99. Smilax aspera, Linn.
Botanical name:
(Radix.)
Σμίλαξ τραχεία, Dioseorides, lib. iv. cap. 144. Smilax, Pliny, lib xvi. cap. 63.—A native of the South of Europe. Its roots constitute Italian sarsaparilla (Sarsaparilla italica). They have not been analyzed. Their effects, uses, and mode of administration resemble those of the ordinary sarsaparilla brought from America [For further details respecting the medicinal properties of Smilax aspera, see Mérat and De Lens, Dict. Univ. de Mat. Méd. t. vi. p. 374, 1831; and Dierbach's Neuest. Entdeck, in d. Mat. Med. Bd. iii. Abt. ii. S. 1088. 1847.]
The roots of Hemidesmus indicus, or Indian sarsaparilla, are frequently sold in London under the name of Smilax aspera. They will be noticed hereafter.
