USE OF MANDRAKE IN PAMIR’S TRADITIONAL MEDICINE (BASED ON FIELD RESEARCH MATERIALS)

The article analyzes documented usage of mandrake plant in traditional medicine practiced in the Pamir. It is revealed that medicinal properties of the mandrake in Pamir were never discovered or officially described by botanists either in the Soviet or sovereign Tajikistan. However, field research among Pamir’s traditional healers and data from written sources indicate that mandrake was used in folk medicine. The article describes the plant’s places of growth, characteristics, methods of collection and use for treatment of various diseases.