Mayapple is a widespread perennial herb of woodlands in eastern North America; related species are native to Asia, especially eastern Asia. Mayapple spreads by long rhizomes that give rise to the large, umbrellalike leaves. Leaves are borne singly or, when the plant flowers, in pairs at the top of a stem with a single large white flower borne in the fork between them. The fruit is a large, fleshy, usually yellowish berry. The flesh of the mature fruit is edible and regarded by some as tasty; all other parts, including the unripe fruit, are toxic. Traditional Native American medicine used mayapple rhizome to treat a variety of conditions; its common uses as an emetic and purgative are suggestive of its side effects.

A resin derived from mayapple roots has been used to treat warts. One of the active compounds, podophyllotoxin, has anticancer activity; the pharmaceutical drug etoposide, which is used to treat certain types of cancer, is derived from podophyllotoxin. Several animal studies have shown that the Asian sister species, Podophyllum hexandrum, which contains similar compounds, protects against radiation damage; P. peltatum has not been studied for this purpose. Interestingly, it has only recently been discovered that some chemically complex plant metabolites, including podophyllotoxin and related compounds, are not actually manufactured by the plants themselves but by endophytic fungi (microscopic organisms that live symbiotically within the plant). It is not, as far as is known, possible to treat cancer by use of crude rhizome preparations (this was not among the plant?s common uses in traditional medicine), and the toxicity of the rhizome makes its use in botanical medicine dangerous for anyone but an expert.

Selected References

Canel, C., R. M. Moraes, F. E. Dayan, and D. Ferreira. 2000. Podophyllotoxin. Phytochemistry 54: 115-120.

Cushman, K. E., R. M. Moraes, P. D. Gerard, E. Bedir, B. Silva, and I. A. Khan. 2006. Frequency and timing of leaf removal affect growth and podophyllotoxin content of Podophyllum peltatum in full sun. Planta Med. 72:824-829.

Eyberger, A. L., R. Dondapati, and J. R. Porter. 2006. Endophyte fungal isolates from Podophyllum peltatum produce podophyllotoxin. J. Nat. Prod. 69:1121-1124.

George, L. O. 1997. Podophyllum. Pp. 287-288 in: Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. Flora of North America, vol. 3. Oxford University Press, New York.

Moraes, R. M., E. Bedir, H. Barrett, C. Burandt Jr., C. Canel, and I. A. Khan. 2002. Evaluation of Podophyllum peltatum accessions for podophyllotoxin production. Planta Med. 68:341-344.

Shaw, J. M. H. 2000. A taxonomic revision of Podophyllum in the wild and in cultivation. New Plantsman 7:30-41.

Stearn, W. 2002. The genus Epimedium and other herbaceous Berberidaceae. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Kew.