Smilax excelsa, commonly known as the Anatolian sarsaparilla or Caucasian sarsaparilla, is a vigorous, deciduous to semi-evergreen climbing shrub belonging to the family Smilacaceae. Native to southern Europe, the Caucasus, parts of Western Asia (including Turkey and Iran), and the Middle East, it thrives in humid deciduous forests, scrublands, riverbanks, and shaded woodland margins. The genus name Smilax traces back to classical Greek mythology, while the species epithet excelsa is Latin for "tall" or "lofty," aptly describing the vine's ability to ascend high into the forest canopy. Historically, communities across its native range valued the plant both as a wild-foraged green and as a traditional herbal remedy for cleansing and invigorating the body.

The plant is a robust liana featuring woody, angular stems armed with sharp, recurved prickles that help it scramble over rocks and latch onto neighboring trees. Its leaves are alternate, broadly ovate to cordate (heart-shaped), and feature prominent network veins. Smilax excelsa produces small, dioecious, greenish-yellow flowers clustered in umbels, with male and female blossoms borne on separate plants. The pollinated female flowers develop into dense clusters of spherical, fleshy berries that turn a striking glossy red or dark crimson when ripe, each enclosing several hard seeds. The vine is well-adapted to mild temperate and sub-Mediterranean climates, preferring deep, fertile, moisture-retentive soils.

In culinary and regional traditions, particularly in the Caucasus and regions like northern Iran and Turkey, Smilax excelsa is known locally as dikenuku, melocan, merevcen or similar local names, and its tender young spring shoots are highly prized. Foraged just as they emerge from the ground, these bitter-savory shoots are typically boiled, pickled, or sautéed with eggs and herbs, serving as a seasonal delicacy. Georgians eat the tender young shoots primarily prepared as a savory, cold vegetable dish known as pkhali or in a spiced herb salad. Unlike the root-focused uses of other sarsaparilla species, the aerial shoots of Smilax excelsa are a staple wild vegetable in traditional regional spring diets.

From a pharmacological perspective, traditional herbal practices utilize decoctions made from the thick, tuberous roots and rhizomes of Smilax excelsa as a blood-purifying tonic, diuretic, and diaphoretic remedy. Modern phytochemical investigations of the plant have identified an abundance of bioactive constituents, notably steroidal saponins, antioxidant flavonoids, and plant sterols, which exhibit notable antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties in laboratory evaluations.