“The Mandrake is the ‘Tree of Knowledge’ and the burning love ignited by
its pleasure is the origin of the human race.” – Hugo Rahner.
The Mandrake ( Mandragora officinarum -also known as Herb of Circe, Wild Lemon, Womandrake ) holds the special distinction as being the most famous of all
magical plants due to its many ritual and medical uses and the immense
amount of mythology it has generated over historical ages.
During the Middle Ages the Mandrake became popular throughout Europe as a magical plant and miracle talisman, capable of curing nearly anything. These roots were thought to be powerful allies who could perform magic for their masters - from attracting love and gaining wealth and good fortune, to warding off misfortunes and evil spells, even to becoming invincible in battle.
The Mandrake was also considered a potent aid to fertility. Historians have determined that the earliest mention of the mandrake refers to its use in Babylon, in the cuneiform tablets of the Assyrians and in the Old Testament as evidenced in chapter 30 of the Book of Genesis where the childless Rachael asks her sister Leah for the loan of the mandrakes which her son had brought in from the fields.It is widely believed that the Old Testament contains multiple references to the 'love apples' - the fruits of the mandrake as an aphrodisiac. The first of these instances is again in Genesis, where the scent of the mandrake’s yellow fruits are described as having aphrodisiac properties.
Some evidence exists that the mandrake was used in secret mystical rites in ancient Israel; one of the factors supporting this hypothesis is the significance of the mandrake in Kabbalism as a symbol for 'becoming One'....
Similarly, in ancient Egypt it appears that mandrake fruits may have been eaten as aphrodisiacs and ancient Greeks also used the mandrake as a sacred love plant.
Ancient Germanic people also often made use of the plant, in particular Germanic Seeresses, who were known for their clairvoyant abilities far outside of Europe, used mandrake regularly as an ally. The modern German name 'Alraune' can be traced back to the ancient Germanic term “Alrun”, which translates to 'all knowing' or 'he who knows the runes'...
Mandrake roots have long been used in magic rituals then and still are used today in contemporary pagan traditions such as Wicca and Odinism.
According to Linnaeus, the great botanist of the 18th century, white and black mandrake are varieties of the same plant that have evolved for northern Europe (white) and southern Europe (black). White mandrake flowers June-July and black mandrake in the fall. The leaves of white mandrake can be one foot long and grow in a rosette (like leaf lettuce) rather than from a central stalk, like most plants. The flowers are greenish white, bell-shaped blue or violet flowers grow, making this rosette uniquely identifiable to the mandrake.They turn into yellow berries that are similar in flavor to tomatoes, and its leaves smell much like fresh tobacco.The whole plant grows to about 4-10 in tall and the taproot fattens quickly. At all other times throughout the year the plant is hidden underground.
Although mandrake found its way into Britain around the 11th century, the
herb did not grow naturally here and due to the high cost of the root, other roots such as ash root and the Briony
have been used instead.Those in search of its medicinal effects turned to Henbane (Hyoscyamus
niger) a closely related herb with a similar pharmacological profile to
mandrake but a more northerly distribution. Henbane was a potent ingredient in
the various midnight brews and flying ointments beloved of witches. Those seeking to profit from the demand for mandrake charms would have
found Henbane a disappointment, for it possessed only a small fibrous root.
For this purpose they turned instead to the white Bryony (Bryonia
dioica) a hedgerow plant of south-east England with a large multilobed
taproot.
The following is taken from The History and Practice of Magic by Paul Christian. (pp. 402–403)1963:
The following is taken from The History and Practice of Magic by Paul Christian. (pp. 402–403)1963:
Would you like to make a Mandragora, as powerful as the homunculus (little man in a bottle) so praised by Paracelsus? Then find a root of the plant called bryony. Take it out of the ground on a Monday (the day of the moon), a little time after the vernal equinox. Cut off the ends of the root and bury it at night in some country churchyard in a dead man's grave. For thirty days water it with cow's milk in which three bats have been drowned. When the thirty-first day arrives, take out the root in the middle of the night and dry it in an oven heated with branches of verbena; then wrap it up in a piece of a dead man's winding-sheet and carry it with you everywhere.
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| Mandragora 0fficinarum |
Mandrake's use as a surgical anaesthetic was first described by the Greek physician Dioscorides around AD 60, and its use as a tincture known as mandragora, or in combination with other herbs such as opium, hemlock and henbane is described in documents from pre-Roman times onwards. It was the presence of this alkaloid, as well as the shape of the root, that led to the mandrake's association with magic, witchcraft and the supernatural.
The Mandrake is an important 'Witches Herb' and constitutes one of the key ingredients of the fabled Flying Ointment or ‘witches’ brew’ of ancient European witchcraft, and was probably the most potent entheogenic ingredient of the blend. The demonization of mandrake begun once Germany became dominated by Christianity. In today's nature conscious Pagan and Wiccan resurgence, witches herbs and even Mandrake Ointment are more readily available once again.
