Mandragora officinarum / Mandrake / Solanaceae (Nightshade family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Other Names

Mandragora officinarum, Mandrake, Mandragora, Witches Drink, Thieves Root, Mad Apple, Love Apple, Satan's Apple, Luffah, Beid El-jinn.

Description

Probably no plant has had a more fantastic history than the Mandrake. As a magical plant, its extraordinary place in European folklore can nowhere be equaled. Known for its toxic and real and presumed medicinal properties, Mandrake commanded the fear and respect of Europeans throughout the Middle Ages and earlier. Its folk uses and attributes were inextricably bound up with the "Doctrine of Signatures", because of its anthropomorphic root. Mandrake has played the most important role in magic and witchcraft. Among the old Anglo-Saxon herbals Mandrake is endowed with mysterious powers against demoniacal possession.

Legal Remarks

This product is illegal or somehow problematic to send to the following countries. Click on the country link for further information.

• Finland
• Norway
• Netherlands

Ptychopetalum olacoides / Muira Puama / Olacaceae (Aster family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Other Names

Potency Wood, Marapuama, Marapama, Muiratã, Muiratam, Pau-Homen, Potenzholz.

Description

Ptychopetalum olacoides is a small tree native to the Amazon rainforest. Muira Puama is also called "potency wood", referring to its main usage as an Aphrodisiac in South American folk medicine. Muira Puama is in the Brazilian, English and German herbal pharmacopoeia and also used in the United States by herbal practitioners. Muira puama has a long history of use, primarily for strengthening libido and sexual function.

Contents

The main plant chemicals found in Muira Puama include: alpha-copaene, alpha-elemene, alpha-guaiene, alpha-humulene, alpha-muurolene, alpha-pinene, alpha-resinic acid, alpha-terpinene, arachidic acid, allo-aromadendren, behenic acid, beta-bisabolene, beta-caryophyllene, beta-pinene, beta-resinic acid, beta-sitosterol, beta-transfarnesene, borneol, campesterols, camphene, camphor, car-3-ene, caryophyllene, cerotic acid, chromium, coumarin, cubebene, delta-cadinene, dotriacontanoic acid, elixene, ergosterols, eugenol, essential oils, gamma-muurolene, hentriacontanoic acid, heptacosanoic acid, lignoceric acid, limonene, linalool, lupeol, melissic acid, montanic acid, muirapuamine, myrcene, nonacosanoic acid, para-cymene, pentacosanoic acid, phlobaphene, stigmasterols, trichosanic acid, and uncosanic acid.(2)

Synergic Combinations

Muira Puama is sometimes combined with Catuaba, Damiana or Horny Goat Weed in various formulas on the market.

Historical

Historically, all parts of muira puama have been used medicinally, but the bark and roots are the most-utilized parts of the plant. It has long been used in the Amazon by indigenous peoples for a number of purposes. In Brazilian herbal medicine, muira puama still is a highly-regarded sexual stimulant with a reputation as a powerful aphrodisiac. It has been in the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia since the 1950s. Early European explorers noted the indigenous uses and the aphrodisiac qualities of muira puama and brought it back to Europe, where it has become part of herbal medicine in England. Muira puama has been gaining in popularity in the United States among herbal practitioners.(2)(3)

Plant Description

Ptychopetalum olacoides is a small tree that grows to 5 m high and is native to the Brazilian Amazon and other parts of the Amazon rainforest. The small, white flowers have a pungent fragrance similar to jasmine's. The Ptychopetalum genus is a small one - only two species of small trees grow in tropical South America and five in tropical Africa. The two South American varieties, P. olacoides (found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname) and P. uncinatum (found only in Brazil), are used interchangeably in South American herbal medicine systems.(1)(2)

References

(1) Ptychopetalum, Wikipedia
(2) Muira Puama, Raintree
(3) Fytotherapeutisch compendium J van Hellemont

Ligusticum sp. / Osha / Umbelliferae (Carrot family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Other Names

Ligusticum porteri, Osha, Bear Root, Chuchupate, Chuchupaste, Chuchupatle, Chuchupati, Nahuatl, Tejano, Colorado Cough Root, Mountain Ginseng, Nipo, Indian Root, Indian Parsley, Wild Parsley, Empress Of The Dark Forest, Bear Medicine, Wild Lovage, Porters Lovage, Porter's Licorice-root, Mountain Carrot, Guariaca, Hierba del cochino, Raíz del cochino, Washía, Yerba de cochino.

