Description
Mandragora officinarum. 3.7L coir pot.
Native to the Mediterranean and southern Europe, this perennial has been used medicinally for thousands of years.
Traditionally used to reduce pain and assist with sleep (among many other things), the plant is a powerful emetic, diuretic, hallucinogen, narcotic and sedative (even used as an anaesthetic for surgery in ancient times).
The legendary history and mythology of the plant is due to its association with many ceremonial, magical, religious, spiritual and witchcraft practices.
During the Middle Ages, it was one of Europe’s most significant and magical plants, believed to foretell the future, shield soldiers in battle, and cure most illnesses.
The fruit (berry) was believed to be an aphrodisiac (don’t eat the fruit, or any part of the plant).
The long fleshy taproot is often branched, and can sometimes somewhat resemble the human body (if you squint). In one superstition, if the plant was pulled from the ground, its horrific screams would kill anyone who heard it, so people would tie a dog to the plant and have them remove it from the soil. These kinds of warnings were circulated to help deter people from collecting the plants from the wild (I assume from people who used the plants for their own gain).
Winter flowering.
Dormant in summer.
The plant enjoys a bright, part shade position in fertile, free draining soil, and should grow around 25cm high by 40cm wide.
