Sarsaparilla

Has anyone had any experience with this supplement? I’ve read articles saying that the steroidal saponins in the root can increase testosterone…I’ve purchased some capsulated root powder, the Nature’s Way brand, with 520 mg in each capsule. I’me going to take 3 caps, 3x a day (says take 2 caps 3x/day)….I’ll let you guys know if any results are seen as far as erection hardness/ frequency, or any results in the gym.

On a side note, I’ve take Tribulus Terris before, with has similar compounds to Sarsaparilla….but I’m honestly not sure if it really did anything. I actually even had my free testosterone tested at that time by my doc, and it came back at 84.5 (normal range of 30-130), so who knows. Any comments on either supplement?

would drinking a root beer do the same as the pills?

LOL @ Luvdadus! I don’t know why it wouldn’t.

bigjack

I’ll tell you why it wouldn’t :) ….

"Sarsaparilla is a large woody vine growing up to 50 meters in length and is native to South America, Jamaica, the Caribbean, Mexico, Honduras and the West Indies. The root, used for medicinal purposes, is long and tuberous and supports a ground-trailing vine with paired tendrils for climbing. The fragrance of the root is considered pleasant with a spicy sweet taste. Sarsaparilla vine should not be confused with the tree, Sasparilla which was once used to flavor rootbeer. There are many species of Smilax around the world that are very similar in appearance, uses and even chemical structure, including S. officinalis, S. regeli, S. aristolochiaefolia, S. febrifuga, S. sarsaparilla, and S. ornata."

To find out more, go here :
http://www.rain … arsaparilla.htm

This isn’t where I read about the possible increase in testosterone, but that site does make a good point about plant steroids.

Good point. I took damiana for about a week and a half and it seemed to increase the size of my balls. I measured on it and I am now off it to see if it actually did any thing. the plant sterols are what I think may have effect on libido/testicle size.

Canwood, thanks for the additional information. Very enlightening! I realize that you merely copied the “Sasparilla” spelling for the tree (root) that root beer was flavored with from the article you linked us to. None-the-less, it’s a misspelling. Both are actually Sarsaparilla (though they are pronounced as if the first “r” was missing, like “sasparilla”).

Root Beer is flavored with Sarsaparilla root extract and certain herbs. But, originally, root beer and a drink that was referred to as “Sarsaparilla” were flavored with the dried root bark of Sassafras (a carcinogenic) and oil from the European birch tree.

Wish I knew more about the Sarsaparilla/Testosterone link you mentioned. Sounds like something I’ll want to research a bit.

bigjack

Wonderful idea, especially if it’s homebrewed root beer. Made some once with honey instead of sugar to carbonate it. It was so good I didn’t care what it did to my body. It was so good that it didn’t affect our friendship when a bottle exploded in my buddy’s car. He should have known better.

Care to pass that recipe on to us, there, Tex3?? :)

I’ve done homemade beer in years gone by, and it was hard to beat. But, your home-brewed root beer sounds mighty good! I’ll swap you a really fine chili recipe!

bigjack

with naturally carbonating root beer or any sweet drink.

they need to be used quickly or the fermentation will cause the bottles to explode. Keeping them chilled to near freezing could give a bit more time.

BTW I have also dabbled in home brewing (but just extract or extract plus specialty grain so far).

Bigjack:

I would if I had it, but when I got out of home brewing, my bottle boy wanted the log. He might condescend to looking the root beer recipe up, though.

Luv:

You’re right, and honey always seemed unpredictable, regardless of what the specific gravity was. I also made a lot of champaigne mead, and it was very tricky business, but when it was good, it was GOOD!

Well, home brewing aside, I’m all done my sarsaparilla. Had about, oh, 12-15 capsules left, decides to pitch ‘em out. Overall, I didn’t see any significant results. Maybe, MAYBE a slight increase in libido, but that could be attributed to many factors.

On a side note, my cold that wouldn’t die was gonzo in 2 days after starting the sarsaparilla. One of the websites I found stated it had anti-biotic effects, but I’ve never heard that before.

The Russians had messed around with plant sterols back in the 70’s; that’s where Tribulus gained it’s reputation. As far as I’m concerned, though, I’ll leave sarsaparilla for the bottle. I’m curious to try that damiana, though.

I have tried sarsaparilla many years ago. It didn’t work one bit for me!

Anyone have anymore to add on this? I’ve been hearing good things about it recently. Any ideas of where to buy?