Autumn Mandrake مهر گیاه

Common Names: European Mandrake, Mandragora, Mandrake, Mandrake Apple, Pome Di Tchin, Satan's Apple, herb of Circe, witches mannikin, wild lemon, sorceror's root Habitat: Open woodland, deserted fields and stony places
Magickal Uses: *Poison*
Masculine. Mercury. Fire. Deities: Circe, Diana, Hecate, Hathor, Saturn
Protection, Love, Money, Fertility, Health. Few herbs are as steeped in magickal lore as mandrake. It is associated with the most intense practices of magick and especially well suited for love magick. It has great power as a visionary herb. It empowers visions, providing the impetus to bring them into manifestation. It intensifies the magick of any situation. A whole mandrake root placed in the home will bring protection and prosperity. Carried, it will attract love. The human shape of the root makes it well suited for use as poppet. (Substitute ash roots, apples, root of the briony, or the American may apple if the cost is prohibitive). To activate a dried mandrake, place it on the altar undisturbed for three days. Then place it in warm water overnight. The root will then be activated and ready for any magickal purpose.
Edible Uses: Fruit, though not advised. The fruit is about the size of a small apple, with a strong apple-like scent. Caution is advised in the use of this fruit, it is quite possibly poisonous.
Medicinal Uses: Cathartic; Emetic; Hallucinogenic; Narcotic. Mandrake has a long history of medicinal use, though superstition has played a large part in the uses it has been applied to. It is rarely prescribed in modern herbalism, though it contains hyoscine which is the standard pre-operative medication given to soothe patients and reduce bronchial secretions[244]. It is also used to treat travel sickness. The fresh or dried root contains highly poisonous alkaloids and is cathartic, strongly emetic, hallucinogenic and narcotic. In sufficient quantities it induces a state of oblivion and was used as an anaesthetic for operations in early surgery. It was much used in the past for its anodyne and soporific properties. In the past, juice from the finely grated root was applied externally to relieve rheumatic pains, ulcers and scrophulous tumours. It was also used internally to treat melancholy, convulsions and mania. When taken internally in large doses, however, it is said to excite delerium and madness. The root should be used with caution, and only under the supervision of a qualified practitioner. The leaves are harmless and cooling. They have been used for ointments and other external applications to ulcers etc.
Cultivation: Prefers a deep humus-rich light soil and a sheltered position in full sun. It also tolerates some shade. Prefers a circumneutral soil and dislikes chalk or gravel. Plants are liable to rot in wet or ill-draining soils. Plants are hardy to about -15°c. The roots are somewhat carrot-shaped and can be up to 1.2 metres long. Plants are intolerant of root disturbance and should be put out into their permanent positions as soon as possible. The root often divides into two and is vaguely suggestive of the human body. In the past it was frequently made into amulets which were believed to bring good fortune, cure sterility etc. There is a superstition that if a person pulls up this root they will be condemmed to hell. Therefore in the past people have tied the roots to the bodies of animals and then used these animals in order to pull the roots out of the soil.
Propagation: Seed - best sown in a cold frame in the autumn. The seed can also be sown in spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Root cuttings in winter. Division. Ths can be rather difficult since the plants resent root disturbance.

The ancient Eygptian loved sweet mandrake beer. In Medieval Europe (and later) many magical atributes were ascribed to the root of this plant, especially if its shape resembled a human form complete with arms and legs. Uprooting it personally was sure to cause certain death, but possessing it -and caring for it like a child- held the promise of wealth and success. Caution: The whole plant is very poisonous and is particularly dangerous for children!Growing instructions
The Mandrake is a cold-germinator. The sowing must be kept cold for a period of some weeks (refrigerator) or you sow them in very early spring or autumn. Mix the seeds with damp sand in a plastic bag. The sowing must be kept warm (about 20°C / 64 to 72°F and moist for the first 2-4 weeks. After this period place it in your refrigerator at a temperature of 5°C (between 25 and 39°F) for 5 to 6 weeks. After that take the bag out and keep it at room temperature. Check for sprouted seed regulary.

 

Derivation of the botanical name:

Mandragora, mandra, relating to cattle, and agaron, baneful, injurious, together implying "hurtful to cattle". Greek and Latin mandragoras for a plant, mandrake, perhaps from the Persian mardumgia "the plant of the man". The Mandragora has somewhat vaguely the shape of a human body. Their roots, because their curious bifurcation cause them to have a semblance to the human figure (male & female), have long been used in magical spells and witchcraft.

autumnalis, pertaining to autumn.

The Arabs knew the plant as "Satan's apple."

    The standard author abbreviation Bertol is used to indicate Antonio Bertoloni (1775 – 1869), an Italian botanist.

