Mayapples are a sweet, pungent fruit that grows wild throughout the Eastern United States. Because they are so abundant throughout the lands east of the Mississippi River, mayapples are among the most popular wild edibles,and hold a strong traditional place in native cuisine throughout the eastern half of the continent.
However, the popularity of the mayapple among foragers is variable, with some wild-edible chefs claiming that the once-popular fruit is actually acutely poisonous, and even potentially deadly. Claims about the fruit's toxicity have been said by other foragers to be completely false or based in erroneous assumptions about the plant's chemical composition.
Like all other members of the barberry family, the mayapple plant grows close to the ground and is herbaceous-- green and leafy, lacking any wood. Its leaves are broad and umbrella-like, and its deep root is renowned among foraging herbalists for its ability to soothe sores, fight cancer, and treat viral infections topically.
The medicinal nature of the mayapple root comes from its content of podophyllotoxin, an alkaloid that is found, in a synthesized form, in many anti-cancer drugs. Topically, it is used to treat genital warts. However, as the name fo the alkaloid might suggest, podophyllotoxin is indeed a toxin, and, like any other medicine, it can be lethal in large-- or even moderate-- amounts.
Because of this, most proponents of cooking with wild edibles recommend against the use of mayapple roots in food, and encourage its medicinal use only with the careful supervision of a physician or qualified herbalist. The leaves of a mayapple, which also contain podophylloxin, are also a no-go for cooking.