Mandragora officinarum

Mandragora officinarum is a species of the plant genus mandrake. It has a variety of medicinal uses, especially anodyne and soporific, though in the past much of the use was due to superstition.

Physical characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.1m by 0.3m. It is in leaf from late winter to mid summer, in flower from late winter through early spring, and the seeds ripen in late summer. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile.

The roots are somewhat carrot-shaped and can be up to 1.2 metres long; they often divide into two and are vaguely suggestive of the human body.

The leaves grow in a rosette, and are ovate-oblong to ovate, wrinkled, crisp, sinuate-dentate to entire leaves, 5 to 40 centimetres (2.0 to 16 in) long, somewhat resembling those of the tobacco-plant. A number of one-flowered nodding peduncles spring from the neck bearing whitish-green or purple flowers, nearly 5 centimetres (2.0 in) broad, which produce globular, orange to red berries, resembling small tomatoes. All parts of the plant are poisonous. The plant grows natively in southern and central Europe and in lands around the Mediterranean Sea, as well as on Corsica.

The plant requires well-drained soils that are acidic or neutral; it prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) ones. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.

Habitat

Woodland, cultivated beds, sunny edge and dappled shade in locations where temperature never drops under about -15°C.

Medicinal uses

Mandrake has a long history of medicinal use, although superstition has played a large part in the uses it has been applied to. It is rarely prescribed in modern herbalism, though it contains hyoscine which is the standard pre-operative medication given to soothe patients and reduce bronchial secretions. It is also used to treat travel sickness.

The fresh or dried root contains highly poisonous alkaloids and is hallucinogenic and narcotic. In sufficient quantities, it induces a state of oblivion and was used as an anaesthetic for operations in early surgery. It was much used in the past for its anodyne and soporific properties. In the past, juice from the finely grated root was applied externally to relieve rheumatic pains. It was also used internally to treat melancholy, convulsions and mania. When taken internally in large doses, however, it is said to excite delirium and madness.

Folklore

In the past mandrake was often made into amulets which were believed to bring good fortune, cure sterility etc. There is a superstition that if a person pulls up this root, they will be condemned to hell. Therefore in the past, people have tied the roots to the bodies of animals and then used these animals in order to pull the roots out of the soil.

References

• Mandragora in Wildflowers of Israel