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Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases
U.S. Department of Agriculture
  1. Home
  2. Smilax officinalis

Smilax officinalis (Smilacaceae)

Common Names
Sarsaparilla
How this plant is used
Medicinal
View the list of ubiquitous chemicals
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List of plant chemicals.
Click on column headings to sort table by that column. *Unless otherwise noted all references are to (Duke, 1992)
Chemical Name Activity Count Plant Part Low Parts Per Million High Parts Per Million Standard Deviation Reference
SILICON 4 Root 2.0 8.8 -0.30 *
SODIUM 1 Root 4.4 21.0 -0.50 *
STARCH 5 Root 52500.0 250000.0 -0.27 *
THIAMINE 0 Root 0.2 0.9 -0.69 *
TIN 4 Root 4.0 18.0 0.15 *
WATER 0 Root 790000.0 0.14 *
ZINC 77 Root 0.5 2.6 -0.95 *
View the list of ubiquitous chemicals
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List of plant activities.
Click on column headings to sort table by that column. *Unless otherwise noted all references are to (Duke, 1992)
Activity Chemical Count Reference
Sedative 1 Pizzorno, J.E. and Murray, M.T. 1985. A Textbook of Natural Medicine. John Bastyr College Publications, Seattle, Washington (Looseleaf).
Serotoninergic 1 Pizzorno, J.E. and Murray, M.T. 1985. A Textbook of Natural Medicine. John Bastyr College Publications, Seattle, Washington (Looseleaf).
Spermigenic 1 Werbach, M. 1993. Healing with Food. Harper Collins, New York, 443 pp.
Taenicide 1 Martindale's 28th
Testosteronigenic 1 Werbach, M. 1993. Healing with Food. Harper Collins, New York, 443 pp.
Thymoprotective 1 Pizzorno, J.E. and Murray, M.T. 1985. A Textbook of Natural Medicine. John Bastyr College Publications, Seattle, Washington (Looseleaf).
Tranquilizer 2 *
Trichomonicide 1 Martindale's 29th
Ubiquiot 1 Jeffery B. Harborne and H. Baxter, eds. 1983. Phytochemical Dictionary. A Handbook of Bioactive Compounds from Plants. Taylor & Frost, London. 791 pp.
Uricosuric 1 Davies, S., and Stewart, A. 1990. Nutritional Medicine. Avon Books, New York. 509pp.
Urinary-Acidulant 1 Martindale's 29th
Uterorelaxant 1 Werbach, M. 1993. Healing with Food. Harper Collins, New York, 443 pp.
Vasodilator 5 *
VEGF-Inhibitor 1 *
Vulnerary 2 Pizzorno, J.E. and Murray, M.T. 1985. A Textbook of Natural Medicine. John Bastyr College Publications, Seattle, Washington (Looseleaf).