- Region
- North America
- Origin
- Woods of northern and eastern North America
- Traditions
- Haudenosaunee medicine
North America · Herb · № 952
Aralia nudicaulis
Herb · North America
Wild sarsaparilla
Aralia nudicaulis
A low plant of the ivy family with a long, creeping, aromatic root; related to ginseng and no relative of true sarsaparilla (Smilax).
Safety notes
Not in pregnancy. Traditional use is no proof of effect; consult a doctor or pharmacist if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, take medication or have a medical condition.
Cautions by tradition (1)
- Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) medicine: Not in pregnancy.
Preparation
The root as a tea.
Use in traditions
According to the notes in Herrick, a Haudenosaunee blood medicine, for fever sores and sore eyes. It is part of the nineteen-plant 'blood tonic' of a Seneca herbalist, who scattered tobacco by every plant. Elsewhere in North America the root was used as a sarsaparilla substitute in root beer.
Applications
Use by tradition
How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.
Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) medicine
Attributed effects
To cleanse the blood, for fever sores and, as an eye bath, for sore eyes.
Preparation and amount
Boil the root briefly, often with other plants in a blood medicine.
Caution: Not in pregnancy.
- Ways to prepare herbs
- Tea (infusion)