In Jamaican traditional medicine, the dried root (1-4 g) of the sarsaparilla (Smilax ornata) is made into a tea to relieve pain related to arthritis. To investigate this claim extracts of the root were examined using the rat tail-flick model.

Forty-two Sprague-Dawley rats were first individually placed on the analgesimeter, heat applied to the tail and the time taken for animal to flick tail was recorded as a measure of sensitivity to pain. Rats were then divided into groups containing 6 rats.

Two test groups were used with one group receiving the sarsaparilla extract dissolved in distilled water (MS, 200 mg/kg and 400mg/kg) and the other received the sarsaparilla extract dissolved in vegetable oil (ES, 400 mg/kg). The two control groups were administered saline (0.5 mL/kg) and vegetable oil (0.5 mL/kg). A known pain medication, ibuprofen (20 mg/kg) was administered asthe positive control group. All dosing was done intraperitoneally. The time taken for each animal to flick their tail was measured at 30-minute intervals for a durationof 3 hours.

MS and ES extracts showed a significant increase in the time taken for the animals to flick their tail when compared to their respective control groups. It is concluded from the present study that sarsaparilla can significantly reduce the pain felt by the animals.