Description

Ligusticum is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apiaceae. Its name is believed to derive from the Italian region of Liguria. Ligusticum is also known as the "Chinese lovage" and is one of the most popular herbs in China and Korea. It is a perennial plant with hermaphrodite flowers. The root and rhizomes have been used for herbal remedies. In addition to its healing uses, ligusticum was combined with certain foods and beverages as a flavor component, and to add fragrance to some soaps and cosmetics.

Ligusticum sp. / Osha / Umbelliferae (Carrot family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Other Names

Ligusticum porteri, Osha, Bear Root, Chuchupate, Chuchupaste, Chuchupatle, Chuchupati, Nahuatl, Tejano, Colorado Cough Root, Mountain Ginseng, Nipo, Indian Root, Indian Parsley, Wild Parsley, Empress Of The Dark Forest, Bear Medicine, Wild Lovage, Porters Lovage, Porter's Licorice-root, Mountain Carrot, Guariaca, Hierba del cochino, Raíz del cochino, Washía, Yerba de cochino.

Description

Ligusticum is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apiaceae. Its name is believed to derive from the Italian region of Liguria. Ligusticum is also known as the "Chinese lovage" and is one of the most popular herbs in China and Korea. It is a perennial plant with hermaphrodite flowers. The root and rhizomes have been used for herbal remedies. In addition to its healing uses, ligusticum was combined with certain foods and beverages as a flavor component, and to add fragrance to some soaps and cosmetics.

Cyperus articulatus / Piri Piri / Cyperaceae (Sedge family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Other Names

Piri-Piri, Piri Piri, Cyperus, Piripiri Bulb, Piri Piri root, Ivenkiki, Hiseñu.

Description

Piri Piri is a very important plant in the education of a curandero among the Yagua Indians of the Peruvian Amazon. They call it "Hiseñu" or "Ivenkiki". Among them it is the very first plant that the curanderos apprentice absorbs (rasped bulbs decoction). The second time, he takes Piri Piri and Tobacco juice (Nicotiana tabacum). The third time, he takes Piri Piri, Tobacco juice and Ayahuasca (Banisteriopsis caapi). It is a visionary and teacher plant.

Contents

Piri-piri contains flavonoids, polyphenols, saponins, tannins, terpenes and sugars. Many of its biological actions are attributed to various sesquiterpenes called cyperones which are also found in other Cyperus plants in the family. The terpene chemicals documented in Piri Piri thus far include: alpha-corymbolol, alpha-cyperone, alpha-pinene, carophyllene oxide, corymbolone, cyperotundone, iso-patchoul-4(5)-en-3-one, mandas- sidione, and mustakone. (1)

Historical

Held in high esteem by many tribes of the Amazon, the Machiguenga use the Piri Piri root as an aid in hunting.
"He takes a few quiet steps and doubles over a few spindly understory palms that obstruct his view, never taking his eyes off the monkey far overhead. He again takes up his stance, and this time removes a small cluster of sedge (Cyperus) bulbs from a net bag slung across his back. He snaps off one piece and chews the bitter, aromatic quid.
He rubs the chewed root onto his bow and arrow shaft, and then spits a fine, turpentine-smelling spray upward as he watches the monkey. 'Straight up, straight to the heart, no branches, fly straight and fast,' he mumbles to the bow, to the arrow, to the monkey, to himself. The muscles across his back stand out in relief for a moment as he draws and aims the taut bow... He releases the arrow with a soft grunt and a snap of the string. The arrow whizzes through the air and hits its target square in the chest."

