Bryony
Parts Usually Used
Rootstock
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
White bryony is a perennial climbing plant; the prickly stem grows to a length of 10 feet and climbs using spiral tendrils that grow opposite to the leaves. The rootstock is dirty white, spindle-shaped and fleshy and contains milky juice. The leaves are cordate, five-lobed, and rough. Small, greenish-white or yellowish flowers grow in axillary corymbs from June or August. The fruit is a black, pea-sized berry.
Another variety: Red bryony (B. dioica) contains a dangerously poisonous resin.
Where Found
Cultivated in the United States and Europe, and occasionally found wild in moist areas and vineyards of Europe.
Medicinal Properties
Pectoral, purgative, anti-rheumatic
Legends, Myths and Stories
Bryony was considered a wicked plant in the Middle Ages. Medieval con men passed off carved bryony roots as mandrakes, making great profits and deceiving many people, including childless women who bought the root as a fertility drug or charm.
Uses
Historically, white bryony was regarded by herbalists as a strong purgative. In German folk tradition, the rootstock was prepared by hollowing it out, filling it with beer, and subsequently drinking the liquid to address constipation. Traditional practitioners also employed the dried root for coughs, shortness of breath, rheumatism, dizziness, dropsy, cramps, and kidney stones.
Externally, herbal preparations were applied with the intention of cleansing sores, wounds, bruises, and boils, as well as addressing sunburn and freckles.
Warning
White byrony purges violently; should have medical supervision. The rootstock is poisonous in large doses. The berries are very poisonous. 40 berries will kill an adult; 15 berries will kill a child. Another variety: Red bryony (B. dioica) contains a dangerously poisonous resin. Do not use either Red or White Byrony without medical supervision.
Bibliography
The Complete Medicinal Herbal , by Penelope Ody, Dorling Kindersley, Inc, 232 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, First American Edition, copyright 1993 Culpeper’s Complete Herbal & English Physician: Updated With 117 Modern Herbs , by Nicholas Culpeper, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1990, (reprint of 1814) The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY.
copyright 1974. Chinese Medicinal Herbs , compiled by Shih-Chen Li, Georgetown Press, San Francisco, California, 1973. The Nature Doctor: A Manual of Traditional and Complementary Medicine , by Dr. A. , 27 Pine Street (Box 876) New Canaan, CT. 06840-0876. Copyright Verlag A. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023