What is a "Mandrake"????

[Hayduke_Lives]

On ER thursday night, they brought in some guy who was all wasted becasue he drank a “Mandrake” cocktail.

So what the heck is that?

[astro]

Old world Mandrake- Mandragora officinarum

Mandrake is traditionally known as an aphrodisiac and closely associated with witchcraft. It contains scopalamine and hyosciamine, which (along with atropine) are also found in thornapple. It also contains mandragorin, a strong depressant and emetic (used to make people vomit). The plant grows in Mid and Southern Europe, North Africa, Asia Minor, and the Himalayas.

It is thought to be named after the shape of the root, resembling a man. Roman documentation report complicated surgical operations having been performed in Alexandria under the anaesthetic effect of mandrake. In 11th and 12th centuries, mandrake was recognised as an effective painkiller as well as being used in witchcraft. The root is still used as a lucky charm in some Southern European and African cultures.

The effects of the plant can take up to 3 hours to come on. At the wrong dose, the individual can experience violent vomiting and diarrhoea, lasting anything up to 10 hours. Though rare, death from use has also been reported.

If it was an new world, American “Mandrake” cocktail he’s lucky to be alive.

Mandrake/Mayapple

Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) Mayapple is also known as Mandrake.

Mayapples usually grow in groups and the shinny, slightly unusual leaf color makes them very distinctive and easy to spot. The flowers, on the other hand, hang below the leaves and must be looked for.
Lore: The fruit is eatable when ripe but all other parts of the plant are toxic. The Native Americans may have used a powdered root preparation as an insecticide on their crops and soaked seeds in a decoction to protect them from pests.
Warning: All parts of the plant except the ripe fruit are extremly toxic. The root, which is easily powered, is a powerful eye irritant.

Medical Uses: Although too poisonous to use in home remedies this plant has many medical uses. Native Americans used the root as a strong laxative, to treat worms and for numerous other things. The root is currently used in cancer medications and may have commercial potential as a cultivated plant. There are accounts of the Indians use of the root to commit suicide with death occurring in just hours. The size of the lethal dose is unclear.

[Hayduke_Lives]

Ugh! That doesn’t sound like something you could buy at the local liquor store. Why would the guy drink that?

[astro]

*Originally posted by Hayduke Lives!! *
**Ugh! That doesn’t sound like something you could buy at the local liquor store. Why would the guy drink that? **

To chase the nutmeg rush.

[Fretful_Porpentine]

Ugh! That doesn’t sound like something you could buy at the local liquor store. Why would the guy drink that?

Well, according to this web site, mandrake is used in “several very potent sex-magick rituals.”