Mandrake (Poison)
from Yahoo
Mandrake
Another plant in the nightshade family is mandrake (Mandragora officinarum), whose humanoid-shaped root has inspired centuries of myth, from ancient Greek texts to the Bible. Folklore warned that pulling a mandrake from the ground would unleash a deadly scream — a story so enduring it even found its way into the Harry Potter series.
In witchcraft, mandrake was believed to be a key ingredient in flying ointments, used as amulets for fertility and protection and added to love potions, perhaps due to its hallucinogenic effects. Historically, it was used as an anaesthetic, sedative and fertility aid.
Like belladonna, mandrake contains tropane alkaloids such as atropine and scopolamine, which have psychoactive properties. A 2022 study catalogued 88 traditional medicinal uses for mandrake, ranging from pain relief and sedation to skin and digestive disorders.
However, science does not necessarily support all these claims. Scopolamine can act as an antispasmodic, relieving gut muscle spasms and helping with digestive issues. It can also cause drowsiness by blocking M1 antimuscarinic receptors in the brain. But extracts from mandrake leaves show mixed results, with some evidence suggesting they can cause dermatitis rather than treat it.
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