Herbs: Ethnobotanicals, Entheogens, Herbs of History, 1 by drdon

drdon wrote:
hiya g_s,

lol@ stowaway. This december during the shopping madness Pam and I are headed for the Mayan city of Uxmal to get some perspective.

I know that both plants are called Mandrake, yet they do not appear to be the same plant.

Mandrake (European)

Family: Solanaceae
Genus: Atropa (formerly Mandragora)
Specie: mandragora (formerly officinalis)

Mayapple (Mandrake)

Family: Berberidaceae
Genus: Podophyllum
Specie: peltatum

As their familial origin is way different Atropa mandragora would appear to be the real or traditional apothecary's Mandrake since they used it for the Atropine mainly from my limited knowledge of the plant.

I'll show pics of Uxmal and some of the other sights of the Yucatan when we return.

best,
don

The main pyramid at Edzna, is known as the House of the Five Floors.