Health Benefits of the Eastern United States Mayapple

While growing up in central Maryland, I had access to a large wooded area that was comprised of several hundred acres, complete with small valleys, hillocks, gullies, and streams. One of the most recognizable plants within the woods were patches of what I had always known as "Mayapples". This is a short, dark green plant that grows in abundance and I have found it in almost every area I have since lived in.

Also known as Devil's apple, hog apple, Indian apple, umbrella plant, wild lemon, and American mandrake, the Mayapple is a perennial plant that is a member of the barberry family. It is found in most woodlands in the Eastern United States and tend to love shade in order to thrive. These plants grow low to the ground in clusters and usually reach only 6-18 inches in height.

These patches contained several plants that had either one or two leaves that were similar to palm-like plants found in southern states and somewhat similar in appearance to the shape of an umbrella. During the early spring in the month of May, the two-leaf plants would flower with a single white blossom with six petals. This flower would later turn into a small green apple like fruit. The apple would turn yellow and become ripe during the late summer months.

There were many times when I would nibble on these "apples" and they have a rather bitter lemony taste. The apple (or berry) is the only part of the plant that is not poisonous. The FDA considers the plant to be unsafe and it is probably not a good idea to eat many of the apples at one time. Even so, if I were to be lost in the woods, I would not hesitate to eat a few of them if hungry, although it is known to cause dysentery is too many are eaten at one time. Many animals and insects also eat the fruit and do not seem to suffer any ill effects.

The most poisonous part of the Mayapple is the rhizome or root, which grows underground and spreads out in a network around trees and shrubs. The Mayapple stalks grow from this underground root system and, over a period of years, can cover a large area. Nevertheless, with the exception of the fruit when ripe, all parts of the Mayapple are poisonous and can kill a human within 24 hours if ingested.

Many native North American Indian tribes used Mayapple roots for a variety of medicinal applications. They would dry the root, grind it into a powder, and then make a tea to be used as a laxative and to get rid of intestinal worms. Civil War soldiers often ate them because regular food was often scarce.

My father used to relate how his mother would boil a piece of the Mayapple root and make her children drink a couple tablespoons of the liquid for constipation. She would also grind a piece of dried root into a powder, which was then made into a poultice that would be used to treat warts on the children's hands or feet. After a few days, the wart would disappear or fall off.

Today, it is known that the Mayapple rhizomes or roots contain compounds known as podophyllotoxin and peltatin, both of which are now being used in some cancer medications. An extract of the Mayapple is used to make etoposide, an anti-cancer drug used in chemotherapy for treating lung cancer, lymphoma, non-lymphocytic leukemia, testicular cancer, and Ewing's sarcoma. The plant is being processed and used in medications to treat genital warts and some skin cancers, proving that old time remedies often had a strong, factual basis for being used in the home as part of the medical care that was provided.

Sources:

Description and Natural History of the Mayapple

Podophyllum peltatum

Self-Harvest