Greenbrier: Good for Nothing?
If you garden, clear overgrown areas next to the woods or do some hiking here in Arkansas, there’s a good chance you’ve come across a plant nearly everyone considers a nuisance: greenbrier.
While this thorny vine can cause plenty of scratches when you try to confront, the greenbrier actually has some beneficial uses as well.
Greenbrier falls within the Smilaxis genus. According to the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, this ancient genus consists of more than 250 species of tropical and warm-temperate vines that were once considered part of the lily family. Now, Simlax is classified as its own unique plant family. North America has about 20 species with 11 fof those found in Arkansas. Plants may be either woody or herbaceous, but it is the spiny, woody forms that most people think of when the name greenbrier is mentioned.
Here are some of the common varieties of greenbrier found in Arkansas:
- Common Greenbrier (Smilax rotundifolia): A widespread woody vine with thorns and waxy, round leaves.
- Saw Greenbrier (Smilax bona-nox): Known for its very formidable, sharp thorns.
- Laurel Greenbrier (Smilax laurifolia): A high-climbing, thicket-forming vine found in wet areas.
- Bristly Greenbrier (Smilax hispida): Characterized by numerous long, thin, blackish thorns.
- Lanceleaf Greenbrier (Smilax smallii): A largely thornless variety used by florists.
- Cat Greenbrier (Smilax glauca): A common, tangled vine.
You Can Eat Greenbrier?
You ask most folks, they’ll tell you greenbrier is good for nothing! But greenbrier is actually edible and even has some medicinal properties to it.
Tom Harkins writes on the New Life on the Homestead website that almost every part of the greenbrier plant is edible, but the timing and preparation matter heavily.
- Spring Shoots and Tendrils: This is the culinary highlight of the plant. The young, tender, light-green tips that emerge in the spring can be snapped off and eaten raw or cooked. They have a crisp texture and a mild flavor often compared to asparagus or fresh green beans.
- Roots and Tubers: Greenbrier develops large, starchy tubers underground. Historically, these were pounded, dried, and ground into a flour substitute, or boiled to extract a starchy jelly used to thicken soups and stews. The roots of some Smilax species were also used as the original base flavoring for traditional sarsaparilla and early root beers.
- Young Leaves: The very young, soft leaves can be tossed into salads or cooked like spinach before they mature and become tough and waxy.
- Berries: The female vines produce small berries that turn dark blue, red, or black in the fall. While technically edible for humans, they are rubbery, bland, and full of large seeds. They are safe to eat, but generally not worth the effort.
If you decide to try some greenbrier, always make sure you’re 100 percent positive it’s actually greenbrier. Greenbrier is fairly easy to spot because it is the only vine in North America that features both sharp thorns and climbing tendrils on the same stem. Here are some helpful videos to help you forage greenbrier:
Legacy Wilderness Academy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP-7q6QnENc
Wobbly Otter Outdoors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_vsqDHlOSw
Health Benefits
Greenbrier has been used in folk remedies for generations, and now science is finding out that this vine most of use consider a nuisance has medicinal properties:
- Traditional Remedies: Native American, Ayurvedic, and traditional Eastern medicine systems have used the root extracts for centuries. It was commonly utilized as a “blood purifier” and to treat joint pain, skin conditions (like psoriasis and leprosy), and digestive issues.
- Active Compounds: Modern pharmacological studies(see link below) have shown that the roots of the Smilax genus contain steroidal saponins, which exhibit genuine anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antifungal properties.
Pharmacological Study:
