What is a Mandrake?
The flowers of a mandrake plant. A mandrake is the root of a plant, historically derived either from plants of the genus Mandragora found in the Mediterranean region, or from other species, such as Bryonia alba, the English mandrake, which have similar properties. The plants from which the root is obtained are also called "mandrakes".
Is mandrake root edible?
The mandrake root is a plant in the nightshade family rich in folklore and history. Its scientific name is Mandragora officinarum, and it grows mainly in countries near the Mediterranean Sea. Mandrake is a perennial with a long stem and short trunk. The leaves resemble a cabbage or edible green, but they are not edible!
How big does a Mandrake tree get?
Mandrake Facts Name Mandrake Plant Size 0.1 m (0ft 4in) tall and 0.3 m (1ft) wid ... Root Long, thick tap roots are somewhat carro ... Stem Almost no stem In Leaf March to July 14 more rows ...
Is Mandrake a hallucinogen?
Mandrake, (genus Mandragora ), genus of six species of hallucinogenic plants in the nightshade family ( Solanaceae) native to the Mediterranean region and the Himalayas. The plants are particularly noted for their potent roots, which somewhat resemble the human form and have a long history of use in religious and superstitious practices.
What do mandrakes in the Bible look like?
As the Bible so accurately describes, the mandrake often grows as a weed in wheat fields. The plant consists of several large, wrinkled, dark green leaves that lie flat upon the ground forming a rosette. In the center of this rosette a cluster of attractive purple flowers appears in the winter.
What does a Harry Potter mandrake look like?
A Mandrake, also known as Mandragora, is a plant which has a root that looks like a human (like a baby when the plant is young, but maturing as the plant grows). When mature, its cry can be fatal to any person who hears it.
What is a mandrake in Harry Potter?
Mandrake or Mandragora is a powerful restorative and is a vital component in restorative potions; as a result, it is necessary in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, where it is used to brew a potion that is used to restore those who have been attacked by the monster of the Chamber.
What is a mandrake according to the Bible?
It has large, wrinkled leaves and small, purple flowers, and the root may be several feet long and weigh several pounds. Mandrakes were believed to be a stimulant to help with fertility and conception in barren women. Rachel sees the mandrakes as a way for her to bear a child with Jacob!
Why is the mandrake cry fatal?
In one superstition, people who pull up this root will be condemned to hell, and the mandrake root would scream and cry as it was pulled from the ground, killing anyone who heard it. Therefore, in the past, people have tied the roots to the bodies of animals and then used these animals to pull the roots from the soil.
Can you eat mandrake?
Mandrakes can be poisonous if you eat them. Although a mandrake isn't edible, it is sometimes used in folk medicine. The root of the mandrake has very slight hallucinogenic qualities, and if it's consumed in large quantities it can cause death or coma.
Why do mandrakes scream?
According to an ancient legend, when the plant was uprooted it would scream, killing anyone who heard it. Therefore the gathering of the mandrake was carried out following elaborate rituals. One of the most famous ceremonies required the help of a hungry dog, who was tied up to the stem of the plant.
Is mandrake poisonous to touch?
Even more important: the leaves and roots are poisonous. Early explorers recorded how despondent Huron women committed suicide by eating the roots of mandrake or hemlock. Some people develop a rash from just touching the stem.
What do mandrakes smell like?
Because mandrake actually smells of strong red apple, we gave the fragrance a red fruity heart but grounded it with birch leaf and birch root to suggest the roots of the flower dug into the soil. We also gave the fragrance a sharp aromatic note to suggest its infamous, deadly shriek.
Do mandrakes look like humans?
It is called mandrake because the large taproot can appear to look like the human form. To some, the roots resemble either the male or the female body.
What does a mandrake symbolize?
According to Anthony John Carter, writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine in 2003, medieval folks carried mandrake roots around as good luck charms, hoping the plant would grant them not only wealth and the power to control their destiny, but the ability to control the destinies of others as well.
What is mandrake good for?
People take European mandrake root for treating stomach ulcers, colic, constipation, asthma, hay fever, convulsions, arthritis-like pain (rheumatism), and whooping cough. It is also used to trigger vomiting, cause sleepiness (sedation), reduce pain, and increase interest in sexual activity.
What are mandrakes used for?
