Sarsaparilla is a plant. The root is used to make medicine.
People use sarsaparilla for skin diseases, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), kidney disease, sexually transmitted diseases, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
In manufacturing, sarsaparilla is used as a flavoring agent in foods, beverages, and pharmaceuticals.
Don't confuse sarsaparilla with German sarsaparilla or Indian or false sarsaparilla. There are reports that this false sarsaparilla is a common impurity found in sarsaparilla preparations. False sarsaparilla contains none of the possibly active chemicals found in true sarsaparilla.