The Mandragora is the mandrake of the Bible, of Rachel and Leah, who indulged in witchcraft with them, down to Jeanne d;Arc and Shakespeare. In the secret catechism of the Druses, the sons of God create men by descending to earth and animating seven mandragoras -- i.e., mannikins.

Theophrastus (c.372-c.287BCE) : "...it is said that one should draw three circles round the mandrake with a sword, and cut it with one's face toward the west; and at the cutting of the second piece one should dance around the plant and say as many things as possible about the mysteries of love."

Gaius Plinius Secundus (Pliny the Elder) (23 - 79): "...[mandragora is] given for injuries inflicted by serpents and before incisions or punctures are made in the body, in order to insure insensibility to pain. Indeed for this last purpose, for some persons the odour is quite sufficient to induce sleep."

Pedanius Dioscorides (Greek: Πεδάνιος Διοσκορίδης; ca. 40-90) De Materia Medica, Book 4, chapter76: "Mandagoras has a root that seems to be a maker of love medicines. There is one sort that is female, black, called thridacias, with narrower, longer leaves than lettuce, with a poisonous, heavy scent, scattered on the ground. Among them are apples similar to serviceberries — pale, with a sweet scent — in which is seed like a pear. The two or three roots are a good size, wrapped within one another, black according to outward appearance, white within, and with a thick bark; but it has no stalk. The male is white, and some have called it norion. The leaves are bigger, white, broad, smooth like beet but the apples are twice as big — almost saffron in colour, sweetsmelling, with a certain strength — which the shepherds eat to fall asleep. The root is similar to that above, yet bigger and paler, and it is also without a stalk. The bark of the root is pounded and juiced while it is fresh, and placed under a press. After it is stirred the beaters should bottle it in a ceramic jar. The apples are also juiced in a similar way, but the juice from them becomes weakened.The bark from the root is peeled off, pierced with a thread, and hanged up in storage. Some boil the roots in wine until a third remains, strain it, and put it in jars. They use a winecupful of it for those who cannot sleep, or are seriously injured, and whom they wish to anaesthetise to cut or cauterize. Twenty grains of the juice (taken as a drink with honey and water) expel phlegm and black bile upward like hellebore, but when too much is taken as a drink it kills. It is mixed with eye medicines, medications to ease pain, and softening suppositories. As much as five grains (applied alone) expels the menstrual flow and is an abortifacient, and put up into the perineum as a suppository it causes sleep. The root is said to soften ivory, boiled together with it for six hours, and to make it ready to be formed into whatever shape a man wants. Applied with polenta, the new leaves are good both for inflammations of the eyes and ulcers."

Jeanne d'arc, Joan of Arc, (c.1412-1431), the Great Trial of 1431: "What have you done with your mandrake?"....(The mandrake was a part of the accepted paraphernalia of a sorcerer. It was kept wrapped in a silk or linen cloth, and was supposed to preserve its owner from poverty. Brother Richard had recently preached a sermon against them (April, 1429); and many had been burned in consequence.) "I never have had one. But I have heard that there is one near our home, though I have never seen it. I have heard it is a dangerous and evil thing to keep. I do not know for what it is [used]." "Where is this mandrake of which you have heard?" "I have heard that it is in the earth, near the tree of which I spoke before; but I do not know the place. Above this mandrake, there was, it is said, a hazel tree." "What have you heard said was the use of this mandrake?" "To make money come: but I do not believe it. My Voice never spoke to me of that." The Maid of Orleans was reputed to make use of mandrake. There were various factors which exposed La Pucelle to charges of witchcraft. Joan of Arc said the ‘voices' which inspired her came from St Michael, St Catherine and St Margaret - saints whose statues stood in Domremy village church - but her enemies declared that she spoke to evil spirits. Some said the voices were hallucinations induced by chewing mandrake, a narcotic which they believed Joan carried in her bosom. Jeanne d'arc was summoned before her judges, declared a relapsed heretic and a sorceress, and on the 3Oth of May 1431, she was burned at the stake in the market place in Rouen.

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616,in 'King Henry IV', Part 2:"Thou whoreson mandrake, thou art fitter to be worn in my cap than to wait at my heels"; in 'Antony and Cleopatra': “Give me to drink mandragora… That I might sleep out this great gap of time My Antony is away”; and in Romeo and Juliet:"And shrieks like mandrakes torn out of the earth, that living mortals, hearing them, run mad."

H.B.Tristram, Natural History of the Bible: "Mandrakes. Heb. dudâim, i.e., love-plants.The Mandrake has been the subject of many strange superstitions. It was said that it resembled the shape of a man, and that it shrieked and groaned when dug up; that the usual mode of procurring it was by tying a dog to the plant, whose struggles tore it up, but that the dog was killed by the shricks! The Mandrake is universally distributed in all parts of Palestine, and its fruit is much valued by the natives, who still hold the belief, as old as the time of Rachel, that when eaten it ensures conception."

