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Smilax, more commonly known as sarsaparilla, is a potato-like plant with a variety of uses. The root is a commonly eaten vegetable in Jamaica, South America and other semitropical regions where the plants routinely grow. It has been used as an herbal medicine by traditional healers to treat dermatitis, syphilis, headaches and a host of other conditions, and it may have valuable medicinal properties when used correctly. It is also used as a flavoring in sarsaparilla root beer. During the 1980s, it was popular as a bodybuilding supplement. When it proved ineffective, it fell by the wayside. Today, smilax is most prominently used as the botanical base for testosterone supplements.
Smilax and Testosterone
Contrary to popular belief, smilax does not contain testosterone. Instead, smilax contains a plant steroid called saponin. Saponin increases the amount of testosterone in the body. Bodybuilders who use the supplement largely assume that the saponin is synthesized by the endocrine system and becomes usable testosterone, but researchers believe it is more likely that saponin simply encourages the body to produce its own testosterone.
Semisynthetic Testosterone
According to the Complete Idiots Guide to Total Nutrition and Clayton South, a specialist in performance nutrition and certified personal trainer, smilax is commonly used by pharmaceutical companies as the botanical base for semisynthetic testosterone supplements. These pharmaceutical steroids are used to treat testosterone deficiency in men and are commonly abused by bodybuilders.
Traditional Uses
Healers in the indigenous cultures of South America and the Caribbean have long used smilax to treat a number of health concerns such as headaches, joint pain, psoriasis and sexual impotence. As early as the 1400s, traders in the new world discovered smilax's medicinal value and took it back to Europe. The Mayo Clinic affirms that testosterone therapy is effective in treating sexual impotence because it increases red blood cell production, regulates sex drive and boosts sperm production.
Smilax for Bodybuilding
The bodybuilding community has used smilax as a legal anabolic steroid supplement to boost testosterone levels and increase the body’s ability to build muscle bulk since at least the 1980s, but its effectiveness has not been confirmed. Iron Man Magazine's Jerry Brainum calls the connection between smilax and testosterone “obscure,” and notes that the human body does not have the enzymatic ability to convert plant sterols into true hormones.
Risks in Using Smilax
A number of side effects associated with smilax that include gastric irritation and kidney impairment have been reported, according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Patients taking digitalis, hypnotic drugs and glycosides should avoid taking smilax.
References
Smilax and Testosterone
Contrary to popular belief, smilax does not contain testosterone. Instead, smilax contains a plant steroid called saponin. Saponin increases the amount of testosterone in the body. Bodybuilders who use the supplement largely assume that the saponin is synthesized by the endocrine system and becomes usable testosterone, but researchers believe it is more likely that saponin simply encourages the body to produce its own testosterone.
Semisynthetic Testosterone
According to the Complete Idiots Guide to Total Nutrition and Clayton South, a specialist in performance nutrition and certified personal trainer, smilax is commonly used by pharmaceutical companies as the botanical base for semisynthetic testosterone supplements. These pharmaceutical steroids are used to treat testosterone deficiency in men and are commonly abused by bodybuilders.
Traditional Uses
Healers in the indigenous cultures of South America and the Caribbean have long used smilax to treat a number of health concerns such as headaches, joint pain, psoriasis and sexual impotence. As early as the 1400s, traders in the new world discovered smilax's medicinal value and took it back to Europe. The Mayo Clinic affirms that testosterone therapy is effective in treating sexual impotence because it increases red blood cell production, regulates sex drive and boosts sperm production.
Smilax for Bodybuilding
The bodybuilding community has used smilax as a legal anabolic steroid supplement to boost testosterone levels and increase the body’s ability to build muscle bulk since at least the 1980s, but its effectiveness has not been confirmed. Iron Man Magazine's Jerry Brainum calls the connection between smilax and testosterone “obscure,” and notes that the human body does not have the enzymatic ability to convert plant sterols into true hormones.
Risks in Using Smilax
A number of side effects associated with smilax that include gastric irritation and kidney impairment have been reported, according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Patients taking digitalis, hypnotic drugs and glycosides should avoid taking smilax.
References
- Body Building: Clayton South Health Facts
- Drugs.com: Sarsaparilla
- The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Selected Herbals and Human Exercise Performance
- Mayo Clinic: Testosterone Therapy -- Key to Male Vitality?
- Ergo-Log: Smilax the Deadly Testosterone Booster (Taken From the American Journal of Emergency Medicine)
- Iron Man Magazine: Natural Testosterone Boosters
- FAQ: World of Sports Science -- Smilax
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