Mandrake: the magical plant that causes hallucinations
The mandrake, whose scientific name is Mandragora officinarum, is a plant that grows wild also in Italy. Similar to borage and spinach, it is known by popular tradition for its toxic and hallucinogenic properties, as well as for the vaguely anthropomorphic aspect of its root. Let's find out why it was thought to be a magical plant and how to recognize it so as not to risk a serious intoxication. If you want to know the perfect plants to purify the air, watch the video!
What is the mandrake plant and how to recognize it
The mandrake is a plant belonging to the Solanaceae family that blooms in autumn with characteristic blue-purple flowers. The leaves are small and with a light hair, while its fruits are yellowish berries that turn black when dried. The most distinctive feature of the mandrake is, however, the forked root, which has a vaguely anthropomorphic appearance. This detail, together with the hallucinogenic properties, has made the vegetable famous, which in the popular imagination has become the plant favored by witches.
The autumn mandrake, in fact, (Mandragora autumnalis) has an anesthetizing and hallucinogenic effect, known since ancient times.
It reproduces by means of the buds placed at the level of the ground, while its leaves, showy and voluminous, are collected in the shape of a rosette, just like those of spinach.
Mandrake is a plant known since the Egyptian and Roman times due to the hallucinogenic, aphrodisiac and anesthetizing effect it causes in those who take it. All this is due to the presence of alkaloids, present in particular inside the root, among which the powerful mandrake (very similar to atropine), scopolamine and hyoscyamine are distinguished. Mandrake therefore has the same alkaloid content as 'Atropa belladonna, another extremely dangerous plant species.
In the past the root was used for medicinal purposes (to help sleep or as an aphrodisiac) and during religious rituals, precisely because of the powerful hallucinations it caused.
The peculiarity of the mandrake derives from the fact that the toxicity is not the same in all parts of the plant: it is concentrated in particular in the root. The effects of an excessive intake, however, are very serious; they range from intoxication (the symptoms of which are gastrointestinal pain, tachycardia, vomiting and convulsions), up to coma and even death.
Unfortunately, the mandrake has become the protagonist, even recently, of numerous cases of crime as some people have eaten its leaves after having mistaken it for borage and spinach.
Mandrake (or mandrake), a plant known since ancient times
The mandrake was already used in ancient Greece, where it was used to promote sleep (it was customary to add small pieces of root to wine and food), as a remedy against sterility and as a lucky charm. Also known as a powerful aphrodisiac, precisely because of this property, it was used by Nicolò Machiavelli in the "homonymous work.
In medieval times the mandrake was, together with belladonna and datura stramonium, one of the plants used by witches to prepare their magical potions.
Some think that this root is the famous moly herb mentioned by Homer in the "Odyssey: according to this hypothesis, the mandrake is the plant given by the god Hermes to Ulysses to fight the sorceress Circe.
However, it does not have only a negative connotation. In many ancient cultures, in fact, it is associated with fertility and the ability to generate life and this perhaps derives from the fact that its root has anthropomorphic features: it is no coincidence that the goddess Aphrodite was called with the name of Mandragoritis. Although other myths associate it with the goddess of death Hecate, some very ancient tales trace the birth of man back to the mandrake.
Uses and properties of the mandrake
Although mandrake is a plant that can literally kill, it has been used to treat a variety of ailments since ancient times, and many people still use it to make homeopathic remedies today. Among its best known properties we mention:
- it has a powerful analgesic action, in fact it was used to soothe toothache and cramps
- it is sedative and narcotic
- promotes sleep. It induces a sleep state similar to that of the REM phase
- it is aphrodisiac
It is currently used in the form of mandragora officinalis for homeopathic preparations. It is useful for treating:
- insomnia
- osteoarthritis
- neuralgia
- intestinal pains
- headache
However, it should be used under strict medical supervision because an excessive dose causes severe intoxication and even death. The alkaloids contained in its leaves and roots have powerful effects and are extremely toxic, on a par with belladonna flowers.