Michael Zohary, Plants of the Bible: "Dudaim in Genesis 30:14-15 can certainly not be Mandragora, which has never grown in Mesopotamia, where Jacob, Leah and Rachel lived."

Bible resources:

    Genesis 30:14-16

    During wheat harvest, Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants, which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

    But she said to her, “Wasn’t it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?” “Very well,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”

    So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You must sleep with me,” she said. “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he slept with her that night.

    Song of Solomon 7:13

    The mandrakes send out their fragrance, and at our door is every delicacy, both new and old, that I have stored up for you, my beloved.

DESCRIPTION:

There are 6 species in this genus, the most common of which is Mandragora officinarum. The perennial plants form a leaf-rosette with no stalk. The leaves can grow up to a foot in size and are between 4 - 5 inches wide with a sharply pointed apex. When they first emerge they stand erect, but gradually flatten out. The star like flowers are five pointed and somewhat bell-shaped. The officinarum variety is yellow-greenish; the autumnalis variety is purple. The flowers are born on separate stalks, which emerge from the centre of the leaf-rosette.  They later give rise to the golden yellowish fruits, that are often referred to as 'apples', which they resemble, though their size approximates more that of a crab-apple or mirabelle. The fruit has a pleasant scent. The root can grow to over half a meter (2 feet) in length and is often strangely forked, which has given rise to anthropomorphic associations, likening their appearance to a human male or female body shape. The root has a tough brown rind but is white inside. The leaves emerge directly from the crown of the root.

ECOLOGY:

Mandrake originates in the eastern Mediterranean region and is distributed throughout southern Europe, the Middle East and northern Africa, where it grows in waste places and abandoned fields in sandy and rocky, well draining soil. There is also a species that is endemic to the Himalaya. Nowadays it is cultivated in gardens north of the Alps, but doesn't naturalize there, as it needs a warm and protected setting. It doesn't tolerate frost well and in cultivation needs to be mulched during the winter.

HISTORY, MYTHOLOGY AND FOLKLORE

Once shrouded in much mystery and lore, Mandrake, the most important magical plant of the Middle Ages, today has been all but forgotten. The preachers of the Age of Enlightenment have successfully dispelled all the myths and tales that have spun up around this plant through the Ages. Today it is not even used medicinally anymore. Yet back in the days of ancient Egypt it was well known and respected enough to get a mention in the famous Ebers Papyrus, an ancient document dating back to about 1700 BC, which lists about 700 medicinal plants. Back then it was thought to increase fertility and was valued as an aphrodisiac. Even the Bible attests to its powers - in the story of Rachael, Leah and Jacob, the originators of the twelve tribes of Israel (Genesis XXX, 14-16), Rachael trusted in the power of the Mandrake to rouse Jacob's interest in her, hoping that the herb would make her fertile so she could bear him a child. However, despite the Mandrake, God thought otherwise... The other mention of it is in the Song of Songs, Salomon VII 11-13, where it is mentioned as an allusion to passionate love-making (how did this piece of poetry ever end up getting into the Bible, I wonder?).

Mandrake was also known to have narcotic properties and in Antiquity was often used as an anaesthetic for surgical procedures. The ancients were well aware of the fact that this powerful little plant could be dangerous if taken in excessive quantities and that the sleep it helped to induce could become a permanent state of being. However, since in those days safe and effective anaesthetics were not so easy to come by they felt compelled to experiment with the most promising plants they knew. Mandrake, along with Poppy, Thornapple, Henbane and Belladonna produced good results if one could get the dosage just right. The preferred method of administration was to make a concoction of some or all of these plants and let the patient inhale the vapours via a sponge, which if done properly, would induce a profound sleep, so the surgeon could go about his business of cutting and sawing off limbs.

Apuleius thought it an effective remedy to counteract possession by evil spirits.

'For witlessness, that is devil sickness or demoniacal possession, take from the body of this said wort Mandrake by the weight of three pennies, administer to drink in warm water as he may find most convenient - soon he will be healed.'

It wasn't until the Middle Ages that Mandrake became popular as a magical plant, and was hailed as a miracle talisman, capable of curing just about anything. It was the root in particular that emanated this mysterious power to fascinate and entrance people - most likely due to its shape, which with a little stretch of the imagination could be seen to resemble a human body. Anthropomorphism (projecting human qualities onto non-human things or beings) was an important aspect of the medieval mindset and the Mandrake root lent itself perfectly to such projections. These magical roots came either as 'Mandrake women' or 'Mandrake men', depending on their shape, but either way they were thought to be powerful allies who could perform true miracles for their masters - anything from attracting love where previously there was none, to getting rich quick and striking unsuspected luck, to warding off misfortunes and evil spells, to becoming invincible in battle.

