Smilex Smilacaceae (Sarsaparilla) is a woody bramble vine. A member of the Lily family, it comprises of around 350 species. The name Sarsaparilla comes from the Spanish zarza (bramble or bush), parra (vine) and illa (small)...a small, brambled vine.
The indigenous people of Central and South America have used Sarsaparilla for centuries for sexual impotence and as a tonic for physical weakness. Sarsaparilla stimulates metabolism, enhances glandular balance, boosts and balances hormone production and cleanses blood. It naturally stimulates production of hormones.
It's pharmacological properties include active plant sterols, sarsasapogenin, smilagenin, sitosterol, stigmasterol and pollinastanol. It also contains saponins sarsasaponin, smilasaponin, sarsaparilloside and sitosterol glucoside, amongst others.
The saponins and plant sterols found in Sarsaparilla are the ones thought to mimic the action of some human hormones, giving it the said potential as a tonic for sexual functioning, rejuvenation and stamina.
The root of the Sarsaparilla is the part usually used for medicinal purposes. It is odorless and fairly tasteless and high in vitamins and minerals. Many species share the same name and are similar in use and chemical structure. Examples of these include S. officinalis, S. japicanga and S. febrifuga.
Other conditions Sarsaparilla has been found useful for include rheumatism, arthritis, skin diseases such as psoriasis and dermatitis, wound healing, fever, cough, hypertension, digestive disorders, respiratory disorders, syphilis, nervous disorders, epilepsy, chronic liver disorders, as a blood purifier and general tonic, and cancer. The antibiotic properties of Sarsaparilla were first documented in the 1950s. Anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective effects have been shown in rats along with improvement of appetite, digestion and diuretic actions. The ability of Sarsaparilla to attack and neutralize microbial substances in the blood stream gave it the reputation as a blood-purifier.
Steroidal saponins from Smilax riparia and S. chinac1
Sashida Y, Kubo S, Mimaki Y, Nikaido T, Ohmoto.
Tokyo College of Pharmacy, Japan.
Two new neotigogenin glycosides were isolated from the rhizomes and roots of Smilax riparia and a new isonarthogenin glycoside from those of S. china. The structures were elucidated by a combination of spectroscopic analysis and hydrolysis followed by spectral and chromatographic analysis. Several known saponins were also isolated and identified. The inhibitory activity of the saponins on cAMP phosphodiesterase was examined.
PMID: 1369385 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Free radical scavenging and antioxidant enzyme fortifying activities of extracts from Smilax china rootc2
Lee SE, Ju EM, Kim JH.
Department of Oral Biochemistry, College of Dentistry, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
The extract from Smilax china root has been used as medicinal remedy and reported to retain antimicrobial and antimutagenic acitivities. In this study, a possible presence of antioxidant activity of Smilax china root extract was investigated. Methanol extract (Me) revealed the presence of high 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity (IC50 7.4 microg/ml) and protective property of cell's viability. Further fractionation with various solvent extraction and assay showed high levels of DPPH free radical scavenging activity in the ethyl acetate, butanol and water extracted fractions. In addition, V79-4 cells treated with Me of Smilax china root induced an increase of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities in a dose-dependent manner between 4-100 microg/ml. These results suggest that the medicinal component of the root of Smilax china extracts also contains antioxidant activity.
PMID: 11795490 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Supercritical fluid extraction of sapogenins from tubers of Smilax chinac3
Shu XS, Gao ZH, Yang XL.
Institute of Materia Medica, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.
Supercritical CO(2) fluid extraction (SFE-CO(2)) was used to extract the sapogenins after acid hydrolysis from Smilax china tubers. The influence of extraction variables, such as modifier, pressure, temperature and extraction time, were studied. SFE-CO(2) was found to produce higher yield than conventional solvent extraction. The highest yield (0.454%) of sapogenins, mostly containing diosgenin, was obtained using 35 MPa pressure, 65 degrees C and 95% EtOH as a modifier for 180 min, higher than that obtained with conventional extraction methods (0.385%).
PMID: 15567240 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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