Bryonia alba L. - syn.Bryonia nigra Dum. - Cucurbitaceae \\
white bryony, backberried bryony, **Weiße Zaunrübe**, Schwarzbeerige Zaunrübe

Monoecious perennial vine, native to Europe and Central Asia; leaves palmately lobed; male and female flowers greenish-white; fruit a black berry.

"All parts of the plant are highly toxic, especially the roots and berries. The main ingredients are over 20 different toxic bitter substances (cucurbitacins, which are highly oxidized triterpenes) and other triterpenes..." [[http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wei%C3%9Fe_Zaunr%C3%BCbe]]

"The cucurbitacins in roots of Bryonia dioica and B. alba have been investigated. Both species contain the cucurbitacins E, B, I, D, J, K and L, the dihydrocucurbitacins E and B, and tetrahydrocucurbitacin I. The detection of certain cucurbitacin aglycones depends upon the date of harvest, the duration of storage and the methods used for extraction." \\
[Die Cucurbitacine in Bryonia alba und Bryonia dioica. Pohlmann, J., Phytochemistry, Vol.14(7), 1975, 1587-1589]

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Bryonia alba (and B.dioica), Losch, F., Kräuterbuch, unsere Heilpflanzen in Wort und Bild, Zweite Auflage, t.78, fig.1 (1905) \\
[[http://plantgenera.org/species.php?id_species=161339]]

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Bryonia alba [[https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/|CC BY-SA 3.0]], Author: Andreas Kraska