False Bittersweet

Celastrus scandens, commonly called American Bittersweet or Bittersweet is a species of Celastrus that prefers rich, well-drained woodland soils. This plant is a sturdy perennial vine that may have twining, woody stems 30 feet or longer and an inch or more thick at the base. The stems are yellowish-green to brown and often wind around and strangle out other vegetation and small trees. In June the tiny, scentless flowers at the tips of the branches will typically bloom. Once pollinated the flowers produce colorful, orange fruits the size of a pea.

It is at this point that the relative toxicity of the plant comes into question. Some sources state that “all parts of the American Bittersweet are toxic with the highest toxicity being found in the berries”. Other sources discount the overall toxicity of the plant and consider it relatively harmless. According to the US Department of Agriculture the American Bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) plant has a toxicity level of “None”. Most sources, however, agree that the plant found use by Native Americans for a wide variety of medicinal purposes. The leaves, bark, and roots were used as aids for rheumatism, childbirth pains, gastrointestinal discomfort, skin ulcers, coughs, tuberculosis, toothaches, and even cancer. Whereas the inner bark was sometimes cooked into a thick soup in times of starvation and the fruits were reportedly used to make poisons. This would at the very least tend to substantiate the possibility that the plant has shown the capacity to have an effect upon the body. These uses, however, probably involved a poultice wherein the plant would have been mixed with other items and applied, or the plants constituents were boiled down concentrating the desired chemical components into a decoction.

Further decreasing the risk of serious intoxication by a pet is the fact that the plant contains saponins that exhibit the irritant effect of burning the mouth and throat upon ingestion. As a result only in rare cases would an animal be able to tolerate the consumption of enough plant material to cause a potentially serious poisoning situation; if it is indeed possible. There may also be a species specific component in regards to consumption of this plant. The fruit and seeds have a somewhat confirmed history of being mildly toxic for humans, while rabbits, squirrels and birds can eat them with impunity. What this means for dogs, cats or other domesticated animals such as horses, cows, sheep or goats is unknown.

Additionally there has been little research done to determine the toxicity potential of genus as a whole. Some studies have stated that Celastrus scandens contains cardenolides, although specific information on the type, amount or toxicity is lacking. To err on the side of caution this plant should be considered capable of at least causing mild to severe gastrointestinal disturbances, especially with consumption of the fruits and seeds.