Mandrake

A poisonous perennial herb that grows in the Mediterranean region and that is reputed to have powerful magical properties. Mandrake, part of the nightshade family, has a strong and unpleasant odor. It is highly toxic, though it is used in therapeutic remedies and as an aphrodisiac in love philtres. The magic attributed to mandrake is due to the shape of its thick root, which looks like a man or woman, or sometimes a phallus, and to the phosphorescent glow of its berries in the light dawn. In folklore, a mandragoras, a demon spirit resembling a little man with no beard, dwelled in the plant.

According to lore, mandrake shrinks at the approach of a person. Touching it can be fatal. If uprooted, it shrieks and sweats blood, and whoever pulls it out dies in agony. It is safely harvested by digging around all but a small portion of the root, tying a dog to it and leaving. The dog strangles itself pulling out the root in an attempt to follow its master. The death of the dog gives the mandrake root the power to protect against demons. The root also is believed to prophesy the future by shaking its head in answer to questions.

In ancient Greece, mandrake was called the plant of Circe, the witch goddess who made a juice of the root and used it to transform Odysseus’ men into swine. In Greece and Rome it was used medicinally as an anesthetic before cauterization and surgery.

Medieval witches were said to harvest the root at night beneath gallows trees—trees where unrepentant criminals, evil since birth, were supposed to have died. The root purportedly sprang up from the criminal’s body drippings. According to Christian lore, the witch washed the root in wine and wrapped it in silk and velvet. She fed it with sacramental wafers stolen from a church during communion, which placed witches in the Devil’s camp.

Mandrake is reputed to be an aphrodisiac and a fertility pill and is known as love apples. In Genesis, the barren Rachel, wife of Jacob, ate mandrake root in order to conceive Joseph. Mandrake is given to women to ensure large families of boys; Arab men wear the root as an amulet to enhance virility.

## Preparing a Mandrake

Shaped like a human being, the mandrake (Mandragora) is a plant that has long been associated with Witchcraft. It is highly toxic and produces a narcotic effect when ingested internally—something that is not recommended! The important thing when selecting a mandrake is to find one in the shape of the opposite sex of the person on whom you wish to cast the spell, and then to immediately carve the root into a human form.

There are two genera of plants that are traditionally classified as mandragora: the mandragora officinalis, a member of the tomato family (which includes deadly nightshade and devil’s apple) and the English white bryony (bryonia dioica) which is related to the cucumber and gourd. Both can be used in spells calling for Mandrake, but they should be used with great caution, as they are extremely poisonous.
Legend speaks of gathering the mandrake on the night of the full moon as close to the Vernal Equinox as possible. The plant should be carefully extracted from the earth. A small section of the mandrake is clipped away and replanted in the spot from where it was taken. The mandrake is then gently carved into human shape and replanted in either a churchyard or at the spot where two paths cross (crossroads). Each night for one lunar month, the mandrake is watered with a combination of distilled water, milk, and a drop of your blood.

When the lunar month has ended, remove the mandrake from the ground. If you’ve cared for it properly, the mandrake’s skin will have completely healed over and taken on human form. To complete the process, you will need to dry the mandrake. This can be done by placing it on a bed of vervain leaves in a warm oven or by passing it through the incense smoke of burning vervain leaves. (Note that the latter method will take months to complete, as the root dries very slowly.) Clothe the mandrake in unbleached muslin and keep near the hearth or in the room you use most frequently. It will serve to bring you health, wealth, and happiness.