The Crazy Apple

Scientific Name: European Mandrake

Other Names: Atropa mandragora, Dudaim, Herb of Circe, Majnoon, Mandragora, Mandragora officinalis, Mandragora vernalis, Mandrake, Pome Di Tchin, Satan's Apple, Sorcerer's Root, True Mandrake, Witch's Manikin ...Crazy Apple

European mandrake contains several chemicals, including atropine, hyoscyamine, and scopolamine, from a group known as tropane alkaloids. These alkaloids have narrow therapeutic ranges, which means that a very small decrease in the dose could make the drug utterly ineffective, and that a small increase could raise the risk of side effects. This can in clude paralysis among other nasties.

I.E. a potentially harmful dose is not much higher than an effective dose.

Historically, a major use of European mandrake has been to treat asthma and other breathing problems. The alkaloids in European mandrake are thought to reduce secretions in all parts of the body, including the lungs. One possible result is that lung congestion may be lessened. Additionally, the tropane alkaloid component may relax muscles in the bronchial tubes, making breathing easier. Although newer prescription medicines use different kinds of chemicals, alkaloids similar to those found in European mandrake were formerly used in prescription medicines to treat asthma. Those drugs have mostly been replaced with safer and more effective products.

Legend and superstition surround the mandrake. The root of the mandrake has a peculiar shape, resembling human limbs or even a complete body. The strange shape of the mandrake’s root contributed to its reputation as a magical, and dangerous, plant. Many people believed that the mandrake root screamed as it was pulled from the ground. To dig up the mandrake and hear its cries meant certain death, so ancient herbalists instructed people to tie a dog to the mandrake and force the animal to pull it up, thereby killing the dog and saving themselves.

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