Though preceded by hundreds of years of medicinal use, today sarsaparilla is best known for beverage making where it serves as a base for various soft drinks including some types of root beer. Historically however, the grape vine-like plant with roots that can reach over six feet long had a wealth of medicinal uses, including being a purported potent treatment for syphilis in the 1900s. The roots were the primary source of healing per anecdotal uses, despite the plants pretty leaves and vibrantly colored berries, both of which have various uses around the world, and it’s these roots that likely hold the key to sarsaparilla tea benefits for health applications as is still explored today in Ayurvedic medicine.
The roots of sarsaparilla contain numerous chemical compounds including flavonoids, saponins, sarsasaponin, sarsaparilloside, glucoside, sarsapic acid and parillin, amongst others. These constituents are likely responsible for the plant’s purported inflammation reducing, pain relieving and toxin reducing properties. It’s for these reasons that sarsaparilla tea benefits have remained an important part of herbal medicine for centuries and have kept the root popular in many herbal tea recipes. As a result of the root’s popularity, it’s fairly easy to find in health food stores and ethnic food stores featuring Caribbean based items. With dried root in hand, a sarsaparilla tea recipe starts with finely chopping the root and one cup of freshly boiled water to ¼ teaspoon of the herb. Ten minutes of steeping followed by straining will result in a delicious brew that boasts numerous healthful applications, ten of which can be found here.
1. Water Retention and Gout
One of the most well documented uses for sarsaparilla is treating gout and improving urinary flow. There is little evidence to support either of these uses for the root, although given its prolific usage in Latin America and the Caribbean with this purpose noted, it’s not unlikely that there is some truth behind these folkloric claims.
2. Blood Purifying
The Dark Ages were a period in world history that were fraught with disease and illness and sarsaparilla tea benefits may have been explored here for conditions such as sexually transmitted disease, amongst others. Though evidence is scant, the remedy remained popular in the United States as late as the early part of the 20th century.
3. Antifungal
More research will be needed to evaluate just how sarsaparilla affects hazardous fungi, but the saponins found in the root are likely responsible for lab observed effects that include fungi deterring actions.
4. Arthritis
Sarsaparilla tea benefits have long been thought to include providing relief from painful inflammation, and this can have positive effects in people with health conditions characterized by painful swelling. Particularly in terms of arthritis, the herb is thought to be especially useful, although more study will need to be conducted to further evidence these traditional uses for the root.
5. Psoriasis
The root of the sarsaparilla plant has been linked to treating various skin conditions for many years. There is little evidence to support these claims, but it’s been suggested that the saponins contained in the root may help to reduce the effects of endotoxins in the body, which can be present in greater abundance in people with conditions like psoriasis.
6. Kidney Problems
Since sarsaparilla tea benefits have been connected to fluid retention reduction, it’s not unusual to make the connection that this relationship may have applications in promoting kidney health. More study will be needed to confirm these effects, but traditional usage of the herb for healthy kidneys is evident throughout history.
7. Digestive Issues
There are multiple ways in which sarsaparilla is purported to promote healthy digestion, and one of those ways is by improving appetite. But, the true extent of sarsaparilla tea benefits may actually be more related to a combination of effects that might positively impact the digestive tract. Inflammation reduction may help a variety of digestive complaints, and the root’s supposed action of toxin removal may also have positive implications for digestive problems, although much more research will be needed to validate these anecdotal uses.
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