In South America, deep within the Amazon rainforest, the sarsaparilla species Smilax officinalis climbs its way up the canopy of giant mahogany and kapok trees.
Meanwhile, spreading throughout the forests of Southeast Asia, the species Smilax chinensis brambles along the ground floor of the forests, catching any of the light the trees above managed to miss.
No matter where it’s found in the world, it’s always had a preference for deep, dark, and humid forests.
It’s developed traits that make it highly suitable in these environments.
Dark, highly photoreceptive leaf surfaces, creeping tendrils allowing it to grab hold of surrounding trees and foliage while it travels along, and thorny stems allowing it to form thick, impenetrable greenbriers.
There are more than 300 species in the genus Smilax, each one with slightly different chemical makeup and found in different areas of the world.
The main species are Smilax officinalis, Smilax chinensis, Smilax ornata, and Smilax glabra.
This plant has many, many applications. It’s considered adaptogenic and is often used as a tonic herb in traditional medicines around the world. It’s uses range from arthritis to cancer and nearly everything in between.
Traditional Uses Of Sarsaparilla
The traditional usage of this plant is interesting because despite growing on nearly all continents (except Antarctica), virtually all cultures with access to sarsaparilla use it the same way.
Sarsaparilla In Chinese Medicine
In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), sarsaparilla is more commonly referred to as “Tu Fu Ling.”
TCM considered the energetic qualities of plants to describe their actions. This may include hot (stimulating), cold (inhibiting), moist, dry, etc.
Sarsaparilla, or Tu Fu Ling, is considered neutral, which means it can be used for most forms of imbalance. It’s primarily used to clear damp heat and open the channels.
What this means to a Western practitioner is that sarsaparilla acts as an anti-inflammatory, expectorant, diaphoretic, and diuretic.
The conditions sarsaparilla is used to treat in Chinese medicine are the same conditions used in Western medical herbalism, only with different names.
Sarsaparilla is used for:
Rheumatoid arthritis
Fevers
Productive cough
Ulcers
Abscesses
Gout
Digestive weakness
Psoriasis
Arthritis
Cancer
Various skin conditions
In Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka, sarsaparilla is also used as an ingredient in soups.
This is likely due to a combination of its medicinal benefit, and the foaming action sarsaparilla provides in water due to its high saponin component. This has also led to its popular inclusion in root beer as a way to make the drink foam easily.
Sarsaparilla In The Americas:
In South America, the uses are very similar to that of China and the rest of Southeast Asia, which include rheumatism, cancer, psoriasis, and joint pain, among others.
One use that is different, however, is as a treatment for sexual impotence.
Shamans in the Amazon were also reportedly fond of this plant for its ability to treat leprosy, which is particularly hard to treat, but was common due to one of their common food sources, the armadillo, being notorious for containing the responsible bacteria (Mycobacterium leprae).
Sarsaparilla is the Origin Of Root Beer
Many people associate sarsaparilla with its traditional use in the creation of root beer.
The foaming actions of the saponins contained in sarsaparilla made it perfect for the foamy, carbonated beverage. It was mixed with sassafras which provided the distinct root beer flavor.
Today, very few root beer manufacturers actually use either of these roots during production. Instead, they use “sassafrass flavor” and different chemical foaming agents.
Sarsaparilla Pharmacology
There are more than 300 species in the genus Smilax, each one with a slightly different chemical makeup and found in different areas of the world.
The main species are Smilax officinalis, Smilax chinensis, Smilax ornata, and Smilax glabra.
These species especially are high in saponins.
Saponins are well known for being a key ingredient in adaptogenic herbs and are the component responsible for the foaming action sarsaparilla is famous.
In particular, the saponins contained in sarsaparilla are mainly steroidal, meaning they have an influence on various chemical messenger pathways inside the human body.
They have been found to possess an incredibly wide range of actions in the body. This is part of the reason why so many adaptogenic plant species are, in fact, high in saponins. It is debatable as to whether sarsaparilla, in particular, can be considered an adaptogen.
