

The Healer's Apothecary
Yew berry, Taxus baccata. Berries taken from tree in Moss Lane, Holme, 29/10/2017 Fruits produced from the female tree. Sacred tree to Druids. Poisonous to livestock. If ingested symptoms include, trembling, staggering, coldness, weak pulse and death within a few hours.


The Healer's Apothecary
Found in hedgerow 12/10/17 farm track, Holme Woody Nightshade, Solanum dulcamara, 'bittersweet, poisonberry, felonwood. Climbing habit, from the potato genus Solanum. Tomato odor, popular food for some birds. Poisonous to humans and livestock. Considered in the Middle Ages to protect against witchcraft and the 'evil eye'. Contains solanine which acts narcotically if consumed, paralysis, slower heart rate, vertigo, delirium, convulsions, death. Source: Botanical.com Mrs.M


The Healer's Apothecary
Found in hedgerow, Holme, Cumbria 12/10/17 Black Bryony, Tamus Communis, lady's seal, Devil's Tulip or Black bindweed. Climbing habit, heart shape leaves that die back in winter, the red berries are highly toxic (although, in parts of Europe young shoots of the plant are sometimes eaten raw in salads.) A sickly smell and taste mean the berries rarely cause accidental poisoning. Historically, the tuber root was commonly used in herbal medicine and appl