by AlcoMoo » Saturday Mar 24, 2007 2:24 pm
I always believed that Sarsaparilla (or Root Beer) were made from the sarsaparilla vine (using the dried roots). The effects of this particular plant (Smilax regelii and other closely related species) are purported to be hugely beneficial in a number of health related areas, including liver detox, boosting male libido , skin disorders and a general tonic for health. From my POV, these are a lot more positive than the potential side effects (cancer) from the Sassafras tree.
Wikipedia (amn I allowed to quote them here??) suggests that Sassafrass was indeed used for root beer, but now it is the aforementioned plant that is used worldwide. (quote: Sarsaparilla vine should not be confused with the large sasparilla and sassafras trees (the root and bark of which were once used to flavor root beer).
An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools. (Ernest Hemingway)