Such a powerful magical ally was of course not easy to come by. One couldn't just go out, find a plant and start digging - oh no! The Mandrake apparently did not take very kindly to being dug out from its haunt, in fact, it was reported to vanish before an irksome intruder could get to it. That was the best-case scenario. Far worse if it actually stayed in place and the gatherer had to face the task of digging it up, for the Mandrake would give off an ear-piercing scream as it was pulled from the earth, a scream so terrible that it would instantly kill anybody within earshot. Thus it was recommended to plug up one's ears tight and take a dog to carry out the ungrateful task. Before one could start digging one had to draw three magic circles around the plant. Once the root was reasonably free, one was to tie a string to the dogs tail and attach the other end to the root. Then, to avoid the deadly scream, one should speed away from the scene, maybe throwing a tasty piece of meat to the dog, but just out of reach so it would try to jump for it and thus uproot the Mandrake. If one were lucky one would be out of earshot by this time. The dog however, would be dead… or so the story goes.

Bartholemew thought it dangerous to dig for the root in adverse winds and also pronounced it necessary to dig for it all night till sunrise. Other stories insisted that the only Mandrake root powerful enough to perform all these magical tasks was one that was gathered from beneath a gallows at midnight. Apparently, so the story goes, the most potent Mandrake sprouted where the blood or semen of a true criminal had fertilized the earth. A great deal of fuss was made over these gruesome gathering stories and they certainly worked their trick - at least for the crooked vendors, who invented them. Given the ordeal and risked involved in gathering this magickal plant, many a gullible soul preferred to leave the ghastly task to someone else, and rather than going out at night and digging around at the witches hour for this eerie plant, which was at any rate likely to kill either oneself or one's dog or both in the process, they gladly parted with large sums of money to obtain their talisman from a vendor.

The Mandrake roots sold at the market were often 'improved' to enhance their human features by being carved into more recognizable male or female shapes, and fetching up to 30 gold coins a piece. Some of these Charm sellers were quite creative and carved fanciful little figurines from the roots. A particularly prized item was a root, which had not only been carved but made to 'sprout hair' which could be trimmed into a beard or hair-do. This was achieved by inserting millet seeds into the right places of the carved figurine and re-burying it until these sprouted, creating a kind of 'Chia-Mandrake' effect. Capitalizing on people's gullibility, the vendors, usually quite unscrupulous thieves made whatever profit they could from these magical poppets, as Turner observes:

'they are so trymmed of crafty theves to mocke the poore people withall and to rob them both of theyr wit and theyr money.'

Of course, in northern latitudes it was not always easy to find adequate supplies to satisfy the large demand. In this case the charlatans would substitute another root and sell it off for the genuine article. In Europe the preferred substitute was White Bryony, a completely unrelated species, which happens to have a vaguely similar looking root formation. In America there was even less of a chance to come across a genuine article, since Mandragora officinalis does not grow there at all. The most commonly used substitute was 'American Mandrake', or May-Apple, (Podophyllum peltatum) also a completely unrelated species.

Once in possession of the precious root, one's troubles were by no means over, as it was no easy task to satisfy a Mandrakes' whims. It had to be bathed in milk or wine on a regular basis, fed specific kinds of food (its exact dietary requirements were an endless source of debate) and wrapped in the finest red or white silks. Even if all its demands were met it was possible that it would just stop to perform its duties, in which case it was best to get rid of it as quickly as possible. The difficulty was, that it could be hard to find a buyer for a used up talisman like that. One couldn't just give it away either. If no buyer could be found the Mandrake root would have to stay, sometimes to the distinct disadvantage of the owner, for its power could, in some cases, turn against him, causing bad luck to haunt him. Needless to say, such a root was a liability rather than an asset and in the worst case scenario, (if it was impossible to get rid of), it would eventually end up getting buried with its owner and demand its share of rewards at the gate of heaven.

Parallel to this popular 'rub-the-buddha-for-money' type of magic, Mandrake also featured as an important 'Witches Herb', and constituted one of the key ingredients of the fabled Flying Ointment. Considering its chemical composition it was probably a lot more effective in this context than as a good luck charm.

It wasn't until the early 1500s that herbalists tried to dispel the myths surrounding this plant, assuring their readers that most Mandrake roots look very little like human beings, but rather more like parsnips and that nothing should be feared with regard to collecting the root, which in their own experience behaved much like any other when being pulled from the ground. Still, the belief in its magical powers persisted well into the beginning of the last century and in some rural areas people still murmur something about 'he must have his mandrake working' when someone in their midst happens upon unsuspected luck or riches.

Magickal Uses:

As a talisman or amulet; aphrodisiac, love magic, good luck in business or gambling, counter-magic, protector, warding off of evil spirits or spells, invincible against any kind of weapons, flying ointment

MEDICINAL USES

This plant contains powerful toxic substances, which if ingested can be fatal. Do not use internally and apply extreme caution even with external uses.

