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Table 3 C. Pharmacological characteristics and medicinal uses: C1. Medicinal properties; C2. Narcotic, hallucinogenic, poisonous; C3. Aphrodisiac

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

Language/subcategory

Name

Ethnic transcription

Meaning

Selected references

C1

Arabic

[abu salām]

أبو سلام

[“father of health”]

[145: 709]

Arabic

[ʾabd es-salām]

عبد السلام

[“the servant of health”]

[122: 268]

Armenian

[t ‘agawor amen

Xotic]

[“king of all (every) grasses (and forbs)”]; see text

[141: 389]; [101: 153]

German, Old

ârzat uvûrze, arzanwurt, arzatwurz

 

[“doctor’s root”]

[75: 229]; [137: 93]; [134, III:53]; [31: 41]; [114: 330]; [30: 330]; [142: 38]

German

heilmännchen,

heilmännlein

 

[“healing male”]/healing mannikin

[120: 113]; [31: 41]; [81: 23]

Greek

[fistulóriza]

φιστουλόριζα

[“fistula-healing root”]

[143: 331]; [59: 427,435]

Greek

[fistulóchorto]

φιστουλόχορτο

[“fistula-healing herb”]

[59: 445]

Serbo-Croatian

bunovina

Бyнoвинa

bunilo” (root of the word) means delirium, madness

[71: 20]; [70: 291]

Turkish

ebîselâm

 

[“father of health”]

[41: 124]; [124: 2]

Turkish

hastalık otu

 

[“sickness plant”]

[41: 124] (North Cyprus)

Turkish

Kankurutan

 

[“blood dryer”]

(because it is believed that it stops bleeding; see text)

[144: 334]; [73: 107]; [28: 71]; [41: 124]; [123: 21]

C2

Dutch

doodkruid

 

[“death's herb”]

[83: 258]; [28: 71]

Dutch

slaapappel

 

[“sleep’s apple”]

[145: 263]; [146: 940]

Dutch

slaapkruid

 

[“sleep’s herb”]

[146: 940]

English

brain thief

  

[109: 70]; [147: 169]; [148: 3]

English

divine root

 

May be due to its hallucinogenic effect

[30: 331]

English

fool’s apple

 

May be due to its hallucinogenic effect

[149: 316]

Gaelic

codalian

 

[“sleep apple”]

[83: 258]; [150: 139]

German

doilwurz

Spelling variations: doilworz dolwortz, dollwurz, tollwurtz, dilwurz

 

[“mad root”]

[75: 229]; [134, III:53]; [120: 113]; [31: 41]; [30: 331]; [114: 15]

German

dollblume

 

[“mad flower”]

[81: 23]

German

schlafbeere, schlafbeer

 

[“sleep berry”]

[30: 334]; [81: 23]; [31: 42]

German

tollkraut südliches

 

[“southern mad herb”]

[119: 137]; [31: 42]

German

schlafapfel,

schlaf-aepffel

 

[“sleep apple”]

[150: 693]; [119: 137]; [135: 23]; [134, III:53]; [31: 42]; [30: 334]; [81: 23]

German, Old

twalm, tuualm

 

[“sleep”]

[134, III:53]; [31: 42]

Greek

[alítis]

ἀλοῖτις

[“deceiving, alluring, seductive”]

[45: IV,75]

Greek

[ippóflomos]

ιππόφλωμος

[“driving horses dizzy”]

[59: 446]

Greek

[mórion]

μώριον

[“stupefying plant”]

[45: IV,75]; [61: 9,8,8]

Greek

[trellóchortaro]

τρελλοχόρταρο

[“madness herb”]

[59: 439]

Greek

[vomvóchylos]

βομβόχυλος

[“humming-inducing juice”; “intoxication-inducing juice”]

[45: IV,75]

Greek

[rigaléos]

ῥιγαλέος

[“shiver-inducing, thrilling”]

[45: IV,75]

Hungarian

bolondfű

 

[“fool's grass”]

[152: 41]

Spanish

cerezas de sapo

 

[“toad cherries”], maybe due to the poisonous effect of toads

[66]

C3

Arabic

[ˁarūsaḷḷa]

عروسالّة

Diminutive of [“a bride”]

[125: 624–625] (Andalusia, 13th c.)

Arabic

[ḥabb at-taˀlīf]

حب التأليف

[“the fruit that gets the lovers close”]

[125: 624–625] (Andalusia, 13th c.)

Arabic

[luˁba muṭallaqa]

لعبة مطلقة

[“the expelled bride”]

[99]

Arabic

[luˁba mu'allaqa]

لعبة معلقة

[“the dependent bride”] (lit. “The married bride”)

[99]

Danish

kærlighedsæble

 

[“love apple”]

[153: 81]

Farsi

[mehr gīyah, mihrgiāh]

مهر گیاه

[“plant of love”];

meher” means affection, “gîah” means grass

[154: 6 note 4]; [95: 152]

Finnish

lemmenmarja

 

[“love berry”]

[155: 261]

German (old)

chindelina wurz

 

[“little child’s root”] (see text)

[156: 118]; [31: 41]

German

kindleinkraut

 

[“child herb”]

[120: 113]; [114: 15]; [81: 23]

German

liebesapfel

 

[“love apple”]

[114: 15]; [81: 23]

German

liebeswurz, liebeswurzel

 

[“love herb”]

[114: 15]; [81: 23]

Greek

[sernikobótano]

σερνικοβότανο

[“male-birth-inducing herb”]

[59: 441]

Hebrew

[duda'eem]

דודאים

Probably related to "דוד" meaning love

Genesis 30:14–16; Song of Songs 7:13

Turkish

ayıkotu

 

“vivacity grass”

[157]: 128

Turkish

muhabbet otu

 

[“love plant”]

[73: 107]; [124: 2]; [41: 124]; [90: 232–234]

Turkish

sevgi otu

 

[“love plant”]

[41: 124]; [90: 232–234]

Ukrainian

[lubovyća]

любoвицa

[“love plant”]

[12: 162]