Smilax officinalis

A woody, climbing plant from Central and South America, Smilax officinalis produces thick roots rich in steroidal saponins and used traditionally as a depurative and blood purifier.

Proved by Dr. Jeanes and expanded by Hering; clinical confirmations in urinary, skin, and rheumatic conditions.

Sarsaparilla expresses the theme of internal heat, constriction, and latent toxicity, particularly manifesting through the urinary tract and skin. Its distinctive feature is pain at the end of urination, coupled with gravel, eruptions, and right-sided affections. The person may feel irritated, inflamed, and restricted—whether in the bladder, skin, or emotions. A powerful remedy for chronic states following suppression—syphilitic, herpetic, rheumatic, or urinary in nature.

• Urinary tract – especially bladder and urethra
• Skin – particularly chronic eruptions, itching, and desquamation
• Genitals – eruptions and burning sensations
• Bones and joints – especially periosteal pain and syphilitic bone affections
• Nervous system – shooting and tearing pains
• Right side – symptoms often lateralise to the right
• Face and lower jaw – drawing and tearing pains
• Liver and digestion – bloating, flatulence, and bilious disturbances

Patient may present with irritability, dissatisfaction, or indifference, especially during chronic illness. Anxiety may centre on urinary or skin complaints. Fearfulness in evening or night. Restlessness during pain or itching episodes. [Clarke] notes a despondent, gloomy state often accompanying venereal and skin affections, with little desire to speak.

Disturbed by urinary or skin symptoms. Difficulty falling asleep due to itching or colic. Dreams of urination or being lost. Sleep unrefreshing with morning dullness.

Dreams of wandering, falling, or losing things. Nightmares linked to bladder urgency. Sensations of suffocation or being chased.

Sarsaparilla suits thin, irritable, or syphilitic constitutions. Particularly effective in chronic complaints arising from suppression of eruptions or secondary syphilis. Modalities are key—worse at night, from sitting, dampness, or cold air. Right-sided and burning pains dominate. Suits patients who improve slowly with warmth and gentle motion.

Low-grade, intermittent fever in chronic skin or urinary affections. Coldness in extremities alternating with heat. Flushing during urination.

Chill begins in back or limbs. Alternates with heat of face or hands. Sweat offensive or cold on back. Worse at night or after suppressed eruption.

Tension or tightness, especially on the right side of the scalp or forehead. Vertigo when rising or turning. A sensation as if the scalp were drawn tight over the skull. Tearing or shooting pains from occiput to jaw. Worse at night and in damp weather.

Burning in the lids and conjunctivae. Photophobia, especially in the morning. Eyes red and irritated with itching. Vision blurred with headache. [Allen] notes inflammatory and syphilitic eye affections with crusting at canthi.

Drawing pain in ears, worse on right side. Rumbling or buzzing sounds. Increased sensitivity to noise. External ears may be hot or painful to touch.

Dryness of nostrils with difficulty breathing. Pain at the root of the nose. Sneezing in open air. Discharge scanty, sometimes crusty or excoriating. Right-sided catarrhal symptoms.

Drawing, tearing pains in the cheeks and lower jaw, especially right-sided. Sensitive or painful swelling of submaxillary glands. Eruptions or pustules may appear along the cheeks or chin. Face pale or sickly during urinary affections.

Dryness of tongue and palate. Tongue may feel thick or coated yellowish-white. Offensive breath, especially in the morning. Burning at tip of tongue. Painful ulcerations on inner cheek or gums, especially during suppression of eruptions.

Pain in molars when biting. Looseness or soreness of teeth. Gums swollen, bleed easily, or ulcerated. Drawing toothache extending to ear and jaw.

Dryness with burning or scraping sensation. Difficulty swallowing, especially warm drinks. Sensation of constriction. Ulceration in back of throat in syphilitic states. Enlarged cervical glands, tender to touch.

Tension or tightness. Oppression worse lying down. Cough dry, tickling, or spasmodic, worse in damp weather. Burning sensation behind sternum. Pain from chest to shoulders. [Hering] notes usefulness in chronic catarrh with skin symptoms.

Palpitations during urination or night. Fluttering with weakness. Pulse irregular or intermittent. Sensation of faintness from pain or after exertion.

Tightness of chest with difficulty drawing a full breath. Sighing respiration. Oppression aggravated by lying on the back. Dyspnoea during urinary crises or skin flare-ups.

