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Sarsaparilla

Supplement botanical skin & hair
Aka: Smilax ornata, Smilax officinalis
Brands seen in Singapore: Swanson Vitamins, Frontier Co-op, Solaray, Nutricost, Nature's Answer
Not medical advice. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change the timing of anything you take.
How to use
What it’s for
Traditional skin use — evidence is animal and case reports
Pros & cons
Pros
  • Long folk use for rheumatic complaints
  • Rat studies show anti-inflammatory, analgesic effects
Cons
  • Human evidence is one case report, not a trial
  • One of the most adulterated botanicals on the market
  • The case-report capsules were not standardised
Sources
  1. Investigation of the anti-inflammatory and the analgesic effects of the extracts from Smilax ornata Lem. (Jamaican sarsaparilla) plant (J Ethnopharmacol, 2019) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Smilax ornata Lem. is used in folklore medicine to treat rheumatoid arthritis and rheumatic pain. This particular claim has never been scientifically validated before in this plant species … in Sprague-Dawley rats.”
  2. Genome skimming and NMR chemical fingerprinting provide quality assurance biotechnology to validate sarsaparilla identity and purity (Sci Rep, 2020) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Sarsaparilla is a popular natural health product (NHP) that has been reported to be one of the most adulterated botanicals in the marketplace.”
  3. Treatment of psoriatic arthritis with acupuncture, turmeric, sarsaparilla (Smilax officinalis) and vitamin D: a case report (J Chiropr Med, 2020) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “425 mg of sarsaparilla root (Smilax officinalis) powdered capsules that were not standardized … once a day … The natural modalities administered to the patient might have been able to reduce her symptoms of PsA”
  4. HSA — Guidelines on prohibited and restricted ingredients in health supplements and traditional medicines (Oct 2025), Annex A/B · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The objective of this guideline is to highlight the substances of concern when used in HS and TM and is not meant to be an exhaustive list.”
  5. iHerb Singapore — Sarsaparilla Root category page (default best-selling order) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Sarsaparilla Root”
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Updated 2026-08-29. Every line above traces to a numbered source. Kozen-X is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. It lists what published sources have written down — nothing more. A pair not listed is unrecorded, not cleared. Before you start, stop or re-time anything, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.