The indigenous Indian tribes of the Amazon region ascribe magical properties to Piri Piri. The tall stems and/or the rhizomes are dried and powdered, or are prepared as a tea and used as a good luck charm or a love potion (called a "Pusanga"). Women will cultivate the plant and bathe their children with it to prevent sickness and injury, and give it to their husbands to bring good luck in hunting and fishing. Piri Piri is also well used as a medicine by the indigenous people and the rhizome is the part of the plant which is used.(1)

Mateo Arevalo (a Shipibo practitioner of traditional medicine): "Every grandmother, like a baptism, puts Piri Piri plant seed drops in a girls eyes when she is born. This transmits the designs she will make her whole life."(2)

Plant Description

Piri Piri is a type of reed-like tropical grass called a "sedge-grass." It can attain the height of 6 feet and grows in damp, marshy and flooded areas along the rivers and streams (where it can help control soil erosion) in the Amazon basin. It grows in clumps from dividing rhizomes which are about 2 cm long and 1.5 cm in diameter. The tall green stems are fibrous, round, and hollow and can be up to 3/4 in. wide at the base. Piri Piri stems have sometimes been used like reeds in basket-making and other crafts by the locals in the Amazon. It produces small, white, wheat-like flowers at the very top of its long stems. Although native to the Amazon, Piri Piri can be found in many other tropical areas and countries, including the southern United States, Africa, Asia, Australia, and across the South American continent. It can be found growing alongside the Nile River in Africa just as it grows alongside the Amazon River in South America. (1)

Legal Remarks

This product is illegal or somehow problematic to send to the following countries. Click on the country link for further information.

• Australia
• Norway

References

(1) Piri Piri, Raintree Plant Database
(2) In Her Hands, Craftswomen changing the world, by Paola Gianturco and Toby Tuttle.
(3) Shipibo's Art and the Plants of Spirits, Virtual Museum of Anthropology, Hiruwaka Institute.

Articles

Any information provided about products on this website, including any links to external websites, is purely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and should never be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the products.

Yagua

Related Products

Ayahuasca (Banisteriopsis caapi)
Yahuar Piri Piri (Eleutherine bulbosa)

Cyperus articulatus / Piri Piri / Cyperaceae (Sedge family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Other Names

Piri-Piri, Piri Piri, Cyperus, Piripiri Bulb, Piri Piri root, Ivenkiki, Hiseñu.

Description

Piri Piri is a very important plant in the education of a curandero among the Yagua Indians of the Peruvian Amazon. They call it "Hiseñu" or "Ivenkiki". Among them it is the very first plant that the curanderos apprentice absorbs (rasped bulbs decoction). The second time, he takes Piri Piri and Tobacco juice (Nicotiana tabacum). The third time, he takes Piri Piri, Tobacco juice and Ayahuasca (Banisteriopsis caapi). It is a visionary and teacher plant.

Contents

Piri-piri contains flavonoids, polyphenols, saponins, tannins, terpenes and sugars. Many of its biological actions are attributed to various sesquiterpenes called cyperones which are also found in other Cyperus plants in the family. The terpene chemicals documented in Piri Piri thus far include: alpha-corymbolol, alpha-cyperone, alpha-pinene, carophyllene oxide, corymbolone, cyperotundone, iso-patchoul-4(5)-en-3-one, mandas- sidione, and mustakone. (1)

Historical

Held in high esteem by many tribes of the Amazon, the Machiguenga use the Piri Piri root as an aid in hunting.
"He takes a few quiet steps and doubles over a few spindly understory palms that obstruct his view, never taking his eyes off the monkey far overhead. He again takes up his stance, and this time removes a small cluster of sedge (Cyperus) bulbs from a net bag slung across his back. He snaps off one piece and chews the bitter, aromatic quid.
He rubs the chewed root onto his bow and arrow shaft, and then spits a fine, turpentine-smelling spray upward as he watches the monkey. 'Straight up, straight to the heart, no branches, fly straight and fast,' he mumbles to the bow, to the arrow, to the monkey, to himself. The muscles across his back stand out in relief for a moment as he draws and aims the taut bow... He releases the arrow with a soft grunt and a snap of the string. The arrow whizzes through the air and hits its target square in the chest."

