SARSAPARILLA

True sarsaparilla extract is made from the long, thin, dark brown, and bitter-flavored rootstocks of several species of tropical smilax. It is largely used medicinally as well as in the manufacture of ‘‘soft’’ drinks. In the beverage which bears its name, its natural bitterne is modified by the addition of oil of wintergreen or other flavors. Native sarsaparilla, or ‘‘wild sarsaparilla,’’ is a different plant—a small perennial herb of Canada and the eastern states—but with long, aromatic roots that are similarly employed.