PARTS USED:	roots, leaves, fruits
ACTIONS:	sedative, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory hypnotic and hallucinogenic, emmenagogue, abortive, emetic, anodine
CONSTITUENTS:	tropane alkaloids: scopolamine, hyoscyamine, atropine, mandragorine, (cuscohygrine), (tropane alcaloids have a powerful effect on the central nervous system, extreme caution is advised)

INDICATIONS

Though similar in composition to Belladonna and Datura, Mandrake finds little use in modern medical or herbal practice. However, in ancient times it was regarded as a powerful and important medicine. The roots were pressed for their juice, which was combined with wine and then reduced by boiling. This was taken as an anaesthetic prior to surgery. The dosage was rather crucial, as too much would put the patient to sleep permanently. Dioscurides recommends a concoction of this juice mixed with honey mead as a purgative to eliminate 'mucous and gall', though again, the dosage was crucial. The juice was also added to a suppository, which would act as a powerful emmenagogoue and abortive. Inserted anally it would induce sleep. The leaves were applied as a poultice to swellings, inflammations and hardened glands. The 'apples' are narcotic, milder than the root, but still powerful enough to kill if taken in excessive quantity (its not clear how many that might be). In Disocurides' age, shepherds seemed to have used it as a natural high, though he did not report any casualty statistics, it is likely that fatal incidents occurred as a result of excessive use. The scent of the apples was also regarded as an aphrodisiac and believed to enhance potency and fertility (used as an amulet).

Derivation of the botanical name:

Mandragora, mandra, relating to cattle, and agaron, baneful, injurious, together implying "hurtful to cattle". Greek and Latin mandragoras for a plant, mandrake, perhaps from the Persian mardumgia "the plant of the man". The Mandragora has somewhat vaguely the shape of a human body. Their roots, because their curious bifurcation cause them to have a semblance to the human figure (male & female), have long been used in magical spells and witchcraft.

autumnalis, pertaining to autumn.

The Arabs knew the plant as "Satan's apple."

    The standard author abbreviation Bertol is used to indicate Antonio Bertoloni (1775 – 1869), an Italian botanist.

The Mandragora is the mandrake of the Bible, of Rachel and Leah, who indulged in witchcraft with them, down to Jeanne d;Arc and Shakespeare. In the secret catechism of the Druses, the sons of God create men by descending to earth and animating seven mandragoras -- i.e., mannikins.

Theophrastus (c.372-c.287BCE) : "...it is said that one should draw three circles round the mandrake with a sword, and cut it with one's face toward the west; and at the cutting of the second piece one should dance around the plant and say as many things as possible about the mysteries of love."

Gaius Plinius Secundus (Pliny the Elder) (23 - 79): "...[mandragora is] given for injuries inflicted by serpents and before incisions or punctures are made in the body, in order to insure insensibility to pain. Indeed for this last purpose, for some persons the odour is quite sufficient to induce sleep."

Pedanius Dioscorides (Greek: Πεδάνιος Διοσκορίδης; ca. 40-90) De Materia Medica, Book 4, chapter76: "Mandagoras has a root that seems to be a maker of love medicines. There is one sort that is female, black, called thridacias, with narrower, longer leaves than lettuce, with a poisonous, heavy scent, scattered on the ground. Among them are apples similar to serviceberries — pale, with a sweet scent — in which is seed like a pear. The two or three roots are a good size, wrapped within one another, black according to outward appearance, white within, and with a thick bark; but it has no stalk. The male is white, and some have called it norion. The leaves are bigger, white, broad, smooth like beet but the apples are twice as big — almost saffron in colour, sweetsmelling, with a certain strength — which the shepherds eat to fall asleep. The root is similar to that above, yet bigger and paler, and it is also without a stalk. The bark of the root is pounded and juiced while it is fresh, and placed under a press. After it is stirred the beaters should bottle it in a ceramic jar. The apples are also juiced in a similar way, but the juice from them becomes weakened.The bark from the root is peeled off, pierced with a thread, and hanged up in storage. Some boil the roots in wine until a third remains, strain it, and put it in jars. They use a winecupful of it for those who cannot sleep, or are seriously injured, and whom they wish to anaesthetise to cut or cauterize. Twenty grains of the juice (taken as a drink with honey and water) expel phlegm and black bile upward like hellebore, but when too much is taken as a drink it kills. It is mixed with eye medicines, medications to ease pain, and softening suppositories. As much as five grains (applied alone) expels the menstrual flow and is an abortifacient, and put up into the perineum as a suppository it causes sleep. The root is said to soften ivory, boiled together with it for six hours, and to make it ready to be formed into whatever shape a man wants. Applied with polenta, the new leaves are good both for inflammations of the eyes and ulcers."

