Note 313 — Chapter LV
Clements R. (Clements Robert) Markham translation
Smilax officinalis H. B. K. The root of sarsaparilla was brought to Europe in about 1530. The stem is twining, shrubby, and prickly. Acosta says that the water on the island of Puna, flowing past the sarsaparilla roots, has healing virtues (lib. iii, cap. 17). There is a great trade in sarsaparilla down all the Peruvian tributaries of the Amazon.