Dianaberry

DIANABERRY
Available: Autumn/Winter
Climatic Zone: Mountain
Locale: Rural
Cost: 60 Crowns

The berries from this hollylike bramble mature in late Fall or early Winter. The leaves are shiny green and have prickled edges. The small red star-shaped flowers in summer can be dried and used as a sleeping potion, by boiling 3 or 4 dried flowers in 8 oz. of water, inducing a heavy sleep for humans lasting at least 8 hours. The berries when yellow before they are fully ripe and turn red have been known to make birds who were foolish enough to eat them go insane, thus, until the berries are ripe they should not be used. Ripe red berries, if eaten fresh have the opposite effect of the flowers and enable a person to stay awake 8 hours at a time. Dried berries can be reconstituted in water but have limited effectiveness, taking twice as much to work 1/2 times fresh berries.