From Newfoundland south to the Carolinas and west through the Great Plains. Widespread throughout cool upland woods. The fragrant roots are used for different reasons. The flowers, which come out from May through July, are small and green-white in color. The plant produces purple-black berries about the size of elderberry.
Wild sarsaparilla feeds many different animals.
The Black Bear and the Grizzly Bear eat the berries. Caribou and deer eat the whole plant and moose love it. Birds like ruffled grouse and thrushes eat the seeds. Psoriasis, Rheumatism, Eczema. Sarsaparilla is a also useful in diseases of the breast and lungs.