Sābūr ibn Sahl's Dispensatory in the Recension of the ʿAḍudī Hospital

Background Mandrake (Mandragora spp.) is one of the most famous medicinal plant in western cultures since Biblical times and throughout written history. In many cultures, mandrake is related to magic and witchcraft, which is said to have a psychosomatic effect (especially when mandrake contains narcotic compounds) in addition to the pharmacological influence, as occurs with other narcotic magical plants. Due to its unique properties and related myths, it is not surprising that this plant has many names in many languages. Methods This paper presents an attempt to reconstruct the historical, ethnobotanical, and folkloristic roots of 292 vernacular names of Mandragora spp. in forty-one languages. We used the plant’s morphological data, philology, myths and legends, medicinal properties and uses, as well as historical evidence and folkloric data, to explain meaning, origin, migration, and history of the plant’s names. Results The names were classified into the following main categories: Derivatives of mandragora (19 languages), alraun (7) and of yabroukh (5). The salient groups of the plant’s vernacular names are related to: Anthropomorphism (33 names in 13 languages); Similarity to other plants (28/9); Supernatural agents (28/9); Narcotic effects (21/8); Leaves, fruits, and seeds (21/8); Aphrodisiac properties (17/10); Use of a dog (15/9); Gallows (14/5); Black magic, sorcery, witchcraft (13/8), and Medicinal use (11/7). Conclusions This frequency distribution of the mandrake’s vernacular names reflects its widespread reputation as related to the doctrine of signatures, beliefs in its supernatural, natural, and mythic powers, and to a lesser extent, its uses in magic and medicine. A spatiotemporal analysis of the mandrake’s names supports the old idea that the pulling ceremonies for this plant originated in the Near East and that various other myths related to this plant may have originated in different places and periods.

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“…[ 85 , II: 774] (Andalusia, 11th c.); [ 88 : 592]; [ 41 : 121]; [ 127 : 285]; [ 128 : 242] (Arabia, 9th c.);…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

In search of traces of the mandrake myth: the historical, and ethnobotanical roots of its vernacular names

Dafni

Blanché

Khatib³

et al. 2021

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

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Exploring Old Arabic Remedies with Formal and Relational Concept Analysis

Fokou,

El Haff,

Braud

et al. 2024

Lecture Notes in Computer Science

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Bridging cross-cultural gaps: monitoring herbal use during chemotherapy in patients referred to integrative medicine consultation in Israel

Almog

Lev

Schiff

et al. 2014

Support Care Cancer

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Herbal use by patients with cancer in northern Israel is widespread and calls for further study in order to address issues of safety and effectiveness. We recommend constructing a multinational and multidisciplinary team of researchers with ethnopharmacological and clinical expertise that will explore the use of herbs among patients with cancer in a cross-cultural perspective attuned with patients' affinity to traditional herbal medicine.

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Sābūr ibn Sahl's Dispensatory in the Recension of the ʿAḍudī Hospital

Cited by 3 publications

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In search of traces of the mandrake myth: the historical, and ethnobotanical roots of its vernacular names

In search of traces of the mandrake myth: the historical, and ethnobotanical roots of its vernacular names

Exploring Old Arabic Remedies with Formal and Relational Concept Analysis

Bridging cross-cultural gaps: monitoring herbal use during chemotherapy in patients referred to integrative medicine consultation in Israel

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