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| Available from the Poisoners Apothecary here |
Magickal Uses:
Mandrake is placed on the mantle to bring prosperity, fertility and
happiness to the home, a protector warding off of evil spirits or spells.
Among the old Anglo-Saxon herbals both Mandrake and Periwinkle are
endowed with mysterious powers against demoniacal possession. Its
human-like forked root was thought to be in the power of dark earth
spirits. At the end of a description of the Mandrake in the Herbarium of
Apuleius there is this prescription:
- 'For witlessness, that is
devil sickness or demoniacal possession, take from the body of this
said wort mandrake by the weight of three pennies, administer to drink
in warm water as he may find most convenient - soon he will be healed.'
Flavius Josephus says that
the Mandragora, which he calls Baaras, has but one virtue, that of
expelling demons from sick persons, as the demons cannot bear either its
smell or its presence
(Wars of the Jews, book vii, cap. vi.).
It is worn as a talisman or amulet to attract love and repel diseases. As a flying ointment and for its ability to engender shamanic trances.
Mandrake is also said to protect against demonic possession, possibly because it was used by ancient herbalists to sedate manics. To activate a dried root, one must display it prominently in the home for three days, after which it is soaked in water overnight. The water can then be sprinkled on entryways, windows, and people to purify them. The root is now ready for magickal use.
Mandrake is also said to protect against demonic possession, possibly because it was used by ancient herbalists to sedate manics. To activate a dried root, one must display it prominently in the home for three days, after which it is soaked in water overnight. The water can then be sprinkled on entryways, windows, and people to purify them. The root is now ready for magickal use.
Medicinal Uses:
It has been said that the mandrake had
perhaps the greatest number of uses of any medicinal plant of ancient
times. It was the most heavily utilized narcotic / anesthetic and sleeping agent of ancient times and the Middle Ages.
Similar in composition to Belladonna and Datura, the roots were pressed for their juice, which was combined with wine and then reduced by boiling. This was taken as an anesthetic prior to surgery. The dosage was rather crucial, as too much would put the patient to sleep permanently.
Similar in composition to Belladonna and Datura, the roots were pressed for their juice, which was combined with wine and then reduced by boiling. This was taken as an anesthetic prior to surgery. The dosage was rather crucial, as too much would put the patient to sleep permanently.
Specifically, mandrake root was used for the following conditions:
abscesses, arthritis, bone pains, callosities, cramps, discharge,
erysipelas, eye disease and inflammation, gout, headaches, hemorrhoids,
hip pains, hysteria, infertility, inflammation, labor complications,
liver pains, loss of speech, melancholy, menstrual problems, pain,
painful joints, possession, scrofula, skin inflammation, sleeplessness,
snakebite, spleen pains, stomach ailments, swollen glands, tubercles,
tumors, ulcers, uterine inflammation, worms, and wounds. It was also
used as a treatment for anxiety and depression.
Parts Used:
Roots, leaves, fruits.
Actions:
Sedative, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, parasympathetic depressant, hallucinogen, and hypnotic. Most hypnotics
produce low alphoid and spindle alpha brain-wave activity, similar to
that found in REM sleep, or the dreaming or trance state. This rhythm does not
allow deep sleep to occur although it does lower brain patterns.
Mandrake root causes delirium and hallucinations..
Traditional Preperation:
Caution! Poisonous. Pregnant women should not use this herb.
Do not use this herb without the proper guidance from a professional!
Burning and inhaling the smoke of the mandrake is the least effective
method of experiencing its psychoactive properties. The leaves are
picked before the end of the fruiting season, dried in the shade, and
used in a smoking blend
(either with tobacco or other herbs) or as incense. The root works as
incense as well; the smoke is rather easy to inhale, although its smell
is not entirely pleasant.
Fresh leaves may be chewed, and fresh
mandrake fruits may be consumed. Consuming fresh mandrake fruits is
incredibly safe; there have been no known overdoses even after consuming
multiple fruits. The root is hardly ever eaten. It is mostly extracted
either into water or alcohol; both methods seem to be equally effective
(Ratsch 1998, 346-347).
Mandrake root has long been implemented
in the making of beer and wine, either as an additive or the basis of
the fermentation. When mandrake root is the main ingredient in the
brewing process, cinnamon and saffron are sometimes added to improve its taste. Mandrake beer is quite
potent, with dosages rarely exceeding one liter — drink with caution.
The ancient Greeks used fresh or dried
mandrake in wine as an aphrodisiac. To make mandrake wine, add a handful
of chopped mandrake root to a .75 liter bottle of wine and steep for
one week. For maximum potency, it is best not to filter the root pieces
out until the wine is gone, and the more sour the wine, the more
effective the extraction. Two or three cinnamon sticks and a tablespoon
of saffron can be added to improve the flavor.
