HERBAL MONOGRAPHS MANDRAKE/495PRECAUTIONS AND ADVERSE REACTIONS
No health hazards or side effects are known in conjunction
with the proper administration of designated therapeutic
dosages. In animal experiments, anxiety states, restlessness.
increas«:-~in cardiac and pulmonary frequency, elevated
salivation, vomiting, muscle tremors and tonic-clonic spasms
were observed following intake of plant parts of Brunfelsia-
species, as well as death.DOSAGE
Mode of Administration: Liquid extract preparations for
internal use.LITERATURE
Frohne D, Pfander HJ, Giftpflanzen - Ein Handbuch fur
Apotheker, Toxikologen und Biologen. 4. Aufl., Wiss. Verlags-
Ges Stuttgart 1997.
Kern W, List PH, Horhammer L (Hrsg.), Hagers Handbuch der
Pharmazeutischen Praxis. 4. Aufl.. Bde. 1-8, Springer Verlag
Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, 1969.
Lloyd HA et a!., Brunfeslamidine: A novel convulsant from the
medicinal plant Brunfeksia grandiflora. In: Tetrahedron Letters
26(22):2623-2624. 1985.
Roth L, Daunderer M, Kormann K. Giftpflanzen, Pflanzengifte.- Aufl., Ecomed Fachverlag Landsberg Lech 1993.
Mandragora officinarum
See MandrakeMandrake- -
Mandragora officinarumDESCRIPTION
Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the dried under-
ground part, the fresh herb and the root.Flower and Fruit: The numerous flowers are on light green
pedicles. They are glabrous on the outside. The corolla is
light green to yellow. The calyx is lanceolate with a pointed
tip, half as long as the 3 cm corolla. The hairs on the outside
of the corolla have heads, which consist of 15 cells and sit on
a tiny stem of 2 to 3 cm. The fruit is yellow, globular and
extends with a diameter of 2 to 3 cm well beyond the calyx.
Leaves, Stem and Root: The plant has a thick, tuberous root
and is almost stemless. The root is light brown on the
outside, simple or branched, and up to 60 cm deep. The
leaves are all the same size, pubescent, short petiolate, ovate-
lanceolate. They have a disgusting smell.
Habitat: The plant is indigenous to the Mediterranean region
and bordering frost-free regions.
Production: Mandrake root is the dried, underground part of
Mandragora vernalis or M. officinarum. The plant is
gathered in uncultivated regions.
Not to be Confused With: The roots of Atropa belladona,
whose alkaloid pattern is similar.
Other Names: Mandragora, Satan's Apple
ACTIONS AND PHARMACOLOGY
COMPOUNDS: MANDRAGORA ROOT
Tropane. alkaloids (0.4%): chief alkaloids (-)-hyoscyamine,
under storage conditions changing over to some extent into
atropine, and scopolamine
COMPOUNDS: MANDRAKE HERB
The leaves have hardly been investigated, but in view of the
demonstrated toxicity, the same alkaloid mixture is to be
assumed.
EFFECTS: MANDRAKE ROOT AND HERB
The action of the drug is mainly due to the anticholinergic
effect of the main alkaloids (atropine, hyoscamin and
scopolamine).
INDICATIONS AND USAGE
Unproven Uses: Mandragora is one of the oldest of the
medicinal plants. In folk medicine, a tincture of Mandragora
radix was used for stomach ulcers, colic, asthma, hay fever
and whooping cough. Today, Mandrake is only used in
homeopathy.
PRECAUTIONS AND ADVERSE REACTIONS
No health hazards are known in conjunction with the proper
administration of designated therapeutic dosages. Skin red-
dening, dryness of the mouth, tachycardiac arrhythmias,
mydriasis (the 4 early warning symptoms of a poisoning),
accommodation disorders, heat build-up through decline in
sweat secretion, micturition disorders and constipation can
occur as side effects, particularly with overdoses.
OVERDOSAGE
Because of the high content of scopolamine in the drug,
poisonings lead at first to somnolence, but then also, after the
intake of very high dosages, to central excitation (rest-
lessness, hallucinations, delirium and manic episodes),
followed by exhaustion and sleep. Lethal dosages (for adults
starting at 100 mg atropine, considerably less for children)
carry with them the danger of respiratory failure. Severe
poisonings are particularly conceivable in connection with
the misuse of the drug as an intoxicant.The treatment for poisonings include stomach emptying;
temperature-lowering measures with wet cloths (no antipy-
retics!); oxygen respiration for respiratory distress; intuba-