Sarsaparilla

To many Australians sarsaparilla is a uniquely flavoured, old-fashioned soft drink which is sold under the brand name SARS. That is SARS as in "sarsaparilla" not SARS the lethal virus, bringing into question the old adage that ‘any publicity is good publicity’. Strangely enough, sales of this soft drink actually increased during the SARS epidemic, with a BBC news website reporting that some people were asking, “Is this a medicine for SARS or protection against SARS?”. 

However, despite this PR nightmare, the Smilax species have a long history in folk medicine for the treatment of inflammation. A build-up of toxins in the body is linked to inflammation and this species promotes the elimination of toxic waste. The native people of the Amazon area know sarsaparilla as a blood cleanser (alterative) and have traditionally used it to re-establish virility in men, to treat the symptoms of menopause in women, for urinary complaints and as a cough remedy. The late Dorothy Hall said for teenage acne sarsaparilla is often prescribed with liver regulators like dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) and fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum)…”If you still ‘break out’ on the face before a period, or suffer spotty eruptions around the neck and the hairline past the twenties, sarsaparilla may be needed to help your hormones ‘decide’ on their levels of production." 

Sarsaparilla’s most enduring recommendations have been for rheumatism and psoriasis. It is particularly useful when there is a lot of irritation. Sarsaparilla was extensively studied as a treatment for psoriasis in the early 20th century prior to the development of many of the steroidal type drugs in common use today. The studies were not nearly as rigorously constructed as modern trials but they show some compelling evidence nevertheless. This is especially persuasive given how difficult it is to successfully treat psoriasis. Two to three months of treatment were commonly required but more than 50% of the people suffering from psoriasis improved when given large daily doses of sarsaparilla extracts. The patients who received the most benefit had chronic plaque psoriasis.

References

Eslick GD. SARS in a can! The Medical Journal of Australia. 6 Dec 2004 https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.2004.tb06477.x

Tian L-W, Zhang Z, Long H-L, Zhang Y-J. Steroidal Saponins from the Genus Smilax and Their Biological Activities. Natural Products and Bioprospecting. 2017;7(4):283-298. doi:10.1007/s13659-017-0139-5.

Hall D. Dorothy Hall’s Herbal Medicine. Sydney:Lothian. 1988. p. 273.

Thurmon FM. The Treatment of Psoriasis with a Sarsaparilla Compound. July 23, 1942. N Engl J Med 1942; 227:128-133