White bryony is sometimes known as bryony or English mandrake. It was popularly regarded as having aphrodisiac powers and was considered by the Romans to afford protection against lightning.
It was a plant that had to be used with extreme caution. The dried root was used in some folk remedies, but it is toxic and could induce vomiting and gastric pain. The berries are also poisonous.
It was used as purgative and in diseases of the respiratory system, such as bronchitis, pneumonia, influenza and coughs. Heart disorders caused by gout or rheumatism and malaria were also treated with it.
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