The indigenous Indian tribes of the Amazon region ascribe magical properties to Piri Piri. The tall stems and/or the rhizomes are dried and powdered, or are prepared as a tea and used as a good luck charm or a love potion (called a "Pusanga"). Women will cultivate the plant and bathe their children with it to prevent sickness and injury, and give it to their husbands to bring good luck in hunting and fishing. Piri Piri is also well used as a medicine by the indigenous people and the rhizome is the part of the plant which is used.(1)

Mateo Arevalo (a Shipibo practitioner of traditional medicine): "Every grandmother, like a baptism, puts Piri Piri plant seed drops in a girls eyes when she is born. This transmits the designs she will make her whole life."(2)

Plant Description

Piri Piri is a type of reed-like tropical grass called a "sedge-grass." It can attain the height of 6 feet and grows in damp, marshy and flooded areas along the rivers and streams (where it can help control soil erosion) in the Amazon basin. It grows in clumps from dividing rhizomes which are about 2 cm long and 1.5 cm in diameter. The tall green stems are fibrous, round, and hollow and can be up to 3/4 in. wide at the base. Piri Piri stems have sometimes been used like reeds in basket-making and other crafts by the locals in the Amazon. It produces small, white, wheat-like flowers at the very top of its long stems. Although native to the Amazon, Piri Piri can be found in many other tropical areas and countries, including the southern United States, Africa, Asia, Australia, and across the South American continent. It can be found growing alongside the Nile River in Africa just as it grows alongside the Amazon River in South America. (1)

Legal Remarks

This product is illegal or somehow problematic to send to the following countries. Click on the country link for further information.

• Australia
• Norway

References

(1) Piri Piri, Raintree Plant Database
(2) In Her Hands, Craftswomen changing the world, by Paola Gianturco and Toby Tuttle.
(3) Shipibo's Art and the Plants of Spirits, Virtual Museum of Anthropology, Hiruwaka Institute.

Articles

Any information provided about products on this website, including any links to external websites, is purely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and should never be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the products.

Yagua

Related Products

Ayahuasca (Banisteriopsis caapi)
Yahuar Piri Piri (Eleutherine bulbosa)

Smilax officinalis / Sarsaparilla / Smilacaceae (Greenbrier family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Description

The species can be found in tropical rainforests and temperate regions in the Americas, Asia, India, and Australia. Sarsaparilla became known in Europe through the Spanish in Mexico and south-America. Smilax has been recognized as a general medicine in traditional cultures in Mexico and south-America, as well as in China and India. Throughout history it has been uses for a variety of purposes. The root is said to improve physical performance(5).

Scent

The fragrance of the root is considered pleasant with a spicy sweet taste.
A different species also known as Sarsaparilla was formerly used extensively as a flavoring agent. Most notably, it was traditionally the ingredient that gave root beer its distinctive taste.

Contents

Sarsaparilla's main plant chemicals include: acetyl-parigenin, astilbin, beta-sitosterol, caffeoyl-shikimic acids, dihydroquercetin, diosgenin, engeletin, essential oils, epsilon-sitosterol, eucryphin, eurryphin, ferulic acid, glucopyranosides, isoastilbin, isoengetitin, kaempferol, parigenin, parillin, pollinastanol, resveratrol, rhamnose, saponin, sarasaponin, sarsaparilloside, sarsaponin, sarsasapogenin, shikimic acid, sitosterol-d-glucoside, smilagenin, smilasaponin, smilax saponins A-C, smiglaside A-E, smitilbin, stigmasterol, taxifolin, and titogenin. (1)

Historical

Sarsaparilla root has been used for centuries by the indigenous peoples of Central and South America. Many shamans and medicine men in the Amazon use sarsaparilla root internally and externally. New World traders found it and introduced it into European medicine in the 1400s. (1)
Sarsaparilla was also used by indigenous people of Mexico, such as the Aztecs. Its nature was considered to be "dry and hot", a reference to the ancient system of characterizing medicinal plants. Mexican Sarsaparilla was introduced to Seville about 1536. Few plants have had the rise and fall in popularity that sarsaparilla has had. When it was introduced it was considered remarkably effective for diverse chronic diseases, and many doctors of the time wrote about its benefits. During its height of popularity, 1831, for example, 176,854 pounds of the herb were imported into England alone. (2)
For use in medicine, sarsaparilla root is dried and chopped, shredded, or powdered. In Chinese medicine, sarsaparilla is combined with a number of other ingredients into an oral compound, while Indian traditional healers apply the juice of sarsaparilla leaves topically. (3)

