Smilax glabra

Smilax glabra, sarsaparilla, is a plant species in the genus Smilax. It is native to China, the Himalayas, and Indochina.

S. glabra is a traditional medicine in Chinese herbology, whence it is also known as tufuling (土茯苓) or chinaroot, china-root, and china root (a name it shares with the related S. china). Chinaroot is a key ingredient in the Chinese medical dessert guilinggao, which uses its ability to set certain kinds of jelly.