Mandragora autumnalis

Mandragora autumnalis

Mandragora autumnalis, known as mandrake or autumn mandrake, is recognized by some sources as a separate species from Mandragora officinarum, although with different circumscriptions. Others regard it as merely part of this very variable species. Plants given the name Mandragora autumnalis consist of a rosette of leaves up to 60 cm (2 ft) across, close to the ground, with a central group of usually purplish flowers followed by yellow or orange berries. The large tap-roots as well as the leaves contain alkaloids and are toxic. They have traditional uses as herbal medicines.

Uses

Motion sickness, Preoperative anesthetic.

Parts Used

Roots.

Chemical Composition

All species of Mandragora contain highly biologically active alkaloids, tropane alkaloids in particular. Jackson and Berry were unable to find any differences in the composition of these chemicals between Mandragora autumnalis and Mandragora officinarum (using the broader definition of M. autumnalis). Alkaloids present included hyoscyamine, hyoscine, cuscohygrine, apoatropine, 3-alpha-tigloyloxytropane, 3-alpha,6-beta-ditigloyloxytropane and belladonnine. Non-alkaloid constituents included sitosterol and beta-methylesculetin (scopoletin).^[1]

Common names

Language	Common name
Kannada
Hindi
Malayalam
Tamil
Telugu
Marathi	NA
Gujarathi	NA
Punjabi	NA
Kashmiri	NA
Sanskrit
English	Autumn Mandrake

Properties

Reference: Dravya - Substance, Rasa - Taste, Guna - Qualities, Veerya - Potency, Vipaka - Post-digesion effect, Karma - Pharmacological activity, Prabhava - Therepeutics.

Dravya

Rasa

Guna

Veerya

Vipaka

Karma

Prabhava

Habit

Herbs

Identification

Leaf

Kind	Shape	Feature
Simple	Roundish	Alternate, rosette, entire, dentate or serrate

^[2]

Flower

Type	Size	Color and composition	Stamen	More information
	15-30 cm	corolla, Violet	5	Calyx campanulate, 5-lobed, accrescent, with 5 wide triangular lobes

Other features

List of Ayurvedic medicine in which the herb is used

Where to get the saplings

Mode of Propagation

root.

How to plant/cultivate

It likes a light, deep soil, as the roots run far down. They will do poorly in a soil that is chalky or excessively gravelly. If the soil is too wet in winter, the roots will rot. It is propagated from seeds which should be sown in deep flats or, better, singly in pots. These should be kept well-watered and when they reach a good size they should be carefully set out at least 2 feet apart. ^[3]

Commonly seen growing in areas

Garden area.

Photo Gallery

References

External Links