Plant Description

A Tribe of climbing and shrubby plants, with oval leaves conspicuously veined. Sarsaparilla got its name from two Spanish words: "Zarza" and "Parilla," referring to the thorny vines of the plant. The plant now under consideration is a native of Central America, especially of Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, and New Grenada. Several varieties of the root come upon the market, of which the present species seems most valuable. According to Humboldt and Bonpland, this plant has an angular, twining, and somewhat prickly stem, the young shoots being smooth. Leaves ovate-oblong, acute, smooth, tough, five to seven-nerved, a foot long, on short petioles, with stipules in the form of tendrils. The roots are slender, very long, several from the same collum, reddish-brown, and tough. (4)

Legal Remarks

This product is illegal or somehow problematic to send to the following countries. Click on the country link for further information.

• Finland

References

(1) Sarsaparilla, Raintree Plant Database
(2) Sarsaparilla, Innvista
(3) Sarsaparilla, Drug Digest
(4) Smilax Officinalis, King's American Dispensatory
(5) Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, edited by Jeff M. Jellin

Smilax officinalis / Sarsaparilla / Smilacaceae (Greenbrier family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Description

The species can be found in tropical rainforests and temperate regions in the Americas, Asia, India, and Australia. Sarsaparilla became known in Europe through the Spanish in Mexico and south-America. Smilax has been recognized as a general medicine in traditional cultures in Mexico and south-America, as well as in China and India. Throughout history it has been uses for a variety of purposes. The root is said to improve physical performance(5).

Scent

The fragrance of the root is considered pleasant with a spicy sweet taste.
A different species also known as Sarsaparilla was formerly used extensively as a flavoring agent. Most notably, it was traditionally the ingredient that gave root beer its distinctive taste.

Contents

Sarsaparilla's main plant chemicals include: acetyl-parigenin, astilbin, beta-sitosterol, caffeoyl-shikimic acids, dihydroquercetin, diosgenin, engeletin, essential oils, epsilon-sitosterol, eucryphin, eurryphin, ferulic acid, glucopyranosides, isoastilbin, isoengetitin, kaempferol, parigenin, parillin, pollinastanol, resveratrol, rhamnose, saponin, sarasaponin, sarsaparilloside, sarsaponin, sarsasapogenin, shikimic acid, sitosterol-d-glucoside, smilagenin, smilasaponin, smilax saponins A-C, smiglaside A-E, smitilbin, stigmasterol, taxifolin, and titogenin. (1)

Historical

Sarsaparilla root has been used for centuries by the indigenous peoples of Central and South America. Many shamans and medicine men in the Amazon use sarsaparilla root internally and externally. New World traders found it and introduced it into European medicine in the 1400s. (1)
Sarsaparilla was also used by indigenous people of Mexico, such as the Aztecs. Its nature was considered to be "dry and hot", a reference to the ancient system of characterizing medicinal plants. Mexican Sarsaparilla was introduced to Seville about 1536. Few plants have had the rise and fall in popularity that sarsaparilla has had. When it was introduced it was considered remarkably effective for diverse chronic diseases, and many doctors of the time wrote about its benefits. During its height of popularity, 1831, for example, 176,854 pounds of the herb were imported into England alone. (2)
For use in medicine, sarsaparilla root is dried and chopped, shredded, or powdered. In Chinese medicine, sarsaparilla is combined with a number of other ingredients into an oral compound, while Indian traditional healers apply the juice of sarsaparilla leaves topically. (3)

Plant Description

A Tribe of climbing and shrubby plants, with oval leaves conspicuously veined. Sarsaparilla got its name from two Spanish words: "Zarza" and "Parilla," referring to the thorny vines of the plant. The plant now under consideration is a native of Central America, especially of Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, and New Grenada. Several varieties of the root come upon the market, of which the present species seems most valuable. According to Humboldt and Bonpland, this plant has an angular, twining, and somewhat prickly stem, the young shoots being smooth. Leaves ovate-oblong, acute, smooth, tough, five to seven-nerved, a foot long, on short petioles, with stipules in the form of tendrils. The roots are slender, very long, several from the same collum, reddish-brown, and tough. (4)

Legal Remarks

This product is illegal or somehow problematic to send to the following countries. Click on the country link for further information.

