Food Smilax ornata is used as the basis for a
soft drink known as
sarsaparilla. It is also a primary ingredient in old fashioned-style
licorice, in conjunction with
sassafras, which was more widely available prior to studies of its potential health risks.
Traditional medicine Smilax ornata was considered by Native Americans to have
medicinal properties, and was a popular European treatment for
syphilis when it was introduced from the New World. From 1820 to 1910, it was registered in the
U.S. Pharmacopoeia as a treatment for syphilis. ==Chemical constituents gallery==