RED BRYONY BRYONIA DIOICA

RED BRYONY (Bryonia dioica Jacq.) X

Hager’s Handbuch der Pharmazeutischen Praxis (HHB), from which PH2 wisely draws on occasion, treats red bryony as B. dioica, while PH2 treats it as B. cretica L. Further, HHB, on which I frequently draw, says that the chemistry of the red and white bryonies are fairly similar. Hence I am aggregating the B. cretica with B. dioica indications. Jonathan Hartwell calls both B. alba L. and B. dioica white bryony. EFS also treated B. alba and B. dioica in the same heading. KOM clarifies by uniting them as B. cretica and B. dioica as B. cretica var. dioica, while retaining B. alba discrete species but equating their activities and nonacceptance. For now I’ll stick with the USDA nomenclature.

Activities (Red Bryony) :
Antitumor (f; HHB); Cytotoxic (f; KOM); Diuretic (f; HHB; KOM); Emetic (1; KOM); Laxative (1; KOM); Toxic (1; PH2).

Indications (Red Bryony) :
Adenopathy (f; JLH); Aposteme (f; JLH); Arthrosis (f; JLH; KOM); Cacoethes (f; JLH); Cancer (1; FNF; HHB; JLH); Cancer, abdomen (1; FNF; JLH); Cancer, breast (1; FNF; JLH); Cancer, colon (1; FNF; JLH); Cancer, face (1; FNF; JLH); Cancer, gland (1; FNF; JLH); Cancer, joint (1; FNF; JLH); Cancer, spleen (1; FNF; JLH); Catarrh (f; HHB); Constipation (1; KOM); Enterosis (f; KOM); Fever (f; HHB); Gastrosis (f; KOM); Hepatosis (f; KOM); Induration (f; JLH); Infection (f; KOM); Mastosis (f; JLH); Peritonosis (f; PH2); Pleurosis (f; PH2); Polyp (f; JLH); Pulmonosis (f; HHB); Respirosis (f; PH2); Rheumatism (f; HHB); Splenosis (f; JLH); Tumor (f; HHB); Wart (f; JLH); Water Retention (f; HHB; KOM); Whitlow (f; JLH).

Contraindications, Interactions, and Side Effects (Red Bryony) :
Not covered (AHP). Not approved (KOM). Commission E reports the root is a drastic laxative and emetic, while other therapeutic uses are not adequately documented. Contains toxic cucurbitacins (AEH). May cause abortion, anuria, blisters, colic, collapse, convulsions, cramps, death, dermatosis, diarrhea, dizziness, emesis, hematochezia, nephrosis, neurosis, paralysis, rash, and/or vomiting (KOM; PH2); 40 berries could kill an adult (PH2). One death attributed to 30 g (ca. 1 oz) root (PH2).