Wild Sarsaparilla

This plant is referred to as "wild sarsaparilla", which is not to be confused with the true sarsaparilla (several unrelated Smilax sp.) f...Read Morerom the Caribbean and Central America that was a panacea in the heyday of patent medicines. Ethnobotanically however, A. nudicaulis was believed to be roughly comparable.

This species of the interesting Aralia genus seems to fare best in moist, rich, loamy soils and deep shade when cultivated in southern climates. It does not appear to be as tolerant to drier soils, direct sunlight, and hot summers as other closely related species in the genus.

Here is an example of a set of contradictory claims made on the internet concerning the herb Sarsaparilla:

"Sarsaparilla ...Read Morestill has a popular reputation as an "alterative," but it has been examined and tested in every manner known to modern medical science, and is profession-ally regarded as " pharmacologically inert and therapeutically useless."

"Sarsaparilla root is globally recognized for medicinal properties. Since it was first introduced to the Western world, sarsaparilla has been used to treat gout, gonorrhea, open wounds, arthritis, cough, fever, hypertension, pain, a lack of sexual desire, indigestion, and even certain forms of cancer. More serious conditions have also been treated with sarsaparilla root."

The contrast between these two statements is quite striking and shows us first hand just how inaccurate some of the information on the internet can be. For anyone to suggest that a plant is "therapeutically useless" approaches the height of arrogance and ignorance. God does not make useless things. If a researcher can't figure out what an herb is used for, that's his problem, not the plant’s. Testing a plant and expecting a function from it which it was not designed to produce is not sound methodology. Just as likely the article was a polemic written by someone in the pharmaceutical industry who wishes to protect drug sales. Generally, naturopathic treatments work slowly but surely. Just as a drop of water over time can make a hole in stone, good herbal therapy if used persistently can successfully treat the worst ailments.

Aralia nudicaulis has a very distinct stem that divides into three leaf stems. Flowers emerge in spring at the end of a shorter seperate...Read More stem that also divides into three seperate clusters. Flowers are greenish white. It blankets many woodland areas in the eastern part of the US and Canada, and occasionally makes forays into the edges of the woodland garden. It is not particularly difficult to control, though the stems of mature plants are tough, and might require digging to remove.

We live in Abitibi-West, in north west Québec, we discovered this plant this summer, it has black berries all very uniform like an unbre...Read Morella, the leaves are med. green but are turning a beautiful shade of dark red with the autumn.
It seems to seed itself as l can count about 20+ new seedings.I have not seen this plant anywhere in my area, a sample was identified on 30/09/02 by the experts of the "Leslie Frost Centre"
in Minden Ontario, Canada.