People take European mandrake root for treating stomach ulcers, colic, constipation, asthma, hay fever, convulsions, arthritis-like pain (rheumatism), and whooping cough. It is also used to trigger vomiting, cause sleepiness (sedation), reduce pain, and increase interest in sexual activity.
What does a mandrake symbolize?
According to Anthony John Carter, writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine in 2003, medieval folks carried mandrake roots around as good luck charms, hoping the plant would grant them not only wealth and the power to control their destiny, but the ability to control the destinies of others as well.
Does mandrake help fertility?
It has a long history of medicinal use, and one of the oldest and most common uses was as a fertility aid. In Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament, Jacob's wives, the sisters Leah and Rachel, compete to provide him with children with the help of mandrake.
What do mandrake leaves do?
The leaves of a mandrake could be used as ingredients in potions. They also had additional magical properties: part of the process by which a wizard or witch became an Animagus was holding the leaf of a mandrake in their mouth for an entire month.
How tall is a mandrake?
Mandrake is a virtually stem less, herbaceous perennial plant that normally grows about 0.1 m (0ft 4in) tall and 0.3 m (1ft) wide. The plant is found growing in open woodland, deserted fields, stony places, open habitats, such as light woodland and disturbed sites, including olive groves, fallow land, waysides, railway embankments, ruins and crevices. The plant has long, thick tap roots that are somewhat carrot-shaped and can be up to 1.2 meters long. The root often divides into two and is vaguely suggestive of the human body and has long had medicinal, mystical, and magical properties associated with it. The plant almost has no stem.
What is the root of a mandrake?
Traditional uses of Mandrake. Mandragora officinarum popularly known as Satan’s apple or mandrake is a perennial plant belonging to Solanaceae – Potato family. The plant has a chubby root resembling that of a parsnip. The root of this plant bifurcates resembling a pair of legs. The plant is native to Mediterranean Sea, ...
What is mandrake used for?
Herbal mandrake was thought to have great powers and was used to cure nearly any ailment, from constipation and colic to convulsions. It is a wonderful home remedy to treat stomach ulcers.
What happens if you pull up Mandrake root?
In one superstition, people who pull up this root will be condemned to hell, and the mandrake root would scream as it was pulled from the ground, killing anyone who heard it.
What is the medicinal use of mandrake?
Herbal mandrake was thought to have great powers and was used to cure nearly any ailment, from constipation and colic to convulsions.
Why is mandrake used in magic?
Mandrake plant was used widely in magic because of its amazing medicinal properties. Both legends and folklore associated with this plant for good and bad showed the significance of this herb. Mandrake root has been using in cooking since ancient times. Ancient people realized its aphrodisiac properties.
How long are mandrake leaves?
Mandrake Facts. Long, thick tap roots are somewhat carrot-shaped and can be up to 1.2 meters long. The root often divides into two and is vaguely suggestive of the human body. Leaves are very variable in size and shape, with a maximum length of 45 cm (18 in).
What is a mandrake plant?
Mandrake plants generally have a short stem bearing a tuft of ovate leaves, often arranged in a bas al rosette.
Can a mandrake be uprooted?
It was believed that the mandrake could be safely uprooted only in the moonlight, after appropriate prayer and ritual, by a black dog attached to the plant by a cord. Human hands were not to come in contact with the plant.
Is Mandrake still used?
Mandrake is still used occasionally in homeopathic and folk medicine and has applications in modern witchcraft and occult practices. In North America the name mandrake is often used for the mayapple ( Podophyllum peltatum) of the barberry family ( Berberidaceae ).
Is Mandrake poisonous?
All parts of the plants contain tropane alkaloids and are considered poisonous. Fruit of the mandrake ( Mandragora officinarum ). The best- known species, Mandragora officinarum, has long been known for its poisonous properties. In ancient times it was used as a narcotic and an aphrodisiac, and it was also believed to have certain magical powers.
Appearance
It is an herb with a very short stem reduced only to the buried layer, which forms a thick root shaped like a turnip and similar to ginger. The general shape of the plant is a rosette of leaves very similar to that formed by chard, although with a darker green hue. Its height can be about 30 cm.
Root
It is the most unique and striking structure of the plant, since it is quite developed and its appearance is almost humanoid. It is divided into a thickened nucleus that resembles a human trunk and appendages that look like limbs depart from it.
