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Smilax ornata
Species of flowering plant in the family Smilacaceae From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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]
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]
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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] From 1820 to 1910, it was registered in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia as a treatment for syphilis.[citation needed]
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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]
References
External links
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