Briony (Bryonia spp, B. alba, B. dioica) P
Folk Names: Bryony, Gout Root, Mad Root, Red Bryony, Snake Grape, White Bryony, Wild Bryony, Wild White Vine, Wood Vine; (B alba) Black-berries White Bryony, European Bryony; (B dioica) English Mandrake, Ladies’ Seal, Navet du Diable (French-Devil's Turnip), Tamus, Tetterberry, Wild Hops, Wild Nep, Wild Vine
Description: Briony is a climbing perennial found in the US and Europe, preferring moist areas. It is actually related to the cucumber, though I wouldn’t eat this representative of the family. It is highly poisonous. The fleshy root is dirty white and spindle shaped with milky juice. This juice is bitter and highly cathartic. It can be up to the size of a human head. The prickly stem can climb up to ten feet with spiral tendrils. The rough leaves are opposite and cordate-palmate with five lobes. Small, greenish-white or yellowish flowers grow in axillary corymbs from June to August, producing black pea-sized berries. Bryony dioica produces a red fruit. The berries are filled with a juice, unpleasant and putrid in odor, and contain three to six large seeds. These are grayish-yellow and mottled black.
Effects: strong
Planet: Mars, Saturn
Element: Fire
Associated Deities:
Traditions:
Briony comes from the Greek bryo, meaning to shoot forth or sprout. Possibly for this reason, and the size of the root, Briony is an acceptable substitute for mandrake. It is no less poisonous though, so be careful. Briony was considered a “wicked” herb during the Middle Ages. Some charlatans would dig up a young, thriving plant, leaving the lower root intact. They would affix a mold in the shape of a man to the root and rebury it to dig it up later and sell as mandrake.
Magic:
Like mandrake, briony is used for fertility and abundance. Money placed next to the root will increase so long as it left there. A folklore tradition existed in which it was suggest that briony be dusted over the food to increase female fertility, but considering the poisonous nature of the herb, I would not suggest this.
It may be hung in your house or garden to protect against the effects of bad weather. Another source says Julius Caesar used a wreath made from the plant as protection during a thunderstorm.
Known Combinations:
none known
(Caution: The root is poisonous in large doses; approximately forty berries will kill an adult, and fifteen will kill a child. Bryony dioica especially contains dangerously poison resins.)
Under the name Wild Nep, briony was considered an antidote for leprosy during the fourteenth century. I suppose if it killed you that would be one way to cure you of your disease.
Nutrition:
Mercantile Uses:
Parts used: root
Medicinally, briony has been used as a purgative. The dried root was administered for chest problems, and in Germany, the root was hollowed out and filled with beer. After one to two days, the beer was taken a teaspoon at a time for constipation.
none
The berries have been used for dying, but specific details are not given. I would suppose the red berries would make a reddish dye, and the black ones might yield some grayish color.