Leaves
The leaves are large, deep green with a lanceolate-oblong shape, have wavy margins and are arranged in the shape of a rosette. The foliar morphology is very similar to a romaine lettuce or chard.
Flower
The mandrake develops bluish-purple or lilac flowers that emerge from the middle of the rosette of leaves. They are about 3 cm long and the lower part of the petals show abundant trichomes.
Fruit
The fruit of this particular plant is a berry with a globose shape and a yellow-orange color. In its immature state it has an intense green color. This fruit is considered tasty, with a sweet and quite toxic smell.
Seed physiology
The seeds of this species are similar to those of the tomato. Physiologically they present an external dormancy caused by the impermeability of the cuticle or layer that protects it from water and prevents the embryo from hydrating.
Habitat and distribution
It lives in Italy, Croatia, Spain, Gibraltar, Portugal, the Balearic Islands, Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Greece, among others.
What is a mandrake?
A Mandrake, also known as Mandragora, was a magical and sentient plant which had a root that looked like a human (like a baby when the plant is young, but maturing as the plant grows). When matured, its cry could be fatal to any person who heard it.
Where did the name Mandrake come from?
Mandrake is from late Old English mandragora, that had the dragon -related description replaced with native drake.
What does Hermione mean by the cry of the Mandrake?
They looked quite unremarkable to Harry, who didn’t have the slightest idea what Hermione meant by the “cry” of the Mandrake.". — Harry Potter 's perception of Mandrakes in a Herbology lesson [src] A Mandrake plant. Whenever unearthed, the root screamed.
Where is Mandragora found?
A third variant, Mandragora turcomanica, is a nearly extinct and very rare variety, found mostly in Turkey and a few areas of Iran. M. turcomanica is distinguished from M. autumnalis by having larger fruit. In the Western Hemisphere, another plant, Podophyllum petaltum, is called the American Mandrake.
How many images are there in Mandrake?
The Harry Potter Wiki has 71 images related to Mandrake.
Who taught Gryffindor to repot Mandrakes?
At the start of the 1992–1993 school year at Hogwarts, Professor Sprout taught second year Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students in class how to properly repot baby Mandrakes. Hermione Granger impressed Professor Sprout with her knowledge of the Mandrake's properties, earning her house points for her house Gryffindor.
Can mandrakes be cut up?
When matured, Mandrakes could be cut up to serve as a prime ingredient for the Mandrake Restorative Draught, which was used to cure those who have been petrified. The life stages of the Mandrake. A Mandrake's scream was very similar to (if not the same as) a banshee 's scream, which was also fatal.
What is the Mandrake's clothing?
Such requests are rarely denied, for the Mandrakes' only clothing is a patchwork garment created from the flayed skins of those who have betrayed them. They are infamous for their ability to track down any quarry and they are able to manifest anywhere in the universe that shadows gather.
What is a Mandrake warrior?
A Mandrake Warrior. Like all the inhabitants of the Dark City, the Mandrakes thrive on the infliction of pain and terror on other living things. As a result of their unsurpassed abilities at stealth, many Drukhari Archons have sought to hire the Mandrakes' services for a realspace raid by his or her Kabal .
What is a Mandrake Nightfiend?
A Mandrake Nightfiend prepares to travel the shadows. A Mandrake is a foul humanoid creature who was once one of the Drukhari of Commorragh that lurk within the darkest corners of the Webway 's labyrinthine confines. Its name is a translation into Imperial Low Gothic of a word in the Aeldari Lexicon . The Mandrakes can be found in Aelindrach, ...
How do you know if a mandrake is attacking?
Often the first sign of an imminent Mandrake attack will be the sudden onset of freezing temperatures, flash freezing all the moisture out of the very air. The shapes set into their flesh are Aeldari sigils of destruction that pulse with a venomous green brilliance when the Mandrake feeds upon the terror and pain of its victims.
What do Mandrakes ask for?
The Mandrakes normally ask for a share of any slaves taken as their payment, but sometimes for reasons unknown, they will ask for something far more arcane, such as a heartbeat, a true name or a voice.
What do Mandrakes use to freeze their foes?
Mandrakes possess the ability to channel these stolen life energies, shaping blasts of blue-white cold fire known as Baleblasts that emerge from their taloned hands to freeze their foes in place. When they finally fall upon their terrified prey, they use not only the natural weapons of claw and fang, but also hideous, sickle-shaped blades similar to the surgical tools beloved of the Haemonculi .