Jeanne d'arc, Joan of Arc, (c.1412-1431), the Great Trial of 1431: "What have you done with your mandrake?"....(The mandrake was a part of the accepted paraphernalia of a sorcerer. It was kept wrapped in a silk or linen cloth, and was supposed to preserve its owner from poverty. Brother Richard had recently preached a sermon against them (April, 1429); and many had been burned in consequence.) "I never have had one. But I have heard that there is one near our home, though I have never seen it. I have heard it is a dangerous and evil thing to keep. I do not know for what it is [used]." "Where is this mandrake of which you have heard?" "I have heard that it is in the earth, near the tree of which I spoke before; but I do not know the place. Above this mandrake, there was, it is said, a hazel tree." "What have you heard said was the use of this mandrake?" "To make money come: but I do not believe it. My Voice never spoke to me of that." The Maid of Orleans was reputed to make use of mandrake. There were various factors which exposed La Pucelle to charges of witchcraft. Joan of Arc said the ‘voices' which inspired her came from St Michael, St Catherine and St Margaret - saints whose statues stood in Domremy village church - but her enemies declared that she spoke to evil spirits. Some said the voices were hallucinations induced by chewing mandrake, a narcotic which they believed Joan carried in her bosom. Jeanne d'arc was summoned before her judges, declared a relapsed heretic and a sorceress, and on the 3Oth of May 1431, she was burned at the stake in the market place in Rouen.

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616,in 'King Henry IV', Part 2:"Thou whoreson mandrake, thou art fitter to be worn in my cap than to wait at my heels"; in 'Antony and Cleopatra': “Give me to drink mandragora… That I might sleep out this great gap of time My Antony is away”; and in Romeo and Juliet:"And shrieks like mandrakes torn out of the earth, that living mortals, hearing them, run mad."

H.B.Tristram, Natural History of the Bible: "Mandrakes. Heb. dudâim, i.e., love-plants.The Mandrake has been the subject of many strange superstitions. It was said that it resembled the shape of a man, and that it shrieked and groaned when dug up; that the usual mode of procurring it was by tying a dog to the plant, whose struggles tore it up, but that the dog was killed by the shricks! The Mandrake is universally distributed in all parts of Palestine, and its fruit is much valued by the natives, who still hold the belief, as old as the time of Rachel, that when eaten it ensures conception."

Michael Zohary, Plants of the Bible: "Dudaim in Genesis 30:14-15 can certainly not be Mandragora, which has never grown in Mesopotamia, where Jacob, Leah and Rachel lived."

Bible resources:

    Genesis 30:14-16

    During wheat harvest, Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants, which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

    But she said to her, “Wasn’t it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?” “Very well,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”

    So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You must sleep with me,” she said. “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he slept with her that night.

    Song of Solomon 7:13

    The mandrakes send out their fragrance, and at our door is every delicacy, both new and old, that I have stored up for you, my beloved.

DESCRIPTION:

There are 6 species in this genus, the most common of which is Mandragora officinarum. The perennial plants form a leaf-rosette with no stalk. The leaves can grow up to a foot in size and are between 4 - 5 inches wide with a sharply pointed apex. When they first emerge they stand erect, but gradually flatten out. The star like flowers are five pointed and somewhat bell-shaped. The officinarum variety is yellow-greenish; the autumnalis variety is purple. The flowers are born on separate stalks, which emerge from the centre of the leaf-rosette.  They later give rise to the golden yellowish fruits, that are often referred to as 'apples', which they resemble, though their size approximates more that of a crab-apple or mirabelle. The fruit has a pleasant scent. The root can grow to over half a meter (2 feet) in length and is often strangely forked, which has given rise to anthropomorphic associations, likening their appearance to a human male or female body shape. The root has a tough brown rind but is white inside. The leaves emerge directly from the crown of the root.

ECOLOGY:

Mandrake originates in the eastern Mediterranean region and is distributed throughout southern Europe, the Middle East and northern Africa, where it grows in waste places and abandoned fields in sandy and rocky, well draining soil. There is also a species that is endemic to the Himalaya. Nowadays it is cultivated in gardens north of the Alps, but doesn't naturalize there, as it needs a warm and protected setting. It doesn't tolerate frost well and in cultivation needs to be mulched during the winter.

HISTORY, MYTHOLOGY AND FOLKLORE

Once shrouded in much mystery and lore, Mandrake, the most important magical plant of the Middle Ages, today has been all but forgotten. The preachers of the Age of Enlightenment have successfully dispelled all the myths and tales that have spun up around this plant through the Ages. Today it is not even used medicinally anymore. Yet back in the days of ancient Egypt it was well known and respected enough to get a mention in the famous Ebers Papyrus, an ancient document dating back to about 1700 BC, which lists about 700 medicinal plants. Back then it was thought to increase fertility and was valued as an aphrodisiac. Even the Bible attests to its powers - in the story of Rachael, Leah and Jacob, the originators of the twelve tribes of Israel (Genesis XXX, 14-16), Rachael trusted in the power of the Mandrake to rouse Jacob's interest in her, hoping that the herb would make her fertile so she could bear him a child. However, despite the Mandrake, God thought otherwise... The other mention of it is in the Song of Songs, Salomon VII 11-13, where it is mentioned as an allusion to passionate love-making (how did this piece of poetry ever end up getting into the Bible, I wonder?).

