Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1895-06-20
THE MYSTERIOUS MANDRAKE.

"The Insane Root That Takes the Reason
Prisoner"
The mandrake plant is nearly allied
to the belEadonna and is found in north
Africa, parts of southern Europe and
Asia Minor: The root is Sorkcd and
fieshy, presenting nude but startling
likeness to the human figure. From it
the leaves spring with no apparent
stem, and among them the stalked,
whitish flower appears. The fruit is, a
one-celled berry about the size Of a
sparrow's egg.
The whole plant was a very urpleas-
ant and narcotic, smell, although the
fresh berries when bruised exhale a
pleasant odor like wine or apples All
parts of the plant have poisonousprop-
critics like the be4ladonna. only more
narcotic in their nature, and for this
reason the root was often administered
before a surgical operation. Platoand
Demosthenes both. speak of it as a
seporific, and the people of the east to
this day refer to an indolent person as
one ''who has eaten mandrake"
Shakespeare alludes to this when Cleo
pstra says:
Give me to drink mardragora,
ANal might steep OCt LQlS great gap OF eIII16
Ny Antony is away.
The superstitions connected with this
plant are gruesome.= Thomas Newton,
in his ''Herbaee os1the Bible," says:
THE mandrake is supposed to be a
creature having life engendered under
the-earth of the seed of some dead per-
soEaput to death fov murder" Grimm
affirns that it grows up beneats,t the
galIows from which a thief is sus-
peEded."
The directions fo7the removal offthe
roes are carresponsiingly blood-snrd--
ling. as the plant, possessing life,
shrieks at its removal, and he who
hears it falls dead or else goes mad
For the avoidance of this two-horned;
dilemma the following exploits are.
given: He who desires to possess a
mandrake must stop his ears with. wax
so that he may not hear the DEATH y
yesls which the plant utters as It is, be-
ing dragged froEs-the earth. Then, be-
fore sunrise on = Friday, he must go,
out with ALI black make three.
crosses around the mandrake with. the
point of a sword loosen the soil about
tlae root, being careful that the. wind
IS to his back, tie the root to,ti,e dogs
tail and, going. 10 safe distance, offer
the beast piece of bread The dog
will then rum at the bread; drag oat
the mandrake root aud fall dead killed
by the horrible yell of the plant
After the dog is buried. on the spot
with religious honors and secres sacred
rites the psot is to ae- taken up.
washed with wine, wrapped in silk,
laid in cssket, bathed every Friday
and clothed in a 1itt,s, new white
smock every new moon
eff thus considerably treated it acts
as familiar spirit, and, every piece OF
coin laid by it at night doubles before
morning.
Another superstition connected with
the use Of the mandrake as a medicine
is that small dose makes person
vain OF his beauty and concited. but
that a large dose makes him an idiot.
This pSapuiar bel aeS was also recognized
by Shakespeare when Banquo. after
the uncanny visitation of the "weird
sisters" asks fearfully and wondering
II of Macbeth:
Were such things here rs We do speak about:
Or have we eaten on the insane root that takes
the reasoa prisoner:
N " Wo-Ad