''Smilax ornata'' is a

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

trailing

vine A vine is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas, or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselves, for instance, when used in wicker work.Jackson; Benjamin; Da ...

with prickly stems that is native to

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

and

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

. Common names include sarsaparilla, Honduran sarsaparilla, and Jamaican sarsaparilla. It is known in Spanish as ', which is derived from the words ' meaning "bramble" (from Basque "bramble"), and ', meaning "little grape vine".

Uses

Food

''Smilax ornata'' is used as the basis for a

soft drink A soft drink (see #Terminology, § Terminology for other names) is a class of non-alcoholic drink, usually (but not necessarily) Carbonated water, carbonated, and typically including added Sweetness, sweetener. Flavors used to be Natural flav ...

frequently called sarsaparilla. It is also a primary ingredient in old fashioned-style licorice, in conjunction with sassafras, which was more widely available prior to studies of its potential health risks.

Traditional medicine

''Smilax ornata'' was considered by Native Americans to have medicinal properties, and was a popular European treatment for

syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms depend on the stage it presents: primary, secondary, latent syphilis, latent or tertiary. The prim ...

when it was introduced from the New World. From 1820 to 1910, it was registered in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia as a treatment for syphilis.

Chemical constituents gallery

File:Sarsaparilla-Triterpenes.svg, Triterpenes, a constituent of sarsaparilla File:Sarsaparilloside.svg, Sarsaparilloside, a constituent of sarsaparilla File:Sarsaparilla-R1.svg, Sarsaparilla R1, a constituent of sarsaparilla File:Sarsaparilla-R2.svg, Sarsaparilla R2, a constituent of sarsaparilla File:Parillin.svg, Parillin, a constituent of sarsaparilla

References

External links