Domestic Encyclopædia (1802)/Mandrake

MANDRAKE, or Atropa mandragora, L. an exotic plant, growing in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and the Levant: it is propagated by seeds, and treated in a similar manner with the more tender exotic plants.—According to Bechstein, the carrot-like root of the Mandrake, in its native climate, penetrates from three to four feet deep into the soil, where it remains sound for fifty years.—The plant is divided into male and female, the vegetation and growth of which are alike in both; though the leaves, roots, and seeds of the latter are longer, narrower, and of a darker colour than those of the male.

The fresh root of the mandrake is a powerful purgative, and may be taken in doses of from ten to twenty grains in substance; or from half a dram to a dram in infusion. It has been found very serviceable in hysterical complaints, but ought to be cautiously used; for, if administered in too large quantities, it occasions convulsions, and even proves deleterious.—The mandrake possesses narcotic properties, and is sometimes employed in emollient cataplasms and fomentations, for discussing hard tumors and swellings.