Among natural remedies widely used by folk medicine, special attention is drawn to the mandrake officinalis belonging to the nightshade family.
Legends of Mandrake
A distinguishing feature of this perennial herb called “male root”, “cuckoo boots”, “adam’s head”, “raccoon berries” is a thick straight root resembling a human figure, which has become the subject of many superstitions, fictions and legends. One of them says that the medicinal mandrake, when digging it out of the ground, emits a cry that can drive a person crazy or kill him. Therefore, in ancient times, a special protective rite was used to extract the "witch flower" (as the people called it mandrake). Only a knowledgeable person could dig a plant. He did this not with his own hands (in order not to accept death from the plant), but tied a hungry dog to it, at a distance from which he threw a bone. The animal reached out for food with all its might and, thus, pulled the magic root from the earth, and then died.
This magic root
The root of the plant was obtained for various magical rituals, was considered a very strong amulet and was most appreciated if it most accurately conveyed the shape of the human body, especially with a difference in gender: female and male. It is believed that men should be treated with male mandrake, and women with female.
Herbalists with crushed root plants treated carbuncles, diseased joints, elephantiasis. Shamans used the hallucinogenic properties of mandrake for astral travels to another world.
Plant description
Mandrake officinalis (photo can be seen in the article) is found in natural conditions in Central Asia, the Himalayas, the Mediterranean, Transcaucasia, the Middle and Middle East.
Prefers well-drained sandy and loamy lands. Loves the abundance of the sun, is also able to grow in partial shade. It is characterized by a long (about 1 meter) root, which helps the plant to wait for long dry periods. At temperatures below -15
o C dies. The stem of the plant is absent or very short. The leaves are large (about 80 cm in length), have an oval or lanceolate shape, collected in a basal rosette, and are characterized by a sharp unpleasant odor.
The flowers are solitary, consisting of a large 5-divided calyx and a bell-shaped 5-lobed corolla. At the beginning of flowering (in May) they are characterized by a light green color, which becomes violet closer to autumn. The fruit looks like a large orange or yellow berry, characterized by a pleasant fruity aroma and looks like a small apple or physalis. It tastes like tomato.
Chemical composition
Traditional medicine was able to identify properties that are beneficial to the body in the poisonous mandrake and uses all parts of the plant in its recipes. In the root and fruits there are psychoactive highly toxic alkaloids:
- atropine,
- mandragorin
- hyoscyamine,
- scopolamine.
Mandrake officinalis (photo shows the modest attractiveness of the plant) is characterized by a soothing, analgesic, cold, hypnotic effect. According to pharmacological properties, the plant is close to belladonna, dope, and belene.
The alkaloids that make up its composition suppress the functionality of the central nervous system, so the plant is characterized by sleeping pills.
The healing properties of the root
Mandrake root was used to relieve toothache, treat hemorrhoids and complications that arise during labor. It was ground to a powder state and added to beer. The same drink was recommended for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Boiled in milk, the mandrake root helped as a poultice for non-healing chronic ulcers.
Freshly squeezed root juice helps calm the pain of rheumatism and gout. The great Avicenna advised him as an effective tool for removing freckles and treating bruises. “Tears of a mandrake” were mixed into a glass of wine and given as an anesthetic during surgical operations. In combination with honey and milk in a crushed form, the root of the plant was applied externally to tumors, edematous places, and densified glands. Dried, it was used for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as joint and muscle pain.
Since ancient times, the properties of an aphrodisiac have been attributed to the plant: a handful of chopped root was added to the bottle with wine. The drink was infused for a week. To improve the taste, 2-3 cinnamon sticks and a tablespoon of saffron were added to it. It was also believed that the medicinal mandrake, the use of which was proved by the scientific luminaries of antiquity, helps with infertility and inhibits the growth of cancer cells.
Mandrake Treatment Methods
Headaches, ulcers, open wounds, liver and spleen diseases were cured by a medicine that included dried mandrake fruits, opium poppy, cyperus flowers, common harmala and cinnamon, previously ground into powder and combined in equal parts.
