Sarsaparilla

Halq’emeylem Name

Currently Unavailable

About Sarsaparilla

Wild sarsaparilla is a plant found throughout North America, most commonly in the range of Newfoundland and British Columbia. Sarsaparilla was used mostly in medicines among the indigenous peoples of Canada, these days, sarsaparilla is used to make certain sodas and teas. Chances are, if you like root beer or Dr Pepper, you’d like sarsaparilla!

As a medicine, there are a variety of ways for this versatile plant to be used. Boiled roots turn to a juice, which when mixed with honey works as a cough medicine. Using the leaves for tea can help promote sweating for when a person needs to sweat out a fever, or be used as a poultice for scrapes and cuts to prevent infection (Belcourt, Burnouf, Famand, Richardson, 2007). Originally, both Dr Pepper and root beer recipes called for sassafras roots rather than sarsaparilla, though it has been discovered that sassafras can cause cancer, so sarsaparilla is used as an alternative (everydayhealth, 2017).

The plant grows in large stalks while its fruit bearing flowers grow in small clusters at the top. They look like little fireworks as the berries ripen over time. The berries start out red and turn to a dark blue or purple when they’re ready to be eaten. In Latin, this plant is called the Aralia Nudicaulis, a member of the American ginger root family. In Cree, this plant is called Saspare (Belcourt, Burnouf, Famand, Richardson, 2007). AS

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References

Images: Jill Lee | Plant Image Library | Under the same moon

Integrated Taxonomic Information System. (n.d.). Aralia nudicaulis  L.. Retrieved from https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=29376#null

Belcourt, C., Flamand, R., Whitford, O., Richardson, R., Burnouf, L., & Gabriel Dumont Institute of Native Studies and Applied Research. (2007). Medicines to help us. In Medicines To Help Us (pp. 45–46). Saskatoon, Canada: Gabriel Dumont Institute.

medicinal herbs: WILD SARSAPARILLA – Aralia nudicaulis. (n.d.). Retrieved May 8, 2020, from
http://www.naturalmedicinalherbs.net/herbs/a/aralia-nudicaulis=wild-sarsaparilla.php

The Dangers Of Sassafras. (2017, November 14). Retrieved June 4, 2020, from
https://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-living/alternative-health/dangers-sassafras/