botanical name(s): Bryonia alba, B. dioica
synonyms: bryonia, English mandrake
part(s) used: root
qualities:
affinities:
actions:
dosage:
» tincture: 0.2 - 1 ml.
therapy:
toxicity: 3
» treatment of overdose: tannins (Ellingwood, p. 250)
» handling fresh plant may cause contact dermatitis (Brinker, p. 20)
» gastrointestinal toxidrome: abdominal pain, nausea, uncontrollable vomiting, diarrhea, gastrointestinal inflammation, diaphoresis, vertigo, reduced body temperature, dilated pupils, depressed cardiac function with thread-like pulse, colic, prostration, and sometimes convulsions, collapse, and death (Ellingwood,
p. 250; Felter and Lloyd, p. 368)
» Larger doses cause bronchial irritation with cough, hepatitis, jaundice, increased urination with tenesmus and vesical formation, and a feeling of cerebral fullness with congestion (Ellingwood, p. 250; Felter and Lloyd, p. 368).
constituents: cucurbitacins, polyhydroxy-unsaturated fatty acids, volatile oil, tannins
footnotes
Brinker, F.J. 1986. The Toxicology of Common Botanical Substances, 2nd ed. Portland, OR: National College of Naturopathic Medicine.
Ellingwood, F. 1898. American Materia Medica, Therapeutics, and Pharmacognosy. Portland, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications.
Felter, H. W., and Lloyd, J. U. 1983. King's American Dispensatory, Vols. I and II. Portland, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications.