On the miraculous properties of the duda

The Origin of the Dudu and Its Miraculous Properties – In ancient Iran, there was a tradition that linked the death of the god Keyumars with the growth of the dudu from his seed after forty years. According to Iranian belief, human beings – or the first man and woman in the world – were created from the double root of this plant on earth.

In Europe, there was a superstition that the origin of the yam that grows under gallows is from the semen of people who were hanged. This belief is first mentioned in Europe in 1532 and spread throughout Europe during the seventeenth century. One researcher links this belief to mythical sacrificial rituals from before the spread of Christianity. It is difficult to accept this opinion since at that time the yam had not yet reached these countries. Another researcher believes that the origin of this belief is from Mesopotamia or Iran. The two Jewish sources that mention this matter are from Turkey: Midrash Talpiot (from the eighteenth century) and Rabbi Avraham Hamoi (from the nineteenth century). From the description of the corruption of the semen and the growth of the yam, it can be concluded that the origin of this belief is in Europe and that it is not related to the creation of man according to Iranian mythology.

Our sources mention twice that the duda is "burning" (in Josephus and his copyist Josephus). Many later sources add similar descriptions. A Roman source from the fourth century CE describes the duda as "shining at night like a lamp." [One of the Arabic names for the duda is 'the lamp of the devil'. Ibn al-Bitar testifies to it: "It is like a torch at night […] the bark of the root [is like] fireflies that shine at night […] it looks like fire."
A monk named Roger who visited the country in the seventeenth century reports that the duda shines at night. This belief that the duda sparkles at night and looks like silver on it is still prevalent and exists among the Yazidis in Iran and Armenia even today.

Four of our sources (Shadal, Rubin, Eisenstein, and Meyravitz) mentioned the duda as a talisman among the nations of the world. Assaf Harofeh mentions this briefly, and in the chapter on the incarnations by Rabbi Chaim Vital, a detailed description of the power of the duda to protect against enemies appears. In general literature, there are many sources that testify to the use of the duda root.
(which is often carved in the shape of a man) as a powerful and versatile amulet, including protection from enemies. ] A fascinating note appears in Rabbi Raphael Mordechai Malki: "And it is a virtue that the woman who eats it conceives [there is ambiguity here: a virtue usually indicates faith, while eating is a medical act]. And one must be careful that it
"Solomon in Iberia [the Mahadir's note: I mean the Dudayim], that if any organ is missing from it, the next child will also be born weak from the lack of the same thing. And it is dangerous and sometimes kills the woman who eats it."

I have not found any parallel to this comment in the literature. This idea seems to fit the generalization: "Since the root of the duda resembles a human figure, it was widely used as a voodoo doll (meaning that whatever happens to the root of the duda will happen to the person the root is supposed to represent."

Another source mentions that in Italy (no period specified) there was a requirement for a complete root of the duda (chest, head, arms and legs), from which it can be concluded that the root was used as a talisman, but the source does not explain why. Another source that explicitly states that the root must contain all human organs suggests the possible use of a doll.
The Duda, which is a root carved into the shape of a person, and then it is possible not to miss a single limb. The chance of finding a 'perfect' root in nature seems unlikely, especially since a 'real' Duda root was rare in Europe. Duda dolls were highly regarded in the thirteenth to seventeenth centuries as a powerful amulet for love and against accidents, attacks or
Diseases. They were also attributed demonic and magical properties.

Maimonides, who brings up the story of the duda and the hibiscus, is actually mocking an ancient source about "Nabatean agriculture" that originated in Mesopotamia.

In the chapter on reincarnations, there is a rare mention in our sources of the magical properties of the duda, and it should be remembered that this is a book that deals with mystery and reincarnation.

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From: Daphni Amotz (2025), "The Duda in the Eyes of Judaism – Etymological, Ethnobotanical and Historical Aspects". Argaman-Meitav Publishing. Ganei Tikva.