Sarsaparilla Root, cut and sifted (smilax ornata) - Make Root Beer!

Sarsaparilla, sometimes called “sasparilla”,  is remembered by many as the perfect thirst quencher on a hot summer day (root beer!).  Root beer can be made with several species, all difficult to obtain.  This particular species is a woody perennial climbing vine indigenous to South and Central America, as well as the Caribbean. The Mayans considered it as a tonic for general weakness. The name itself is from the Spanish: sarza, meaning brambles, and parilla, meaning vine. Modern medicine and science seem to confirm many of the traditional uses of sarsaparilla root.  packaged in ziplock  How to make root beer