Wild Cucumber or Balsam Apple is an annual vine that can grow up to 30 ft in length. It has fragrant white/yellowish flowers in the summer and interesting spiny seed pods in the fall. There are 4 large seeds to each pod and the vine will readily reseed. The fruit of the Wild Cucumber is NOT edible.
Very easy to grow, it’s a great addition to a Children’s garden or a Fairy Garden. Also great for covering fences or dead trees and stumps.
The root was used by American Indians to an extremely bitter tea as a bitter tonic for stomach troubles, kidney ailments, rheumatism, chills, fevers, and obstructed menses. Also used in love potions and as a general tonic. Pulverized root poultice for headaches.
If you want to use this plant in any way medicinally, please do your research and work with a trained herbalist.