Sarsaparilla also contains various flavonoids, which are the main components responsible for its antineoplastic, antioxidant, and anti-psoriasis actions.
Scientific Evidence For Sarsaparilla Root
As a premier tonic herb in traditional Chinese medicine, there is a lot of research available for this plant.
Most of the research on this plant has focused on its effects on treating cancer, as well as it’s related anti-inflammatory action.
Sarsaparilla & Inflammation
Sarsaparilla was found to have a similar antioxidant profile to salicylic acid, acting on both COX-1 and COX-2 pathways [5].
Sarsaparilla & Gout
Sarsaparilla has been shown to inhibit xanthine oxidase through a combination of 9 different constituents [1]. This action is considered one of the leading mechanisms behind other anti-gout medications such as Allopurinol and Febuxostat.
Sarsaparilla & Psoriasis
Flavonoids such as quercetin have significant anti-orthokeratosis, anti-inflammatory, and antiproliferative activity [2], which supports the use of sarsaparilla in the treatment of psoriasis.
Sarsaparilla & Detoxification
Although the word “detox” is obscure and non-specific, it is often used to describe the ability to remove metabolites and unwanted chemicals from the body.
Sarsaparilla is a common addition for “detox” purposes. This has been backed up by research involving the pharmacokinetics of nicotine. Sarsaparilla (namely the component oxyresveratrol) was shown to increase the detoxification and elimination of this chemical by enhancing CYP2A6-mediated metabolism [3]. This enzyme is a part of the larger cytochrome P450 hemoproteins, responsible for roughly 75% of metabolism, and has been found in nearly all forms of life on Earth [4].
Sarsaparilla & Cancer
Cancer is both complex and highly variable. Nevertheless, the process of tumor growth is similar in many different cancer cell lines. Sarsaparilla has been found to provide benefits for cell lines, including cervical, lung, gastric, ovarian, and breast cancers. It was shown to reduce cancer cell viability through enhanced ERK signaling [6], activation of caspase-3, PARP, and Bax, blocking AKT activation, inhibition of NF-κB activation, and regulating cIAP-1, XIAP, Bcl-XL, and Bcl-2 expression [7].
References
Lvyi Chen, Huafeng Yin, Zhou Lan, Shuwei Ma, Chunfeng Zhang, Zhonglin Yang, Ping Li, Baoqin Lin. (2011). Anti-hyperuricemic and nephroprotective effects of Smilax china L. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 135. 399-405.
Vijayalakshmi A, Ravichandiran V, Malarkodi Velraj, Nirmala S, Jayakumari S. (2012). Screening of flavonoid “quercetin” from the rhizome of Smilax china Linn. for anti-psoriatic activity. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine. 2(4). 269-275.
Kim K.M, Suh J.W, Yang S.H, Kim B.R, Park T.S, Shim S.M. (2014). Smilax china Root Extract Detoxifies Nicotine by Reducing Reactive Oxygen Species and Inducing CYP2A6. Journal of Food Science. 79. 10. doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.12595
Guengerich FP (January 2008). "Cytochrome p450 and chemical toxicology". Chemical Research in Toxicology. 21 (1): 70–83. doi:10.1021/tx700079z. PMID 18052394. (Metabolism in this context is the chemical modification or degradation of drugs.)
Xiao-Shun Shu, Zhong-Hong Gao, Xiang-Liang Yang. (2006). Anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities of Smilax china L. aqueous extract. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 103. 327-332.
Yu H.J, Shin J.A, Lee S.C, Kwon K.H, Sung-Dae C. (2014). Extracellular signal regulated kinase inhibition is required for methanol extract of Smilax china L. induced apoptosis through death receptor 5 in human oral mucoepidermoid carcinoma cells. Molecular medicine reports. 9. 663-668. DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2013.1826
Hu L.L, Chen D.S, Wang Y.Y, Qin Y, Huang P, Yu L.X, Liao J, Hua X.L. (2010). Smilax China L. Rhizome Extract Inhibits Nuclear Factor-κB and Induces Apoptosis in Ovarian Cancer Cells. Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine.