Red Bryony (Bryonia dioica) seeds

The red bryony is a decorative but poisonous climbing plant with red berries. The red-fruited bryony, also known as English Mandrake, is an ancient Mediterranean medicinal and magic plant belonging to the cucumber family. In the Middle Ages, it was a widespread con by travelling salesmen to carve up the 70 cm long tuberous roots of the red bryony and sell them as magic mandrakes in amulets. Although the combination of active ingredients can not be compared between those two plants, this climbing plant also has an interesting ethnobotanical history.

The root was said to have a special curative power concerning leprosy, and its laxative effect was already known in the Middle Ages. A spoonful of a preparation made of bryony root soaked in beer for a couple of days was a proven home remedy for constipation. Apart from its usefulness in popular medicine, it is very attractive as an ornamental plant with its beautiful vines and red berries, but beware of its poison!