Western Herbalism
White bryony
Bryonia alba
Also known as Bryonia, Bryony, Bastard Turnip, Devil's Turnip, etc, Snakeweed, Parsnip turnip.
Indications include tenderness to palpation, sharp pain, worse w/ any motion, rapid pulse and fever Most indicated when joints are stiff, worse w/ motion and have fluid accumulation Cucurbitacins appear to relax smooth muscle in heart Relieves pain through relaxation of tissues and peripheral nerves Reduces inflammation through diaphoretic and anti-inflammatory actions Also made into a homeopathic remedy Not recommended for internal use Fresh root is caustic if applied topically, use dried root only in small amounts
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Indications what the tradition reached for it in
- Pleuritis
- Neuralgia
- Congestive heart failure
- Headache
- Hypertension
- Rheumatism
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Pain
- Weak and delicate individuals (who by overwork and nervous excitation bring on depressed and irregular heart-action)
- Peritonitis
- Cardiac weakness
- Edema
- Fluid retention
- Heart failure
- Inflammation
- Urinary disorders
- Arthritis
- Constipation
- Fever
- Common cold
- Heart weakness
- Cardiac insufficiency
Safety
Recognised toxicity. This plant carries a toxicity flag in the record; it is for trained practitioners only.
Low dose botanical. Used in drop doses in the classical practice; not a plant to dose freely.
Pregnancy: Pregnancy Caution
Breastfeeding: Lactation
The record lists 4 contraindications; open the plate in the library to read them in full.
Dosing as the sources wrote it
| Preparation | As written | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Tincture (1:10) | 5-10 gtts in 4 oz water, take 1 tsp q 1-3 hrs (dried root | 0.1-0.2 mL |
| Tinctura Bryoniae, Tincture of Bryonia | Dose, from one to five minims. | 0.06-0.31 mL |
| Specific Medicine Bryonia | Dose, from one-tenth to two minims. | 0.01-0.12 mL |
| In severe cases in small children, or during severe paroxysms, it is very desirable to give a yet smaller dose and alternate the remedies every twenty or thirty minutes: Rx ... Tinct. | ||
| Dose, 1/20 to 5 drops. | 0-0.1 mL | |
| Finally, but in larger doses than are required for the preceding uses, bryonia (up to drop doses) is one of the best agents to overcome infantile constipation due to difficult digestion of cow’s milk and in other forms of constipation, where the stools are dry and scybalous. |
Doses are reproduced from the sources for practitioners and are not a recommendation for any person.
From the sources
Clinical Notes. Indications include tenderness to palpation, sharp pain, worse w/ any motion, rapid pulse and fever Most indicated when joints are stiff, worse w/ motion and have fluid accumulation Cucurbitacins appear to relax smooth muscle in heart Relieves pain through relaxation of tissues and peripheral nerves Reduces inflammation through diaphoretic and anti-inflammatory actions Also made into a homeopathic remedy Not recommended for internal use Fresh root is caustic if applied topically, use dried root only in small amounts
Therapy. Bryonia, practically unused in the dominant school, and much employed by Homeopathists, is regarded by Eclectic physicians as an indispensable agent. Personally, we use few agents more frequently than bryonia.
Therapy. Bryonia is a remedy of great value in the treatment of all acute inflammations of the thoracic viscera or of the pleura. In pleuritis its indications are usually all present. Uncomplicated cases will yield to this agent alone.
Action, Medical Uses, and Dosage. (See Bryonia.) The dose of this preparation, for its specific uses, should be small-from a fraction of a drop to 2 drops. By some it is employed as a purgative, in doses of from 20 to 90 drops. It is never used in the latter manner in Eclectic practice.
Drawn from Scudder's Specific Medication and Specific Medicines; King's American Dispensatory, 18th edition (Felter and Lloyd); Ellingwood's American Materia Medica, Therapeutics and Pharmacognosy; Felter's Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and the Bountiful Herbs editorial.
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