Description
Bryonia dioica, known by the common names red bryony and white bryony, also English mandrake or ladies’ seal, generally toxic to humans. Application of its juice to the skin produces inflammation with a rash or ulcers, and consumption of this juice causes intense gastrointestinal irritation including nausea and vomiting in small doses. The seed of this vine, by contrast, is safely edible, and finds use in Western Europe as an ingredient in starch dishes, In medieval times the plant was thought to be an antidote for leprosy.
