Smilax ornata

This article is about the sarsaparilla plant used in root beer. For the Indian sarsaparilla, see Hemidesmus indicus.

Smilax ornata is a perennial trailing vine with prickly stems that is native to Mexico and Central America.^[3] Common names include sarsaparilla,^[4] Honduran sarsaparilla,^[4] and Jamaican sarsaparilla.^[4]

Smilax ornata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Liliales
Family:	Smilacaceae
Genus:	Smilax
Species:	S. ornata
Binomial name
Smilax ornata Lem.
Synonyms[1]
Smilax grandifolia Regel 1856, not Buckley 1843 nor Voigt 1845 nor Poepp. ex A. DC. 1878 Smilax ornata Hook. 1889 not Lem. 1865[2] Smilax regelii Killip & C.V.Morton Smilax utilis Hemsl. 1899, not C.H. Wright 1895

It is known in Spanish as zarzaparrilla, which is derived from the words zarza meaning "bramble" (from Basque sartzia "bramble"), and parrilla, meaning "little grape vine".^{[5][6][7][8][9]}

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,^[10] in conjunction with sassafras,^[11] which was more widely available prior to studies of its potential health risks.^[12]

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.^[13]

Chemical constituents gallery

• 
  Triterpenes, a constituent of sarsaparilla
• 
  Sarsaparilloside, a constituent of sarsaparilla
• 
  Sarsaparilla R1, a constituent of sarsaparilla
• 
  Sarsaparilla R2, a constituent of sarsaparilla
• 
  Parillin, a constituent of sarsaparilla

See also

• Hemidesmus indicus, Indian sarsaparilla
• Aralia nudicaulis, wild sarsaparilla or false sarsaparilla
• Sweet sarsaparilla (Smilax glyciphylla), a vine native to eastern Australia^[14]