The History of the Mandrake Plant

The Mandrake plant is popular these days as a way to showcase the occult. Few witchy or even just fantasy stories are complete without incorporation of this plant.

Mandrake's association with the occult, however, is not a new trend. The plant has long had ties to superstition and witchcraft. These ties were brought about by Mandrake's eerie and disquieting resemblance to the human form. It was called the Witches' Umbrella.

What is perhaps the most well known superstition concerns the legendary scream of the mandrake. According to folk lore Mandrake plants scream when they are uprooted and this scream is deadly to those that hear it.

The old tales go so far as to explain one of the few "safe" processes for harvesting Mandrake. The process reportedly involved starving a dog until it was nearly feral from hunger. Then the dog was tied with a rope to the exposed parts of the Mandrake plant.

The harvester then placed a steak or other raw meat a bit out of the dog's reach. The person reportedly had to either quickly leave the vicinity or adequately block their ears to avoid death. The dog would then strain so hard to get to the meat that it would rip the Mandrake plant out of the earth.

The Mandrake's scream would kill the dog but then the harvester would be free to take the plant once the screaming stopped. This process was supposedly carried out by witches who allegedly used the Mandrake for spells, potions, poisons and other sorceries involving prophecy and protection.

It is not immediately clear where this legend came from. It is possible that it arose simply due to superstitions regarding the Mandrake's similarity to the human form. During this time period even the violin was considered evil because of its uncanny resemblance to the human voice.

It is more likely that Mandrake's poisonous nature inspired the tale. The legend could simply have been a way to frighten children away from a plant that could kill them or an explanation for an accidental poisoning.

The Mandrake plant is also known as Mandragora and belongs in the nightshades family. It is cousins with two other well known baneful herbs: Deadly Nightshade and Belladonna which also belong to the nightshades family.

Mandrake is rarely used in medicines. The plants many toxic compounds have caused the United States Food and Drug Administration to rate the Mandrake plant as UNSAFE.

The Mandrake plant is an exceedingly strong purgative. Ingestion of it will cause incredible nausea and vomiting. It also can cause fatal inflammation of the digestive track.