Smilax ornata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Liliales
Family: Smilacaceae
Genus: Smilax
Species:
S. ornata
Binomial name
Smilax ornata
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

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]

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 root beer,[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.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  2. ↑ "Tropicos.org". Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  3. ↑ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  4. 1 2 3 "Smilax regelii". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  5. ↑ Sarsaparilla
  6. ↑ Davidse, G. & al. (eds.) (1994). Flora Mesoamericana 6: 1–543. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, D.F.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ 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.
  9. ↑ Nelson Sutherland, C.H. (2008). Catálogo de las plantes vasculares de Honduras. Espermatofitas: 1-1576. SERNA/Guaymuras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
  10. ↑ Encyclopædia Britannica. "sarsaparilla (flavouring) – Britannica Online Encyclopedia". Britannica.com. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  11. ↑ Era, P (1893). 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. p. 400. ISBN 978-1-145-42702-0.
  12. ↑ Dietz, B; Bolton, Jl (April 2007). "Botanical Dietary Supplements Gone Bad". Chemical Research in Toxicology. 20 (4): 586–90. doi:10.1021/tx7000527. ISSN 0893-228X. PMC 2504026. PMID 17362034.
  13. ↑ Wilson, H. (22 April 1843). "Sarsaparilla in Syphilis". Provincial Medical Journal and Retrospect of the Medical Sciences. 6 (134): 71. doi:10.1136/bmj.s1-6.134.71. PMC 2557820. PMID 21379157.
  14. ↑ "PlantNET – FloraOnline". Plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
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