What is sarsaparilla soda?
Sarsaparilla soda is a soft drink named after sarsaparilla, a common name for Smilax plants. The US National Library of Medicine's MeSH notes that drinks called sarsaparilla and root beer have been prepared from Jamaican sarsaparilla (Smilax ornata) and from sassafras. The FDA treats food with added safrole or oil of sassafras as adulterated.
Free download
Juice, Soda and Water Storage Chart (PDF): How long juice, soda, coconut water and bottled water last, opened and unopened. 19 rows, each with its source.
Thank you
Your chart is ready
We use your email only for this download.Also free:
Home Bar Storage Chart (PDF)Milk and Dairy Storage Chart (PDF)Coffee, Tea and Hot Drinks Storage Chart (PDF)Drink Strength, Calories and Units Cheat Sheet (PDF)Want the full pack? About 10 printable sheets: a larger chart for each drink type, a “has it gone off?” checklist, date labels, a party planner and an inventory sheet.
In this article
What is sarsaparilla?
The US National Library of Medicine’s MeSH entry describes Smilax as a plant genus of the family Smilacaceae. It states that drinks called sarsaparilla and root beer have been prepared from Smilax ornata (Jamaican sarsaparilla) and from sassafras. That is why the two names are often mixed up.
Is sarsaparilla the same as sassafras or root beer?
They are different plants: sarsaparilla is Smilax, while sassafras is another plant. MeSH names both as sources of such drinks. We found no official source that defines how a current brand of sarsaparilla soda is flavored, so the bottle’s ingredient list is the only reliable guide.
Is sassafras soda legal?
FDA regulation 21 CFR 189.180 deems food adulterated if it contains added safrole, oil of sassafras, isosafrole or dihydrosafrole. The same section covers items such as sassafras bark when intended mainly as a vehicle for those substances, for example sassafras tea, and says oil of sassafras is about 80 percent safrole. We did not open a source on specific products, so we cannot say which sodas use safrole-free extracts.
What does it taste like?
We found no official source describing the taste. MeSH only ties the name to drinks that resemble root beer. If you take herbal products or medicines, ask a doctor or pharmacist before drinking herbal sodas; this page is general information, not medical advice.
People also ask
What is sarsaparilla soda?
A soft drink named for sarsaparilla (Smilax plants); MeSH says drinks called sarsaparilla and root beer were made from Smilax ornata and sassafras.
Is sarsaparilla the same as root beer?
Not exactly. Sarsaparilla is Smilax; MeSH says both sarsaparilla and root beer drinks were prepared from Smilax ornata and sassafras.
Is sassafras soda banned?
The FDA deems food with added safrole or oil of sassafras adulterated (21 CFR 189.180); we did not verify specific products.
Sources
About · How we verify this · Editorial policy · Corrections
What would help you most next?
One tap. Anonymous. It helps us decide what to build.
Thank you. The free charts above are yours to keep.