Another popular recipe involves chopping
up a large handful each of cinnamon sticks, rhubarb root, vanilla pods,
and mandrake root, and steeping in a bottle of white wine for two
weeks. The plant matter is then drained, and the beverage is colored
with St. John’s wort or saffron
and sweetened if desired, most effectively with a combination of royal
jelly and honey. Spirits are also an effective choice for mixing with
mandrake, though the only place in the world where this practice is
still prevalent is Romania (Ratsch 1998, 348).
Such a powerful magical ally is of course not easy to come by.
Mandrake roots became highly sought after and attempts to protect them from theft are thought to have been the source of the second mandrake myth, which stated that a demon inhabited the root and would kill anyone who attempted to uproot it.
The Mandrake does not take very kindly to being dug up and has been reported to vanish before an irksome intruder could get to it, and famously gives an ear-piercing scream as it is pulled from the earth that would instantly kill anybody within earshot. In order to acquire the plant one must approach it on a Friday before sunrise. After plugging your ears very tightly with cotton, wax or pitch, set out with a black dog - who must not have spots of any other color on his body. Draw three magic circles around the mandrake plant and carefully dig a circle all around it so that only a few fibers of root remain in the earth. Then tie the plant around its base with string to the dog’s tail, show the dog a piece of meat and run away with it. The dog will chase you and thus quickly pull out the root. But the dog will ;likely also drop dead when he hears the groaning screams emanating from the mandrake under extraction.
An old document declares,
"Therefore, they did tye some dogge or other living beast unto the roots thereof with a corde ... and in the mean tyme stopped there own ears for fear of the terrible shriek and cry of the mandrake. In which cry it doth not only dye itselfe but the feare thereof killeth the dogge...."
After the plant had been freed from the earth, it could be used for "beneficent" purposes, such as healing, inducing love, facilitating pregnancy, and providing soothing sleep or “malevolent” such as the “main-de-gloire”.
Alternately, death (your own) or the need to use and kill a dog, could be avoided by a loud blast on a horn at the critical moment.
Once in possession of this precious root, your troubles are not over, as it is no easy task to satisfy a Mandrakes' extensive whims. First pick up and wash the plant until clean with red wine, wrap it in a white or red silk cloth and place it in a small chest. Henceforward and by way of maintenance, wash it every Friday again in red wine, give it a new white or red silk shirt every new moon and feed it specific kinds of food (its exact dietary requirements were and are still an endless source of debate). Even if all its demands are met it is possible that the mandrake might not perform its duties, in which case it would be best to get rid of it as swiftly as possible. However one cannot just give a failing plant away and if no buyer can be found for such an uncooperative Mandrake, the root would have to stay with its owner, a distinct disadvantage because its power can in some cases turn against them, causing bad luck instead of good.
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Mandrake by Sandra Arteaga. |
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| Knitting plan used to create this friend here Many thanks to my marvelous Mother In Law for crafting this magical Mandrake friend for me. |
The works of William Shakespeare contain many references to the mandrake
and its myths and are remarkable both for the depth of knowledge they
reveal and for their accuracy.
- "...Not poppy, nor mandragora,
- Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world,
- Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep
- Which thou owedst yesterday."
- Shakespeare: Othello III.iii
- "Would curses kill, as doth the mandrake's groan"
- King Henry VI part II III.ii
'Around the Middle Ages an apparently new myth began to circulate
that a mandrake would spring up from ground contaminated by human blood or semen such as at the foot of a gallows. Once again, Dr Turner, who had spent
some years in Europe, was quick to condemn those responsible:
‘But it groweth not under gallosses as a certain dotyng doctor of Colon in hys physick lecture dyd tych hys auditores; nether doth it ryse of the sede of man that falleth from hym that is hanged; Neither is it called Mandragora because it came of man's sede, as ye forsayd doctor dremed’.
Playwrights, nonetheless, wasted little time in taking this new myth to
their hearts and, in his corspe-strewn tragedy The White Devil John
Webster (1578—c. 1630) (erroneously) unites the mistletoe and mandrake,
good and evil, with the tree which, with its horizontal lower branches, had
long made a convenient impromptu gallows:
‘But as we seldom find the mistletoeSacred to physic on the builder oak,Without a mandrake by it, so in our quest of gain’ '
''Above all else
never internally ingest any of these plants as they have an ability to
be deadly. If you do happen to have some fall into your hands always be
sure to wash your hands and keep away from your eyes and mouth at all
costs. Never proceed to create ointments or unguents without a firm
knowledge of the plants you are working with as all have the potential
to be deadly''. Thank you Wild Witche for this sensible caution.
Bright Blessings By Stone & Star ~
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