Mandrake was also known to have narcotic properties and in Antiquity was often used as an anaesthetic for surgical procedures. The ancients were well aware of the fact that this powerful little plant could be dangerous if taken in excessive quantities and that the sleep it helped to induce could become a permanent state of being. However, since in those days safe and effective anaesthetics were not so easy to come by they felt compelled to experiment with the most promising plants they knew. Mandrake, along with Poppy, Thornapple, Henbane and Belladonna produced good results if one could get the dosage just right. The preferred method of administration was to make a concoction of some or all of these plants and let the patient inhale the vapours via a sponge, which if done properly, would induce a profound sleep, so the surgeon could go about his business of cutting and sawing off limbs.

Apuleius thought it an effective remedy to counteract possession by evil spirits.

'For witlessness, that is devil sickness or demoniacal possession, take from the body of this said wort Mandrake by the weight of three pennies, administer to drink in warm water as he may find most convenient - soon he will be healed.'

It wasn't until the Middle Ages that Mandrake became popular as a magical plant, and was hailed as a miracle talisman, capable of curing just about anything. It was the root in particular that emanated this mysterious power to fascinate and entrance people - most likely due to its shape, which with a little stretch of the imagination could be seen to resemble a human body. Anthropomorphism (projecting human qualities onto non-human things or beings) was an important aspect of the medieval mindset and the Mandrake root lent itself perfectly to such projections. These magical roots came either as 'Mandrake women' or 'Mandrake men', depending on their shape, but either way they were thought to be powerful allies who could perform true miracles for their masters - anything from attracting love where previously there was none, to getting rich quick and striking unsuspected luck, to warding off misfortunes and evil spells, to becoming invincible in battle.

Such a powerful magical ally was of course not easy to come by. One couldn't just go out, find a plant and start digging - oh no! The Mandrake apparently did not take very kindly to being dug out from its haunt, in fact, it was reported to vanish before an irksome intruder could get to it. That was the best-case scenario. Far worse if it actually stayed in place and the gatherer had to face the task of digging it up, for the Mandrake would give off an ear-piercing scream as it was pulled from the earth, a scream so terrible that it would instantly kill anybody within earshot. Thus it was recommended to plug up one's ears tight and take a dog to carry out the ungrateful task. Before one could start digging one had to draw three magic circles around the plant. Once the root was reasonably free, one was to tie a string to the dogs tail and attach the other end to the root. Then, to avoid the deadly scream, one should speed away from the scene, maybe throwing a tasty piece of meat to the dog, but just out of reach so it would try to jump for it and thus uproot the Mandrake. If one were lucky one would be out of earshot by this time. The dog however, would be dead… or so the story goes.

Bartholemew thought it dangerous to dig for the root in adverse winds and also pronounced it necessary to dig for it all night till sunrise. Other stories insisted that the only Mandrake root powerful enough to perform all these magical tasks was one that was gathered from beneath a gallows at midnight. Apparently, so the story goes, the most potent Mandrake sprouted where the blood or semen of a true criminal had fertilized the earth. A great deal of fuss was made over these gruesome gathering stories and they certainly worked their trick - at least for the crooked vendors, who invented them. Given the ordeal and risked involved in gathering this magickal plant, many a gullible soul preferred to leave the ghastly task to someone else, and rather than going out at night and digging around at the witches hour for this eerie plant, which was at any rate likely to kill either oneself or one's dog or both in the process, they gladly parted with large sums of money to obtain their talisman from a vendor.

The Mandrake roots sold at the market were often 'improved' to enhance their human features by being carved into more recognizable male or female shapes, and fetching up to 30 gold coins a piece. Some of these Charm sellers were quite creative and carved fanciful little figurines from the roots. A particularly prized item was a root, which had not only been carved but made to 'sprout hair' which could be trimmed into a beard or hair-do. This was achieved by inserting millet seeds into the right places of the carved figurine and re-burying it until these sprouted, creating a kind of 'Chia-Mandrake' effect. Capitalizing on people's gullibility, the vendors, usually quite unscrupulous thieves made whatever profit they could from these magical poppets, as Turner observes:

'they are so trymmed of crafty theves to mocke the poore people withall and to rob them both of theyr wit and theyr money.'

