The Voynich Botanical Plants

Folio 17v. Smilex, is a genus of 300 to 350 species that grow in temperate to tropical zones through out the world. The plant is known in China as China root and in Jamaica as sparsparilla, an ingredient of root beer. It is also used in soups and stews. The berries are an important winter food for birds and small animals and as a jelling agent for jams and jellies. The root contains sapogenins, precursors of steroidal hormones like cortisone and progesterone. Herbalists use the root to treat premenstrual syndrome and skin diseases like psoriasis that are due to a hormonal imbalance. (1) (B)