Mandrake or mandragora is a small perennial herb common throughout the Mediterranean region.
Being toxic, it derives its reputation for
magical power partly from its toxicity. This potent herb can kill the unwary although it has also served as an important source of therapeutic medicine.
Adding to the
Mandrake’s
mystique is the
appearance of its roots. Thick and tuberous, it can be imagined to look like a little human being. There was even more to mandrake’s magical appearance. It is a plant that phosphoresces. Sometimes, at night, chemical substances in its berries react with the dew to give a pale light. The ancestors attributed this to spirits and magical forces.
Flavius Joseph, a historian of the first century described the perils of harvesting mandrake. While its glow made it easy to locate, the herb shrank back when ever approached; and merely touching it would prove fatal. One way to collect the herb was to dig carefully all around it until only a small portion of the
root remained covered. The collector would then lash a dog to the root and walk away. The dog would pull the root in a suicidal effort to rejoin its master. But in exchange for the dog’s death, according to Joseph, the master obtained an infallible charm against demons.
Other people said the mandrake protected against battle wounds, cured all diseases, brought luck in love, promoted fertility, guaranteed perfect marksmanship, and unearthed hidden treasures.