Bloating and fullness after eating. Craving for sour or spicy foods. Nausea in the morning or after rich food. Sensation of coldness in epigastrium. Eructations of bitter gas. Flatulence and bilious vomiting noted in chronic cases. [Boericke] comments on sarsaparilla’s action in sluggish digestion.

Distension with gas and rumbling. Colic-like pains before stool or urination. Tenderness in hepatic region. Dragging sensation in lower abdomen, worse standing or after food. Pain in hypogastrium from urinary tract involvement.

Distension with gas and rumbling. Colic-like pains before stool or urination. Tenderness in hepatic region. Dragging sensation in lower abdomen, worse standing or after food. Pain in hypogastrium from urinary tract involvement.

This is the keynote system of Sarsaparilla. Intolerable pain at the conclusion of urination, as if urine passed over a raw surface or through burning needles. Urine passes only when standing; sitting may inhibit flow. Urine scanty, cloudy, or sandy with white or reddish gravel. Urethra feels constricted and burning. Involuntary urination at night or during coughing. Dribbling post-micturition. [Clarke] notes Sarsaparilla as a premier remedy for gravel, lithiasis, and vesical catarrh.

Craving for sour, spicy, or bitter foods. Aversion to milk or greasy foods. Symptoms worse from suppressed hunger or overeating. Thirstless or desire for cold drinks.

Eruption on scrotum or inner thighs, raw and burning. Itching of genitals. Pain in testicles, especially right-sided or drawing into abdomen. Frequent urination after coition. Syphilitic ulcers on penis. Sexual desire either increased or totally absent.

Pain in ovaries, especially right-sided. Menses irregular or suppressed. Eruptions around vulva or inner thighs. Leucorrhoea thick, yellow, excoriating. Chronic cystitis in post-menopausal women. Urethral pain during menstruation.

Stiffness or drawing pain in lumbar region, worse when rising. Pain radiating to hips or bladder. Bruised sensation in coccyx. Tension along spine. Right-sided lumbago with painful urination.

Tearing or drawing pains in limbs, especially lower extremities. Numbness in fingers or toes. Hands and feet cold with sweat. Ulcers or eruptions on lower legs. Rheumatic pains in joints. Ankles weak, worse on damp days.

Chronic eruptions with thick crusts, rawness, or offensive discharge. Suppression of skin conditions leads to deeper ailments. Cracks in fingers, heels, or genitals. Skin feels tight, dry, and itching; better by warmth. [Hering] confirms use in herpetic, psoriatic, and syphilitic skin diseases. Often used when other remedies have failed due to suppression.

• Lycopodium – Right-sided urinary issues with bloating, but less burning
• Berberis vulgaris – Radiating kidney pain, but more left-sided
• Cantharis – Violent urinary burning with urgency, but more acute
• Sulphur – Skin eruptions with itching, worse warmth; broader action
• Mercurius – Syphilitic bone pain, ulcers, and offensive secretions, but more suppurative

• Complementary: Sulphur, Lycopodium
• Antidotes: Mercurius, Sepia
• Follows well: Nitric acid, Thuja
• Precedes well: Silicea in chronic eruptions
• Inimical: None recorded

• Best remedy for pain at end of urination, especially in children or gravel cases
• Use in chronic skin diseases where other remedies have failed
• Effective for post-suppression states—bladder issues after skin eruptions
• Consider in chronic cystitis and urinary gravel with sand or white sediment
• Helpful in syphilitic bone pain, especially at night

Urinary

• Pain, end of urination
• Urine passes only when standing
• Gravel, sandy, white
• Burning urethra, worse after urination

Skin

• Eruptions, chronic, crusty
• Herpes, dry and itching
• Cracks in skin
• Ulcers, syphilitic

Extremities

• Tearing pain, lower limbs
• Weak ankles
• Rheumatism, right-sided

Generalities

• Worse night
• Worse suppression of skin
• Worse damp air
• Right-sided affections

• T.F. Allen – Encyclopaedia of Pure Materia Medica: Original proving data and detailed urinary symptoms
• C. Hering – Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica: Confirmed chronic uses in skin, urinary, and bone conditions
• John Henry Clarke – Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica: Emphasised vesical and cutaneous applications
• William Boericke – Pocket Manual of Materia Medica: Keynotes and modalities highlighted for clinical use
• E.M. Hale – New Remedies: Discussed use in venereal conditions and secondary syphilis