sarsaparilla herb

Dioscorides and Theophrastus already knew about the sarsaparilla plant, and Laguna and Mattioli also mentioned it. However, it only became popular when Spaniards applied its name to some American species of the smilax (in the 18th century). American natives used these sarsaparillas as depuratives, and since they allegedly had healing properties for syphilis, they were…