* Please Note: This information is based partly on Traditional Medicine which uses natural materials to support health. This information has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor.
Description
Sarsaparilla root is rich in phytochemicals, including various saponins that have immune-potentiating and cancer-inhibiting properties.
Name
Smilax aristolochiaefolia Mill., S. febrifuga Kunth, S. Ornata Hook and S. regelii Killip et Morton, (Liliaceae), commonly called Mexican, Ecuadoran and Honduran sarsaparilla.
Source
From the dried roots and rhizomes of various Smilax species grown in South America.
History
Europeans began to use this herb almost as soon as the first explorers returned from South America. During the 1800s, sarsaparilla was thought to be an excellent treatment for syphilis. As Professor Varro Tyler points out in his Honest Herbal, knowledge of this fact casts a slightly different light "on the white-hatted cowboy hero" who always strode into the bar in the Saturday afternoon B movie, asking for a glass of sarsaparilla! The herb is now mainly used as a flavoring in the manufacture of soft drinks, and as an ingredient in body building supplements.
Traditional Claims
Anti-inflammatory, antirheumatic, diuretic and diaphoretic. It is also used to treat skin disease, especially psoriasis.
Commission E Recommendations
Sarsaparilla is not on the approved list. The Commission had concerns over stomach irritation, secondary to the high content of saponins, substances that are known to be irritating to the stomach lining. The commission was also concerned about the danger of using sarsaparilla with heart medications. Sarsaparilla is mildly diuretic, which means it could cause the body to lose potassium, and that might increase the chances of digitalis causing a toxic reaction. The Commission's monograph, published in 1990, also cited the near total absence of clinical trials that would be needed to reach any intelligent conclusion.
Proven Effects
Extracts contain flavonoids (isoengetitin, isoastilbin and astilbin), saponins (sarasapogenin, smilagenin, and parillin) and many of the same sterols, including beta sitosterol, found in soy beans. Clinical trials are essentially nonexistent, but there is good laboratory evidence that extracts are anti-inflammatory and probably antioxidant. The expected range of effects for such a combination of ingredients would not be unlike the effects of fenugreek.
References
Ageel AM, Mossa JS, al-Yahya MA, al-Said MS, Tariq M. Experimental studies on antirheumatic crude drugs used in Saudi traditional medicine. Drugs Exp Clin Res 1989;15(8):369-72.
Grunewald KK, Bailey RS. Commercially marketed supplements for bodybuilding athletes. Sports Med 1993;15(2):90-103.
Lee H, Lin JY. Antimutagenic activity of extracts from anticancer drugs in Chinese medicine. Mutat Res 1988;204(2):229-34.
How to Use the Herb
Beth Ann Petro Roybal and Gayle Skowronski, in their book Sex Herbs, suggest: "a common dose is one-fourth to one-half teaspoon of the tincture 1 to 3 times per day," to boost energy. They write that sarsparilla also "has the benefit of raising the sexual drive in both sexes..." Follow instructions on product labels for tea.
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Directions
Stir 1/4 of a teaspoon into a glass of water and consume 3 times daily, with meals.
Cautions
Concerns
As the editors of the American edition of the Commission E reports suggest, there is very little evidence that saponins cause gastric distress, and Commission E concerns in this regard may be exaggerated.
Warnings
If, in fact, sarsaparilla does act as a diuretic, then potassium loss could occur. Patients taking medications for heart disease should check with their physicians before trying this product.
Drug Testing
There are no reports that any of the components found in sarsaparilla extract interact or interfere with routine workplace urine drug screening tests.
Additional Information
TerraVita is an exclusive line of premium-quality, natural source products that use only the finest, purest and most potent ingredients found around the world. TerraVita is hallmarked by the highest possible standards of purity, potency, stability and freshness. All of our products are prepared with the highest elements of quality control, from raw materials through the entire manufacturing process, up to and including the moment that the bottles or bags are sealed for freshness and shipped out to you. Our highest possible standards are certified by independent laboratories and backed by our personal guarantee.
TerraVita exists to meet and ensure your family's health and wellness without the harmful effects or chemicals and prescription medications. We strive to make all of our products affordable and reliable and are constantly searching the market to maintain our affordability and to look for new ways to serve you and the ones you love. TerraVita has become a trusted household name for many families and can bring you and yours the very best herbal supplements, blends, teas and spices that are on the market today.
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ZooScape is proud to be the exclusive distributor of TerraVita teas, herbs and supplements in the United States, Canada and around the world. Please direct all wholesale and bulk inquiries to Simona Heather at 905-494-1785.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor. The essence of the current American rule on Traditional Uses is, as stated by FTC, "Claims based on historical or traditional use should be substantiated by confirming scientific evidence, or should be presented in such a way that consumers understand that the sole basis for the claim is a history of use of the product for a particular purpose."
