Mandragora
Weird and incredible stories about Mandragora
The plant whose root resembles the shape of the human body was in high demand from ancient times on: it was said to heal diseases, expand consciousness, improve fertility and much more. However to dig it out was a life threatening task - the person who attempted to dig out the root of Mandragora could be driven crazy or turned to stone by the horrible scream of the plant. To avoid this fate there were certain rituals for digging out the root: circling Mandragora at night three times with the tip of a sword. then binding one end of a rope around the plant and the other round the neck of a black dog and enticing the dog with a piece of meat to make him drag out the root - to be eventually turned to stone instead ...
Particular powers were assigned to Mandragoras that grew under gallows, for the tears and semen of the hanged had inseminated them and the plants had taken over the vitality of the deceased.
Mandragora was also used as a sleeping drug , an aphrodisiac, a remedy for making birth easier, a lucky charm and talisman - no wonder that at times people were truly obsessed with this mysterious plant and it’s man-like root.
