The healing power of mansoor

Mansoor has been used as a hardy ornamental plant for at least 100 years and has therefore naturalized in the Netherlands. It is a plant that mainly occurs in the forests and it blooms in March, April and May. This plant really likes the shade. Mansoor has long been used as a medicinal plant. The leaf resembles an ear and sharpens hearing, but it is also an emetic because it is a slightly poisonous plant. NB! This article is written from the personal view of the author and may contain information that is not scientifically substantiated and/or in line with the general view.

Botanical drawing man’s ear / Source: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons (PD)

Contents:

• General information
• Naming
• Traditional use mansoor
• Mansoor and alcoholism
• Mansoor from ancient times to the Middle Ages
• Good for your head
• Seven fun facts about mansoor

General information

Mansoor is a beautiful ground cover plant. It has gracefully shaped leaves that remain green even in winter. In its flowering period, from March to May, it produces small red flowers. It is a widely used plant in ornamental gardens. Mansoor grows to a maximum height of 20 centimeters. It likes a humus-rich soil. This plant requires little care; it is enough to cut away the ugly leaves. New leaves will grow again. The root of mansoor smells gingery but is not edible. Mansoor likes to grow in deciduous forests with limestone soil and along roadsides, hedges, shrubs and coppices. It is a plant that prefers the shade. Mansoor does not originally occur in the Netherlands or Belgium, but because it is often planted in gardens as an ornamental plant with medicinal value, it has been able to spread throughout the Dutch and Belgian landscape. The plant grows throughout Western Europe except the Iberian Peninsula. It is also found in the southernmost points of the Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden and Finland. Eastwards its range extends beyond the Baltic states, Belarus and further into Russia, deep into the Russian hinterland.

Naming

In science we use Latin names so that there is no confusion about which plant it is. The Latin name for mansoor is Asarum europaeum . The second part of the name means ‘from Europe’. The first part is a composition of the words ‘a’ which means ‘not’ and ‘sarum’ which stands for ‘women’. The plant should not be ingested by pregnant women, hence this name. Mansoor refers to the shape of the leaves, which is strongly reminiscent of an ear. In Dutch we also say hazel root, spear root, wild ginger or liverwort. In French it is called Asaret d’Europe, in Germany it is called Gewöhnliche Haselwurz and in English-speaking plants this ground cover is called Asarabacca.

Mansoor grows to a maximum of 20 centimeters high and blooms with nice lilac-colored flowers. It is an early spring bloomer; This plant already looks forward to spring in April.

Traditional use mansoor

Mansoor was a widely used remedy in traditional folk medicine in the 19th century that has a laxative and diuretic effect. Mansoor root is so nasty, sharp and bitter that it makes you vomit. But this can actually provide a solution for symptoms of poisoning; the toxins that have accidentally entered the stomach quickly leave the body through vomiting. Mansoor root extracts have traditionally been used to treat asthma and other respiratory problems. Nowadays this no longer happens because it contains astrolochic acids, just like in pipe flour for example; these acids can cause kidney damage and cancer of the urinary tract. In earlier times, mansoor was widely used for poor memory. Today, mansoor is still used in homeopathy for mental conditions such as mental exhaustion and memory loss.

Bloem mansoor / Source: Bff, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA-3.0)

The root of mansoor is traditionally used for medicinal purposes. This root contains essential oils, the analgesic trans-isosarone and flavonoids.

Mansoor and alcoholism

Mansoor is used for alcoholism. Especially in Russia, mansoor is used in small quantities because it takes away the desire to drink alcoholic beverages. This is probably related to the positive effect on mental exhaustion and memory loss. Mansoor is said to strengthen the mind, eliminating the tendency to weaken the mind through alcohol.

Mansoor from ancient times to the Middle Ages

Dioscorides, pioneer of medicine and herbal science from the beginning of our era, prescribed mansoor for too much mucus in the lungs, sciatica, menstrual problems and constipation. Most learned people of antiquity agreed with this. A century later, Pliny added that man’s ear is good for the liver. It cleanses the entire body and is good for dropsy or edema, for cleansing the stomach and it is good for the uterus. But it is not good for pregnant women; because a spontaneous abortion can occur after taking mansoor. Macer Florides, who lived in the 11th century, said that mansoor was good for coughing.

Distribution of mansoor / Source: Kenraiz, Wikimedia Commons (GFDL)

Good for your head

Nicholas Frauenlob believed that mansoor was good for the head and said that you should put mansoor soaked in vinegar in the nose to cleanse the head. Another method, according to Frauenlob, was to sprinkle the head with the same vinegar. According to this medieval man, you could also make a bath with a man’s ear to sharpen your head. Mansoor has been used for a long time to release mucus from the sinuses, including through the use of snuff. In this way it can relieve headaches and open the Eustachian tubes. This last reason makes it good for the ears. We can quote the signature doctrine here; Already in ancient times, the signature theory was used, which states that the external characteristics of a plant reveal its medicinal effect for people. Mansoor looks like the ear, so it is good for the ears.

Seven fun facts about mansoor

1. The root of mansoor was used in a mixture called sneezing powder.
2. In the past, mansoor was used to make a bright green paint color.
3. The widely used effect of mansoor on memory and mental capacities has unfortunately never been scientifically investigated.
4. In the 1960s, a German woman tried to force an abortion with male tea; She developed hemiparesis, a near-paralysis of a part of the body, as a side effect.
5. Writer and poet Bart Moeyaert wrote the book Mansoor, or how we almost killed Stina (2001), which tells about the toxic aspects of mansoor.
6. Besides carcinogenic substances, mansoor also contains cancer-fighting substances.
7. Mansoor is in Schneeberger snuff.