Herb Finder
Add Herb Finder to Your Website!
Update Your Account Information
Indian Apple | | Name : | Indian Apple | | Synonyms : | Americanmandrake
Duck'sfoot
Groundlemon
Hogapple
Indianapple
Lang-tu(Chinese name)
Loveapples
Mandragora
Mayapple
Racoonberry
Wildlemon
Wildmandrake
| | Parts Used : | Root (dried tubers) | | Habitat : | Found in low, shady lands, roadsides, deciduous, rich woods, fields,and clearings in New England to Florida; Texas to Minnesota. It likesrich, moist soil and is easily increased by division or seed. (Thisis not the old-world mandrake or the European mandrake (Mandragoraofficinarum)) | | Description : | A perennial woodland plant of the barberry family, with shield-shapedleaves and a single, waxy, large white, cuplike flower 2 inches across,droops from crotch of leaves; May to June. It has an edible, lemon-yellow,oval (egg shaped) fruit about 2 inches long, called the 'apples'.These are edible when fully ripe with a flavor reminiscent of strawberry.A popular ornamental, it grows 12-18 inches tall. Leaves may be calledumbrella-like, smooth, paired, distinctive. The dark brown, fibrous,jointed rootstock produces a simple, round stem which forks at thetop into two petioles, each supporting a large, round, palmately 5-9lobed, yellowish-green leaf. Some plants, growing from different rootstocks,are non-flowering. These have only a single leaf on an unforked stem. | | Constituents : | A neutral crystalline substance, podo-phyllotoxins, podophylloresin,and amorphous resin, picro-podophyllin, quercetin, starch, sugar,fat and yellow coloring matter
Antibilious, cathartic, emetic, diaphoretic (increases perspiration),cholagogue (increases the flow of bile to the intestine), alterative,emmenagogue, resolvent, vermifuge (expel intestinal worms), and deobstruent(relieving obstruction), counter-irritant, hydragogue | | Uses : | Excellent regulator for liver and bowels.In chronic liver diseases it has no equal. Valuable in jaundice,bilious or intermittent fever.Good physic; is often combined with senna leaves. It is very beneficialin uterine diseases. It acts powerfully upon all the tissues of thebody.
Native Americans and early settlers used the roots as a strong purgative,'liver cleanser', emetic, worm expellent,for jaundice, constipation, hepatitis, fevers, and syphilis.Resin from the root, podophyllin (highly allergenic), used to treatvenereal warts. Etoposide,a semisynthetic derivative of this plant, is FDA-approved for testicularand small-cell lung cancer. The Old Testament recommended mandrakeas a cure for sterility especially in women. | | Dosage : | Small doses given frequently should be used in order to prevent severepurgative action. Steep 1 tsp. in a pint of boiling water and take1 tsp. of this tea at a time. Children less according to age. Take1 capsule a day for no longer than 1 week at a time. Should be administeredunder medical supervision. | | Safety : | Mandrake is a potent herb; it should be taken with care. It has toxicproperties that have resulted in birth deformities and fatalities.Tiny amounts of root or leaves are poisonous. Powdered root and resincan cause skin and eye problems. Other herbs can give the same resultsand are much safer to use. Mandrake should be used only under medicalsupervision. Never take during pregnancy. | | Myths : | May apple, or mandrake, thrives under oak trees; the shallow rootsof the mandrake feed on the soil fertilized by tannin bearing leavesfallen from the oak tree.
This herb, as a drug, seems to be a very ancient one with the Chinese,as it is mentioned in the Shennung Pentsao (28th century BC) as oneof the five poisons.
At least on one occasion in the Bible, mandrake or may apple playedan important role in the story line. In Genesis, Leah and Rachel,both wives of Jacob, were constantly vying for his favor. Rachel hadremained barren, while Leah had given many sons to Jacob. When Leah'sson Reuben found a mandrake, a reputed aphrodisiac, Rachel beggedLeah to give it to her. In exchange for the mandrake, Rachel agreesto let Leah spend the night with Jacob. Leah promptly becomes pregnant,but later, so does Rachel. To this day, mandrakes are called 'loveapples' in the Middle East and are still supposed to be aphrodisiac. |
|
|
