A poisonous plant with white flowers and red or white berries, found in woodlands of North America and Asia.
From bane (poison, harm, or curse) + berry. Bane comes from Old English bana meaning 'slayer' or 'destroyer,' used for anything harmful.
Native Americans knew exactly which baneberries to use—the white ones (called 'doll's eyes' for their appearance) were used medicinally in tiny doses, showing how poison and medicine are often the same thing at different quantities.
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