Of course, in northern latitudes it was not always easy to find adequate supplies to satisfy the large demand. In this case the charlatans would substitute another root and sell it off for the genuine article. In Europe the preferred substitute was White Bryony, a completely unrelated species, which happens to have a vaguely similar looking root formation. In America there was even less of a chance to come across a genuine article, since Mandragora officinalis does not grow there at all. The most commonly used substitute was 'American Mandrake', or May-Apple, (Podophyllum peltatum) also a completely unrelated species.

Once in possession of the precious root, one's troubles were by no means over, as it was no easy task to satisfy a Mandrakes' whims. It had to be bathed in milk or wine on a regular basis, fed specific kinds of food (its exact dietary requirements were an endless source of debate) and wrapped in the finest red or white silks. Even if all its demands were met it was possible that it would just stop to perform its duties, in which case it was best to get rid of it as quickly as possible. The difficulty was, that it could be hard to find a buyer for a used up talisman like that. One couldn't just give it away either. If no buyer could be found the Mandrake root would have to stay, sometimes to the distinct disadvantage of the owner, for its power could, in some cases, turn against him, causing bad luck to haunt him. Needless to say, such a root was a liability rather than an asset and in the worst case scenario, (if it was impossible to get rid of), it would eventually end up getting buried with its owner and demand its share of rewards at the gate of heaven.

Parallel to this popular 'rub-the-buddha-for-money' type of magic, Mandrake also featured as an important 'Witches Herb', and constituted one of the key ingredients of the fabled Flying Ointment. Considering its chemical composition it was probably a lot more effective in this context than as a good luck charm.

It wasn't until the early 1500s that herbalists tried to dispel the myths surrounding this plant, assuring their readers that most Mandrake roots look very little like human beings, but rather more like parsnips and that nothing should be feared with regard to collecting the root, which in their own experience behaved much like any other when being pulled from the ground. Still, the belief in its magical powers persisted well into the beginning of the last century and in some rural areas people still murmur something about 'he must have his mandrake working' when someone in their midst happens upon unsuspected luck or riches.

Magickal Uses:

As a talisman or amulet; aphrodisiac, love magic, good luck in business or gambling, counter-magic, protector, warding off of evil spirits or spells, invincible against any kind of weapons, flying ointment

MEDICINAL USES

This plant contains powerful toxic substances, which if ingested can be fatal. Do not use internally and apply extreme caution even with external uses.

PARTS USED:	roots, leaves, fruits
ACTIONS:	sedative, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory hypnotic and hallucinogenic, emmenagogue, abortive, emetic, anodine
CONSTITUENTS:	tropane alkaloids: scopolamine, hyoscyamine, atropine, mandragorine, (cuscohygrine), (tropane alcaloids have a powerful effect on the central nervous system, extreme caution is advised)

INDICATIONS

Though similar in composition to Belladonna and Datura, Mandrake finds little use in modern medical or herbal practice. However, in ancient times it was regarded as a powerful and important medicine. The roots were pressed for their juice, which was combined with wine and then reduced by boiling. This was taken as an anaesthetic prior to surgery. The dosage was rather crucial, as too much would put the patient to sleep permanently. Dioscurides recommends a concoction of this juice mixed with honey mead as a purgative to eliminate 'mucous and gall', though again, the dosage was crucial. The juice was also added to a suppository, which would act as a powerful emmenagogoue and abortive. Inserted anally it would induce sleep. The leaves were applied as a poultice to swellings, inflammations and hardened glands. The 'apples' are narcotic, milder than the root, but still powerful enough to kill if taken in excessive quantity (its not clear how many that might be). In Disocurides' age, shepherds seemed to have used it as a natural high, though he did not report any casualty statistics, it is likely that fatal incidents occurred as a result of excessive use. The scent of the apples was also regarded as an aphrodisiac and believed to enhance potency and fertility (used as an amulet).

MANDRAKE (Mandragora officinarum), an hallucinogen with a fantastic history, has long been known and feared for its toxicity. Its complex history as a magic hypnotic in the folklore of Europe cannot be equaled by any species anywhere. Mandrake was a panacea. Its folk uses in medieval Europe were inextricably bound up with the "Doctrine of Signatures," an old theory holding that the appearance of an object indicates its special properties. The root of mandrake was likened to the form of a man or woman; hence its magic. If a mandrake were pulled from the earth, according to superstition, its unearthly shrieks could drive its collector mad. In many regions, the people claimed strong aphrodisiac properties for mandrake. The superstitious hold of this plant in Europe persisted for centuries
Mandrake, with the Propane alkaloids hyoscyamine, scopolamine, and others, was an active hallucinogenic ingredient of many of the witches' brews of Europe. In fact, it was undoubtedly one of the most potent ingredients in those complex preparations. Mandrake and five other species of Mandragora belong to the nightshade family, Solanaceae, and are native to the area between the Mediterranean and the Himalayas