla in Syphilis. Provincial Medical Journal and Retrospect of the Medical Sciences. 6. 134. 71. 10.1136/bmj.s1-6.134.71. 2557820. 21379157.
11. Web site: PlantNET – FloraOnline . Plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au . 2010-07-15.