• Finland

References

(1) Sarsaparilla, Raintree Plant Database
(2) Sarsaparilla, Innvista
(3) Sarsaparilla, Drug Digest
(4) Smilax Officinalis, King's American Dispensatory
(5) Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, edited by Jeff M. Jellin

Smilax officinalis / Sarsaparilla / Smilacaceae (Greenbrier family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Description

The species can be found in tropical rainforests and temperate regions in the Americas, Asia, India, and Australia. Sarsaparilla became known in Europe through the Spanish in Mexico and south-America. Smilax has been recognized as a general medicine in traditional cultures in Mexico and south-America, as well as in China and India. Throughout history it has been uses for a variety of purposes. The root is said to improve physical performance(5).

Scent

The fragrance of the root is considered pleasant with a spicy sweet taste.
A different species also known as Sarsaparilla was formerly used extensively as a flavoring agent. Most notably, it was traditionally the ingredient that gave root beer its distinctive taste.

Contents

Sarsaparilla's main plant chemicals include: acetyl-parigenin, astilbin, beta-sitosterol, caffeoyl-shikimic acids, dihydroquercetin, diosgenin, engeletin, essential oils, epsilon-sitosterol, eucryphin, eurryphin, ferulic acid, glucopyranosides, isoastilbin, isoengetitin, kaempferol, parigenin, parillin, pollinastanol, resveratrol, rhamnose, saponin, sarasaponin, sarsaparilloside, sarsaponin, sarsasapogenin, shikimic acid, sitosterol-d-glucoside, smilagenin, smilasaponin, smilax saponins A-C, smiglaside A-E, smitilbin, stigmasterol, taxifolin, and titogenin. (1)

Historical

Sarsaparilla root has been used for centuries by the indigenous peoples of Central and South America. Many shamans and medicine men in the Amazon use sarsaparilla root internally and externally. New World traders found it and introduced it into European medicine in the 1400s. (1)
Sarsaparilla was also used by indigenous people of Mexico, such as the Aztecs. Its nature was considered to be "dry and hot", a reference to the ancient system of characterizing medicinal plants. Mexican Sarsaparilla was introduced to Seville about 1536. Few plants have had the rise and fall in popularity that sarsaparilla has had. When it was introduced it was considered remarkably effective for diverse chronic diseases, and many doctors of the time wrote about its benefits. During its height of popularity, 1831, for example, 176,854 pounds of the herb were imported into England alone. (2)
For use in medicine, sarsaparilla root is dried and chopped, shredded, or powdered. In Chinese medicine, sarsaparilla is combined with a number of other ingredients into an oral compound, while Indian traditional healers apply the juice of sarsaparilla leaves topically. (3)

Plant Description

A Tribe of climbing and shrubby plants, with oval leaves conspicuously veined. Sarsaparilla got its name from two Spanish words: "Zarza" and "Parilla," referring to the thorny vines of the plant. The plant now under consideration is a native of Central America, especially of Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, and New Grenada. Several varieties of the root come upon the market, of which the present species seems most valuable. According to Humboldt and Bonpland, this plant has an angular, twining, and somewhat prickly stem, the young shoots being smooth. Leaves ovate-oblong, acute, smooth, tough, five to seven-nerved, a foot long, on short petioles, with stipules in the form of tendrils. The roots are slender, very long, several from the same collum, reddish-brown, and tough. (4)

Legal Remarks

This product is illegal or somehow problematic to send to the following countries. Click on the country link for further information.

• Finland

References

(1) Sarsaparilla, Raintree Plant Database
(2) Sarsaparilla, Innvista
(3) Sarsaparilla, Drug Digest
(4) Smilax Officinalis, King's American Dispensatory
(5) Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, edited by Jeff M. Jellin

Smilax officinalis / Sarsaparilla / Smilacaceae (Greenbrier family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Description

The species can be found in tropical rainforests and temperate regions in the Americas, Asia, India, and Australia. Sarsaparilla became known in Europe through the Spanish in Mexico and south-America. Smilax has been recognized as a general medicine in traditional cultures in Mexico and south-America, as well as in China and India. Throughout history it has been uses for a variety of purposes. The root is said to improve physical performance(5).

