8/20/2023 0 Comments Mandrake plantA mandrake root, shaped like a baby and slipped underneath one’s pillow every night, could help a woman conceive or, shaped like a woman and carried in one’s pocket, could help a man secure his desired lover. As a plant with the shape of a human body, the mandrake was believed to exercise control over the body: it could induce love or conception, or bring good fortune, wealth and power. Over the centuries, legends surrounding the mandrake’s different sexes and human shape grew stronger, reinforced by the medieval doctrine of signatures, which claimed that plants that resembled certain body parts could be used to treat ailments of those body parts. He describes a “male” and “female” mandrake, though we know today that he was describing two different species, Mandragora officinalis and Mandragora autumnalis.įrom a seventh-century manuscript of Dioscurides’ De Materia Medica. (Photo: Public Domain/WikiCommons) But be careful, he warns-take too much, and one might end up dead.ĭioscurides is one of the first and most important references on the mandrake plant, documenting its appearance along with its medicinal uses. Dioscurides, a first-century Greek physician, tells us that a “winecupful” of mandrake root (that is, mandrake root boiled in wine) was used as an anesthetic in ancient Rome. ![]() But its powers are not only mythical: a member of the nightshade plant family, mandrake contains hallucinogenic and narcotic alkaloids. Podophyllotoxin is extracted from the roots and rhizomes of Podophyllum species.In the Bible’s Book of Genesis, mandrake root helps Rachel conceive Jacob, and in Greek mythology, Circe and Aphrodite are thought to use it as an aphrodisiac. An extract of American mandrake ( Podophyllum peltatum) is used for treating warts.American mandrake ( Podophyllum peltatum) is an entirely different plant belonging to the barberry family and should not be confused with the poisonous European mandrake which is a member of the Solanaceae family.In the Odyssey, the Greek enchantress Circe used Mandragora in a brew to turn Odysseus’ men into swine.40-90) was the first to describe the early use of mandrake as an anesthetic used to numb and sedate patients. In the Middle Ages, it was believed mandrake could only be uprooted in moonlight by a dog attached to the base of the plant by a rope, otherwise a person would go insane from the plant’s screams. ![]() Known for its own potent medicinal properties, it should not be confused with the European mandrake plant. Podophyllum peltatum is also known as American mandrake or mayapple. Mandrake is a powerful narcotic, emetic, sedative, and hallucinogen its poisons can easily lead to death. It was used as a soporific (sleep inducing) and pain-killing plant for many hundreds of years. Mandrake contains the powerful tropane alkaloids scopolamine, hyoscyamine, atropine, and mandragorine, which have an intense affect on the central nervous system. It is no wonder then, that mandrake came to be considered the Viagra of the middle world! There are references in Genesis and the Song of Solomon where the scent of mandrake’s yellow fruits are described as having aphrodisiac properties. ![]() liverwort, toothroot) are used to cure ailments of that part of the body. The medieval mind believed in the “Doctrine of Signatures,” a belief system where herbs that resembled certain parts of the body (e.g. To some, the roots resemble either the male or the female body. It is called mandrake because the large taproot can appear to look like the human form. The concept of “Doctrine of Signatures” is evident in this medieval manuscript where mandrake appears as either mandrake man or woman.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |