Greenbrier Medicinal Uses

Greenbrier is a thorny evergreen vine that grows in thickets, in woodlands and swamps. Greenbrier is not a single species, but a collection of similar species all found in the Genus Smilax. The common name for the individual species is Cat Greenbrier, Saw Greenbrier, etc. The fruit matures in September to November when it will turn black. The leaves are evergreen which means the vine will have green leaves year round. Rarely do you find huge amounts of greenbrier growing; instead it is usually a plant here and a plant there. It is not uncommon, but it doesn't usually dominate the understory.

The leaves of the different species should all look similar in that they are mostly evergreen waxy leaves, but some are deciduous that have small thorns along the margins. The leaves are always arranged in an alternate not opposite manner.

The rhizomes of the Smilax Genus are what we are interested in for medicinal purposes. The rhizomes of the greenbrier plant are dug up, cleaned of dirt and then dried out. Once dried out you take the rhizome and grind it into a powder. This powder can then be applied to a wound and it will greatly aid in the clotting of the blood. So it is a clotting agent.