What are mandrakes? Are they edible? How are they prepared?
Mandrakes (mandragora) are mentioned in the Bible as an aid to fertility (cf. Genesis 30:14), but what exactly are mandrakes? I hear they are poisonous, have narcotic properties, or aid with fertility.
Are they edible raw, cooked only (like rhubarb), or neither? If they are edible, does one eat their roots, leaves, or both?
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How do you eat mandrakes?
The fruit of mandrakes have been used cooked as a delicacy. The roots were believed to enhance manly vigor and the entire plant has historical medicinal uses. The grated root can be applied topically as an aid to relieve ulcers, tumors and rheumatoid arthritis. Leaves were similarly used on the skin as a cooling salve.What is mandrake used for today?
The root and leaves are used to make medicine. People take European mandrake root for treating stomach ulcers, colic, constipation, asthma, hay fever, convulsions, arthritis-like pain (rheumatism), and whooping cough.What do mandrakes taste like?
Captain John Smith of the Virginia Colony wrote of it as a "pleasant wholesome fruit much like a lemond" (sic) in 1612 and seven years later Samuel Champlain, introduced to mandrake by the Hurons, said it tasted like a fig.What is mandrakes in the Bible?
Mandrake is mentioned in the Bible (Gen. 30:14-16) and its Biblical use is generally attributed to its supposed fertility power. A detailed study of Pentateuch text and the various commentaries allowed us to re-evaluate the role of mandrake in Biblical events.MANDRAKES - they are REAL and grown in Oxford!
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