Fig. 555. Mandrake

The Description.

            The male Mandrake hath great broad long smooth leaves of a dark green colour, flat spread upon the ground: among which come up the flowers of a pale whitish colour, standing every one upon a single small and weak footstalk of a whitish green colour: in their places grow round apples of a yellowish colour, smooth, soft, and glittering, of a strong smell; in which are contained flat and smooth seeds in fashion of a little kidney, like those of the Thorn-Apple. The root is long, thick, whitish, divided many times into two or three parts resembling the legs of a man, with other parts of his body adjoining thereto, as the privy part, as it hath been reported; whereas in truth it is no otherwise than in the roots of carrots, parsnips, and such like, forked or divided into two or more parts, which Nature taketh no account of. There hath been many ridiculous tales brought up of this plant, whether of old wives, or some runnagate surgeons or physic-mongers I know not, (a title bad enough for them) but sure some one or more that sought to make themselves famous and skilful above others, were the first broachers of that error I speak of. They add further, That it is never or very seldom to be found growing naturally but under a gallows, where the matter that hath fallen from the dead body hath given it the shape of a man; and the matter of a woman, the substance of a female plant, with many other such doltish dreams. They fable further and affirm, That he who would take up a plant thereof must tie a dog thereunto to pull it up, which will give a great shriek at the digging up; otherwise if a man should do it, he should surely die in short space after. Besides many fables of loving matters, too full of scurrility to set forth in print, which I forbear to speak of. All which dreams and old wives' tales you shall from henceforth cast out of your books and memory; knowing this, that they are all and every part of them false and most untrue: for I myself and my servants also have digged up, planted, and replanted very many, and yet never could either perceive shape of man or woman, but sometimes one straight root, sometimes two, and often six or seven branches coming from the main great root, even as nature list to bestow upon it, as to other plants. But the idle drones that have little or nothing to do but eat and drink, have bestowed some of their time in carving the roots of Bryony, forming them to the shape of men & women: which falsifying practice hath confirmed the error amongst the simple and unlearned people, who have taken them upon their report to be the true Mandrakes.

            The female Mandrake is like unto the male, saving that the leaves hereof be of a more swart or dark green colour; and the fruit is long like a pear, and the other is round like an apple.

The Place.

            Mandrake groweth in hot regions, in woods and mountains, as in mount Garganus in Apulia, and such like places; we have them only planted in gardens, and are not elsewhere to be found in England.

The Time.

            They spring up with their leaves in March, and flower in the end of April: the fruit is ripe in August.

The Names.

            Mandrake is called of the Grecians Mandragoras, and Circæa, of Circe the witch, who by art could procure love: for it hath been thought that the root hereof serveth to win love: of some, Anthropomorphos, and Morion: some of the Latins have called it, Terræ malum, and Terrestre malum, and Canina malus: Shops, and also other Nations do receive the Greek name. Dioscorides saith, That the male is called of divers Morion and describeth also another Mandrake by the name of Morion, which as much as can be gathered by the description, is like the male, but less in all parts: in English we call it Mandrake, Mandrage, and Mandragon.

The Temperature.

            Mandrake hath a predominate cold faculty, as Galen saith, that is to say cold in the third degree: but the root is cold in the fourth degree.

The virtues.

            A. Dioscorides doth particularly set down many faculties hereof; of which notwithstanding there be none proper unto it, saving those that depend upon the drowsy and sleeping power thereof: which quality consisteth more in root than in any other part.

            B. The apples are milder, and are reported that they may be eaten, being boiled with pepper and other hot spices.

            C. Galen saith that the apples are something cold and moist, and that the bark of the root is of greatest strength, and doth not only cool, but also dry.

            D. The juice of the leaves is very profitably put into the ointment called Populeon, and all cooling ointments.

            E. The juice drawn forth of the roots dried, and taken in small quantity, purgeth the belly exceedingly from phlegm and melancholic humours.

            F. It is good to be put into medicines and collyria that do mitigate the pain of the eyes, and put under a pessary it draweth forth the dead child and secondine.

            G. The green leaves stamped with barrow's grease and barley meal, cool all hot swellings and inflammations; and they have virtue to consume apostumes and hot ulcers, being bruised and applied thereon.

            H. A suppository made with the same juice, and put into the fundament causeth sleep.

            I. The wine wherein the root hath been boiled or infused provoketh sleep and assuageth pain.

            K. The smell of the apples, moveth to sleep likewise, but the juice worketh more effectually if you take it in small quantity.

            L. Great and strange effects are supposed to be in the Mandrakes, to cause women to be fruitful and bear children, if they shall but carry the same near unto their bodies. Some do from hence ground it, for that Rachel desired to have her sisters' Mandrakes (as the text is translated) but if we look well into the circumstances which there we shall find, we may rather deem otherwise. Young Reuben brought home amiable and sweet smelling flowers (for so signifieth the Hebrew word, which is used Cantic. 7: 13 in the same sense:) and the lad brought them home, rather for their beauty and smell, than for their virtue. Now in the flowers of Mandrake there is no such delectable or amiable smell as was in these amiable flowers which Reuben brought home. Besides, we read not that Rachel conceived hereupon, for Leah Jacob's wife had four children before God granted that blessing of fruitfulness unto Rachel. And last of all (which is my chiefest reason) Jacob was angry with Rachel when she said, Give me children else I die: and demanded of her, whether he were in the stead of God or no, who had withheld from her the fruit of her body. And we know that the Prophet David saith, children and the fruit of the womb are the inheritance, that cometh from the Lord, Psalm. 127.

            M. Serapio, Avicenna, and Paulus Ægineta do write, that the seed and fruit of Mandragoras taken in drink, do cleanse the matrix or mother, and Dioscorides wrote the same long before them.

            He that would know more hereof, may read that chapter of Doctor Turner his book; concerning this matter, where he hath written largely and learnedly of this simple.