A decoction of mandrake was used for painful manifestations in the extremities, the sacral zone, as well as for the treatment of febrile conditions. Fresh leaves of the plant helped with toothache. To do this, they needed to be chewed thoroughly. The smoke from burning the leaves of the plant helped in the treatment of cough and headache.
In small doses, mandrake officinalis helps with phobias, melancholy and depression. Homer also described in his works that smoke from burning roots of a plant was used to fumigate epileptics. To quickly fall asleep, it was enough to hold a mandrake apple in your hand before going to bed or drink a glass of wine containing dried mandrake root powder, ivy, white bleached and licorice one pinch each.
Mandrake Against Disease
In ancient times, the medicinal mandrake, the description of which was well known to ancient healers, was considered a universal medicine and helped in the treatment of:
- depressive states
- abscesses
- inflammation of the eyes
- tumors
- ulcers
- gout
- skin inflammation
- hemorrhoids
- impotence
- headaches
- cramps
- snake bites
- food poisoning
- corns,
- worms
- speech loss
- open wounds and stuff.
Also, mandrake was used to normalize the menstrual cycle.
Mandragora officinalis: action of a plant
In modern medicine, root extract is part of painkillers, sleeping pills and antispasmodic drugs. Mandragora officinalis, the use of which was widely in demand several centuries ago, helps with disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, pains of various nature, in the treatment of vitiligo and other skin pathologies. The leaves of the plant have a cooling effect, so an extract based on them is added to gels and ointments to treat external wounds.
Today in folk medicine, mandrake harvesting is performed without the use of mystical rituals. The roots are dug up manually in late August - early September, after the mandrake has faded. The alkaloids contained in its composition are well studied by modern medicine and are used narrowly to reduce internal secretion, acidity, intestinal and gastric activity, as well as relieve spasms.
The collection of plant leaves is best done before the fruits ripen. Drying raw materials is recommended in a well-ventilated place, without direct sunlight. In its finished form, it can be used for smoking instead of ordinary tobacco, as part of smoking mixtures or as incense and incense.
Recipe for tinctures and ointments
To prepare the tincture, you need to pour alcohol in a ratio of 1 to 4 cleaned and ground root of the plant. Let it brew for 15 days. In the finished form, the drug is recommended to be taken for insomnia, gout and rheumatism, 3-8 drops diluted with water.
To prepare a medicinal ointment based on mandrake, it is necessary to combine the tincture of the plant with interior fat in a ratio of 1 to 5 and apply externally to satisfy the pain.
For the treatment of bruises and injuries, it is effective to use lotions from fresh juice, combined with water in a ratio of 1 to 5. Or you can use alcohol tincture diluted with water at a rate of 1 to 10.
Mandragora officinalis: contraindication
Mandrake is very poisonous. The main damage to the brain is caused by the substance scopolamine. Its uncontrolled independent use can lead to impaired brain function, hallucinations, memory loss, coma, respiratory arrest and death. Signs of mandrake poisoning include nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, staggering when walking, dilated pupils, dry mouth, and asthma attacks. Pregnant women, nursing mothers and children should not use mandrake.
Fresh fruits of the plant contain a small amount of alkaloids, so their consumption does not pose any health hazard.
Modern medicine can offer a wide range of drugs of similar action, safer for health. Therefore, when choosing between drugs based on mandrake or other means with the appropriate therapeutic effect, it is better to prefer the second option.
Mandrake related features
It has been known for a long time that the medicinal mandrake, whose properties have found its main application in the medical field, helps in conducting financial transactions, therefore, knowledgeable people used it as a talisman. This was especially true of illegal, clandestine transactions, which saved them from disclosure. If the root is put in one place with money, then their number will double.
The root of the plant is able to give its owner prosperity, power, wealth, provided that the owner will never part with it: neither night nor day. Using a mandrake as a home mascot needs a special attitude towards it. The figure must be dressed up in clothes and stored at home in a secret place, away from prying eyes. During home meals, you should put the little man in a place of honor, treat him first, and then yourself. On Saturdays, the mascot is recommended to bathe in wine, and on the first day of the new moon, dress in new clothes. It is believed that mandrake officinalis can help in the search for treasure, can predict the future.