Mandrake root skin#

The mighty mandrake has lost a lot of its mythological wonder but the idea of plants with aphrodisiac qualities persists to this day, with people wearing botanical perfumes and giving their lovers roses and chocolate on Valentine’s Day. However, it is perhaps more probable that the mandrake, a narcotic hallucinogen, was sometimes mistaken for Deadly Nightshade, Atropa belladonna, (also in the Solanaceae family) with deadly consequences. The stories about men lured by women into taking drinks doctored with mandrake root, and remembering nothing about it in the morning, could have their basis in truth. This induces effects of intoxication and narcosis, making users lose all sense of reality, impairing memory, and inducing a deep sleep. Mandragora officinarum contains a high concentration of the tropane alkaloid, scopolamine. So could the mandrake really be used to make a love potion? Schultes, Hofmann and Rätsh (2001) suggest the chemistry of the mandrake (which belongs to the Solanaceae family) could explain why this may hold some truth. Mandrake roots became highly sought after in their native Mediterranean habitat, and attempts to protect them from theft are thought to have been the source of. However, more emphasis is placed on the use of the mandrake for medicinal purposes, including anaesthesia when undergoing surgery, reducing inflammation and tumours, and inducing sleep.

Mandrake root skin#

Theophrastus notes that when the skin of the mandrake is scraped and mixed with vinegar or wine it makes a love potion. The title is in reference to the mandrake plant, but is also the name of a pre-Purple band that Blackmore was trying to form in Germany when he got the call from Deep Purple's original management. The Greeks also used it as an aphrodisiac, steeping. (June 2021) ' Mandrake Root ' is a song by Deep Purple that is featured on their debut album Shades of Deep Purple. 50-70 CE) De materia medica and Theophrastus’ (371-587 BCE) Enquiry into plants, it is suggested that mandrakes are “good for making love potions”.ĭioscorides explains that this is because the female mandrake fruit has a “sweet-smelling” fragrance while the male mandrake fruit is “oppressively fragrant”. Everything you need to know about the plant Mandrake Root Mandrake is native to the Mediterranean region. Mandragora officinarum was given its name because its taproot was thought to resemble a small human figure (“man”) and because it was believed to have mystical powers (“dragon”). One book that examines the myths surrounding the mandrake is John Riddle's Goddesses, elixirs, and witches: plants and sexuality throughout human history (2010). The fruits of the mandrake are called the “apples of love” and there are stories of their use in creating “love potions”. Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, was also known by the name “Mandragoritis”.

One such plant is Mandragora officinarum, better known as the mandrake. Valentine’s Day may be past, but down the centuries plants have had mythological connections with the “feeling of love”.