Where are the Mandrakes in Commorragh?
The Mandrakes can be found in Aelindrach, a region of Commorragh. Literally fallen into shadow, it is one of the several districts of Commorragh that exists in more than one dimension at once. In Aelindrach, shadows thicken and writhe as living things, flowing into one another and attempting to capture those that venture into the district.
What is a mandrake?
Mandrake ( Mandragora spp.) is a small, unassuming plant with a rich history of use as medicine, poison, and mysticism.
What does Mandrake induce?
Mandrake induces delirium — which is an acute psychotic state in which a person loses touch with reality.
What is a Mandrake trip report?
Mandrake trip reports often include visions of demons or other entities with malicious intent. Users report having interactions with friends or family members that were completely imagined or see animated objects or mythological creatures. Other common reports include delusions that there are people “out to get you” or the feeling that you’re being tracked or followed by someone.
Why is dried mandrake root so valuable?
The more human-like shape of the root, the more valuable it was. Dried mandrake root was thought to bring good fortune and wellbeing to those who had one . It was thought that once the root was pulled above ground, it would scream so loud it killed anybody within earshot (as portrayed in the Harry Potter scene).
Why don't countries control mandrake?
Most countries don’t control the use of mandrake because it has never been a widespread problem. Despite having powerful psychoactive effects, nobody willfully chooses to use this plant once they become familiar with its effects.
What are the effects of Mandrake?
The psychological effects of mandrake: Mandrake induces delirium — which is an acute psychotic state in which a person loses touch with reality. They experience a departure from reality. Seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, or touching something in their environment that nobody else is experiencing. Delusional thinking is also common — which ...
How to avoid damage when harvesting mandrake?
To avoid taking damage while harvesting mandrake, harvesters would tie the root to a dog, who could then be lured away with some food to pull the root from the ground. The harvester would then hide from a safe distance and cover his ears.
What are the properties of Mandrake?
In Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs, the mandrake’s magical properties include: love, fertility, protection, money and health. It’s related to the fire element with a masculine energy, and is also associated with the deities Hecate and Hathor. Cunningham warns against the consumption of mandrake, due to its lethal toxins.
What Is Mandrake Root?
The mandrake root is a plant in the nightshade family rich in folklore and history. Its scientific name is Mandragora officinarum, and it grows mainly in countries near the Mediterranean Sea. Mandrake is a perennial with a long stem and short trunk. The leaves resemble a cabbage or edible green, but they are not edible! The flowers range in color from white to purple and have a similarity to Belladonna blooms. The mandrake root produces berries yellow to reddish and look similar to tomatoes. The root of the plant itself takes on strange human-like characteristics, hence the name man -drake.
Why is mandrake root toxic?
The mandrake root’s toxicity is due to the chemicals inherent in the entire plant, mostly the stem and leaves: anticholinergics, hallucinogenics, and psychotic alkaloids. This magical plant is found in Southern European countries like Italy and Spain but is also in North African countries like Morocco and Tunisia. If ingested, the mandrake causes one to stop breathing and die at worst, at best it causes profuse vomiting and diarrhea. Take heed if working with this plant!
What is the drug of Circe?
The Drug of Circe. The mandrake is also called the Drug of Circe. Circe is an ancient Greek goddess known for her transformation abilities. She’s mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey, and was skilled in herbalism, particularly poisonous herbs like the mandrake.
Why do people seek mandrake root?
This is because of the resurgence of the “Old Ways”, if you will, in the form of neo-paganism and witchcraft. Pagans and witches the world over seek their own mandrake root as an amulet, familiar spirit, to use in flying ointments, or to simply have as a collectible because of the plant’s rich history.
What does it mean when a mandrake screams?
It was thought the mandrake “screams” when uprooted, and so people would tie a rope to an animal and then to the plant and allow the animal to pull the plant up. This consequently killed the animal and not the human.
Where is the mandrake root mentioned?
The Mandrake Root’s Ancient History. The mandrake is mentioned in the Bible: three times in Genesis and once in Songs of Solomon. Modern Arabs know the mandrake root as Beid el Jinn, which means Eggs of the Jinn (the Jinn are dangerous spirits in Islamic mythology). The mandrake root is viewed as dangerous and potentially evil in ...