Sarsaparilla
RhizomaSmilacis Chinensis
Chinaroot Greenbrier Rhizome
Nicknames: Diamond thorn, Diamond vine, Black fish thorn, White Poria cocos.
It is derived from the rhizome of Smilax china L., a Liliaceae plant.
The plant form is a deciduous climbing shrub. The stem is slender and hard, with sparse thorns. Leaves alternate, with young leaves during flowering; Leather or paper, glossy, ovoid or oval shaped, 2.5-13cm long and 2.1-10cm wide, with a rounded or convex tip at the tip, a circular or shallow heart-shaped base, and a slightly pale white underside; The petiole is 5-15cm long, with tendrils on both sides, and the lower half is sheath-shaped. Umbrella axillary; The flowers are unisexual, Tepal 6, yellow or yellowish green; Male flower stamens 6; Female flowers with degenerate stamens 6, ovary superior. Berry is spherical and pink when ripe. The flowering period is from April to May.
Born in the forests of mountain slopes and grasslands of barren mountains. Distributed in East China, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, and Henan.
Harvest throughout the year or from late autumn to spring, wash and dry.
The rhizome is irregularly blocky or slightly flat columnar in shape, with raised nodules, measuring 10-20cm in length and 1-2.4cm in diameter. The surface is yellowish brown or purplish brown, slightly uneven, with conical protrusions and hard fine root fracture marks at the tip. Extremely solid in texture, with a reddish brown fractured face and coarse fibrous texture. The taste is slightly bitter.
The chemical composition contains smilaxaponinA, B, C (smilaxaponinA, B, C), as well as alkaloids, phenols, amino acids, and sugars.
Mild in nature, sweet and sour in taste.
Its main functions include dispelling wind, promoting dampness, detoxifying and dispersing blood stasis. Used for joint pain, muscle numbness, diarrhea, dysentery, edema, gonorrhea, boils, and swollen hemorrhoids.