Scent

The fragrance of the root is considered pleasant with a spicy sweet taste.
A different species also known as Sarsaparilla was formerly used extensively as a flavoring agent. Most notably, it was traditionally the ingredient that gave root beer its distinctive taste.

Contents

Sarsaparilla's main plant chemicals include: acetyl-parigenin, astilbin, beta-sitosterol, caffeoyl-shikimic acids, dihydroquercetin, diosgenin, engeletin, essential oils, epsilon-sitosterol, eucryphin, eurryphin, ferulic acid, glucopyranosides, isoastilbin, isoengetitin, kaempferol, parigenin, parillin, pollinastanol, resveratrol, rhamnose, saponin, sarasaponin, sarsaparilloside, sarsaponin, sarsasapogenin, shikimic acid, sitosterol-d-glucoside, smilagenin, smilasaponin, smilax saponins A-C, smiglaside A-E, smitilbin, stigmasterol, taxifolin, and titogenin. (1)

Historical

Sarsaparilla root has been used for centuries by the indigenous peoples of Central and South America. Many shamans and medicine men in the Amazon use sarsaparilla root internally and externally. New World traders found it and introduced it into European medicine in the 1400s. (1)
Sarsaparilla was also used by indigenous people of Mexico, such as the Aztecs. Its nature was considered to be "dry and hot", a reference to the ancient system of characterizing medicinal plants. Mexican Sarsaparilla was introduced to Seville about 1536. Few plants have had the rise and fall in popularity that sarsaparilla has had. When it was introduced it was considered remarkably effective for diverse chronic diseases, and many doctors of the time wrote about its benefits. During its height of popularity, 1831, for example, 176,854 pounds of the herb were imported into England alone. (2)
For use in medicine, sarsaparilla root is dried and chopped, shredded, or powdered. In Chinese medicine, sarsaparilla is combined with a number of other ingredients into an oral compound, while Indian traditional healers apply the juice of sarsaparilla leaves topically. (3)

Plant Description

A Tribe of climbing and shrubby plants, with oval leaves conspicuously veined. Sarsaparilla got its name from two Spanish words: "Zarza" and "Parilla," referring to the thorny vines of the plant. The plant now under consideration is a native of Central America, especially of Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, and New Grenada. Several varieties of the root come upon the market, of which the present species seems most valuable. According to Humboldt and Bonpland, this plant has an angular, twining, and somewhat prickly stem, the young shoots being smooth. Leaves ovate-oblong, acute, smooth, tough, five to seven-nerved, a foot long, on short petioles, with stipules in the form of tendrils. The roots are slender, very long, several from the same collum, reddish-brown, and tough. (4)

Legal Remarks

This product is illegal or somehow problematic to send to the following countries. Click on the country link for further information.

• Finland

References

(1) Sarsaparilla, Raintree Plant Database
(2) Sarsaparilla, Innvista
(3) Sarsaparilla, Drug Digest
(4) Smilax Officinalis, King's American Dispensatory
(5) Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, edited by Jeff M. Jellin

Eleutherococcus senticosus / Siberian Ginseng / Araliaceae (Aralia family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Description

This plant belongs to the Araliaceae family and is a distant relative of Asian Ginseng (Panax ginseng). Also known commonly as "Touch-me-not" and "Devil’s shrub", Eleutherococcus has been most frequently nicknamed Siberian Ginseng. It is native to the Taiga region of the Far East (southeastern part of Russia, northern China, Korea, and Japan). The root and the rhizomes (underground stem) are used. Eleutherococcus is an "adaptogen" (an agent that helps the body adapt to stress). It is a tonic for the support of mental and physical capacities in cases of weakness, exhaustion and tiredness, and during convalescence. It helps during recovery and rehabilitation and contributes to more mental and physical energy.

Legal Remarks

This product is illegal or somehow problematic to send to the following countries. Click on the country link for further information.

• Finland