BITTERSWEET NIGHTSHADE

As it is mildly toxic, Bittersweet leaves, stem & root bark are best used externally as a poultice or salve.

As a poultice, the leaves are good for treating herpes, boils & gout.
It would also be good for treating various insect bites.
Also used as astringent leaf tea for diarrhea, dysentery.
A homeopathic remedy is made from the fresh, green, still pliant stems & leaves, harvested as the plant begins to flower. This is used in treating a variety of complaints including backaches, cough, diarrhea, eye inflammations & joint pains.

The dried stem, usually collected in the autumn & preferably from the ends of branches 2 - 3 years old, is the part that is most valued medicinally, though the leaves are also used.

A decoction of the root is used in the treatment of cancer & swellings.
The root is harvested in the autumn & dried for later use.

Root-bark tea induces sweating, also as diuretic, emetic, for pain of childbirth, chronic liver & skin ailments, rheumatism, leukorrhea, suppressed menses..
Bark used in ointment for burns, scrapes, skin eruptions.
Bark extracts thought to be cardioactive.

Remedies made from the bittersweet are effective in treating most acute problems associated with colds & catarrhal disorders- problems that result due to cold or suspended cutaneous action.
Small doses of the bittersweet remedy are useful in treating problems like dyspnoea, cough & pain in the chest produced by exposure to cold weather.
Bittersweet remedies are also useful in relieving catarrhal headache induced by acute colds & this remedy is also helpful in treating nasal catarrh.
Bittersweet can also be used as a remedy to bring relief from asthma & to treat related respiratory illnesses such as chronic bronchitis.
The bittersweet is also effective in treating gout & related disorders.
Bittersweet remedies have principally been used in syrups or decoctions for treating cutaneous diseases, to treat syphilitic diseases, as well as rheumatic & cachectic problems.
It is also effective in dealing with acute & chronic rheumatism in people who are over exposed to the cold or who dwell in cold or damp areas.

Bittersweet decoctions & syrups are also used in treating ill-conditioned ulcers, to treat problems like scrofula, as well as in the treatment of indurations from milk, leucorrhoea, jaundice & menstrual problems caused by vaginal obstruction.
Bittersweet is also effective in treating suppression of normal menstruation, especially when it is accompanied by symptoms such as persistent headache, nausea & chilly sensations - such problems occur when the menstrual flow has been arrested by cold.

Bittersweet remedies are used in alleviating leprosy, tetter & porrigo, particularly when combined with other useful herbs such as the root of the yellow dock herb.

Bittersweet is alterative & can be used as a general remedy, it has a mild action on the stomach & actively aids in the secretion & excretion processes occurring in the body.
Bittersweet remedy is also useful in treating vesical catarrh, particularly if the disorder is aggravated by dampness.

The remedy has also been found to be helpful in the treatment of catarrhal diarrhea affecting children.

Externally, the plant is used to treat skin eruptions, ulcers, rheumatism & cellulite.
The fruits are marinated in vinegar & applied to cancerous sores & other swellings.
The bittersweet is very effective when consumed to treat different kinds of skin problems like long term eczema, persistent itchiness on the skin, disorders such as psoriasis, as well as warts.
An herbal bittersweet decoction made from the twigs can also be used as a topical remedy, when this decoction is applied as an herbal wash on the skin, it can help reduce the severity of these disorders & ease the symptoms.
The remedy is also helpful in treating chronic skin affections of a pustular, vesicular, or scaly character especially if the disorder has affected the person for a long period of time.
You can also used the dried plant as a medicinal bath to treat skin conditions & skin infections as well as aching joints by taking such a bath for a few days in a row.

When used in a salve Bittersweet is better mixed with other herbs like Chamomile for treating inflammation, bruising & sprains, but make sure not to use it on open wounds. 

You can blend it with Yellow Dock in a salve to treat skin diseases & sores such as eczema & psoriasis.

The bittersweet is also prepared into a lotion or ointment for external problems; it is employed as a discutient for treating painful tumors.
The ointment is used as a topical application in treating some types of cutaneous diseases, ulcers & erysipelatous disorders.

The bittersweet is reputed to be an antaphrodisiac & is beneficial in the reduction of mania accompanied by powerful excitement of the venereal functions; it can depress the libido in oversexed individuals.
At the same time, in some cases it is believed to increase venereal desires & to bring on heat & an itching sensation in the female genitalia along with strangury.
Bittersweet has been used to successfully treat nymphomaniacs & satyriasis.

PRECAUTIONS:

This is a poisonous plant that, in excess, paralyzes the central nervous system, slows the heart & respiration & lowers temperature, causing vertigo, delirium, convulsions & death.
Fruits are toxic.
All parts potentially toxic.
The bittersweet must be taken in small doses, as large doses can bring on side effects such as dryness & heat with stinging pain in the face, the person may experience great thirst, discomfort in the stomach, he or she may vomit.
These symptoms may be accompanied by persistent diarrhea, by prostration or syncope, as well as spasmodic twitching all over the body.
In some people, large doses of the herb can lead to a depression in the action of the heart & affect the arterial flow of blood; this can bring on a moderate degree of lividity on the hands & face of the person.
Side effects can also make the head of the person feels unusually heavy & he or she may be affected by spells of dizziness.
The person may also develop a cutaneous erythema.

RECIPES:

Traditional use of the stem has been at a dosage of 1-3 g day, usually given as a decoction or infusion in 250 ml of water.

BEAUTY:

Topical Acne Treatment:

Topical solution can be made at home by soaking 1-2 grams of the dried bittersweet stem in about 250 ml of boiling water for 10 minutes.
Cool.

MAGIC:

Hang bittersweet nightshade upside down by the entrances of your home to protect your home & yourself from negative energies, magic, spirits & people & misfortune. For its magic to work, however, no one else must ever know where it has been placed.

Woody Nightshade is believed to guard against the evil eye.
Farmers used it as a charm around the necks of animals they thought to be under an evil eye.

Placed on the body Woody Nightshade will dispel the memories of old loves & old lovers. Nightshade is useful in magics done for Astral projection.

Any variety of nightshade can be used to honor the dead or in rituals involving death & the spirit realm.
Traditionally this plant should be gathered/harvested on Samhain when the berries have all turned red.
It heals from bitter memories & helps in Fae magic.

It is used for binding, enchantment, hexing, shapeshifting & transformation.

Particularly it is a useful aid to the Law of Attraction.
Use when you are working to create energy to draw like energy into your life.
It is also used in spells to balance energies & forces, light/dark, male/female, etc.
Also helps in work to find ones connection with all things, release our potential & find our true will.

It is used to heal a broken heart by either placing some of the dried herb beneath your pillow or carrying it in a sachet on your person. Mix it with Bleeding Heart flowers.

It is also traditionally used to protect from evil & also to cleanse anyone, animal, or object of evil or the evil eye. Instead of burning it, try dipping a fresh clipping of Bittersweet in spring water or rainwater & flick it onto the people or object you wish to sain.