White Bryony

Bryonia alba

Bryony English Mandrake Kua-lou Ladies' Seal Tamus Tetterberry White Bryony Wild Bryony Wild Hops Wild Vine Wood Vine Parts used Uses Habitat and cultivation

White bryony, a fast-growing perennial with a thick root and angular, branching stems, has yellow-white flowers with green veins. White bryony bears one or two seeded, thin-skinned black berries.

PARTS USED

Root.

USES

Augustus Caesar, adopted son and successor to Julius Caesar, wore a wreath of bryony to protect himself from lightning during thunderstorms. John Gerard, 16th-century botanist and chief secretary of state to Queen Elizabeth I, recommended its use for leather tanning. Because bryony's root resembles a person, as does the mandrake root, people associated bryony with that plant and thought it brought bad luck. William Withering, 18thcentury botanist and physician famous for his work with digitalis, advocated bryony's use in veterinary medicine.

Used in the 14th century as a treatment for leprosy, white bryony was a popular herbal medicine among the ancient Greeks and Romans and was prescribed by Galen and Dioscorides. White bryony is currently used to treat gastrointestinal, respiratory, and rheumatic disorders. White bryony acts as an irritant and often causes inflammation where it is applied. Various extracts display an antitumoral effect. White bryony is toxic; ingestion can cause vomiting, kidney damage, convulsions, and abortion. Because of these risks, it is prescribed mainly by homeopathic practitioners to be taken in extremely small doses. Homeopathically, it treats fevers that are accompanied by dry mouth and extreme thirst.
Other medical uses - Homeopathy, Tension headache.

HABITAT AND CULTIVATION

White bryony is commonly found in southern England, as well as in eastern and southeastern Europe.