Witch flower – mandrake – care

Mandragora (Mandrake) Is a genus of perennial grasses of the Solanaceae family. The plants are mainly stemless, the leaves are very large and are collected in a rosette, the diameter of which reaches 1-2 meters or more, with fleshy roots rich in starch.

In the Middle Ages in Europe, mandrake was used for medical and, even more, for magical purposes. She was worshiped by sorcerers, alchemists and pharmacists. The fearsome beliefs about the mandrake were fueled by the dark magic of the Middle Ages. Since ancient times, there has been great interest in this magical plant. What is the secret of this mysterious flower?

Mandragora has a white, branched root that sometimes resembles a human figure. Unsurprisingly, she attracted people practicing magic. Sorceresses used it in various magical rituals. They called him that – the witch’s flower. It was believed to have miraculous properties. The mandrake was depicted as a little man with a bunch of leaves on his head, which resembled the image of a witch. Thanks to this similarity, many superstitions and legends have appeared.

Mandrake flowers. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com tato grasso

Love potion for men

Once upon a time, mandrake was considered a universal, healing remedy. They believed that a drug prepared from it could heal ailments, but it was also possible with its help to cause harm. Sorceresses used this flower to target damage. They chose the damaged mandrake, and it was believed that the victim would hurt exactly the place that was damaged on the mandrake. Love potions were also prepared from it.

In ancient Greek tradition, it was mentioned that the sorceress Circe prepared a tincture from this plant in order to attract men. And the girls and boys of Greece used a piece of a magic flower as an amulet of love, and wore it around their necks.

Witch flower - mandrake - careIllustration from a manuscript of the XNUMXth century

In Europe, mandrake was considered alive, it was even divided into male and female sex. Those who were superstitious said that the root protects the owner from ill-wishers, answers any questions, makes its owner clairvoyant, and helps to find treasures. If you leave a pile of gold coins next to a wonderful plant until the morning, then it will double.

The test is not for the weak

It was not easy to get the mandrake. In the Middle Ages, they said that when they dug a root out of the ground, it screamed in horror with such a piercing cry that a person could go crazy, and even die. Therefore, for digging there was a whole rite, according to which the brave man plugged his ears with wax, then carefully loosened the earth around the plant, tied the root with one end of the rope, and tied the second to the black dog’s neck. The dog had to pull out the flower.

The scientist and philosopher of that time Theophrastus came up with another way in which the daredevil had to dig up a flower with a sword, then draw 3 circles around it and turn to face the west, and at this time his assistant had to dance around the mandrake, whispering a love speech.

Mandrake rootMandrake root. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com GreenGreen

It was believed that keeping the magic root was very troublesome. They took care of him as a person, bathed him, dressed him, and wrapped him in a silk cloth at night, and on Fridays it was necessary to wash the plant with wine. The owner of the wonderful root hid it from prying eyes, because he could be convicted of witchcraft.

True or Fiction?

The witch plant actually exists and belongs to poisonous, perennial herbs. She (mandrake) is related to henbane and belladonna. It has the properties of both hypnotic and stimulating effects. Due to its atropine content, it can cause hallucinations.

Mandrake fruitMandrake fruits. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com H. Zell

The use of mandrake is strongly discouraged, as the most severe side effects, up to and including death, are possible.

Thus, this is not a mythical plant at all, but rare in our time. The magic root is found in the Mediterranean. Perhaps, before the mandrake was found in other places, but, apparently, in the Middle Ages, it was too much in demand among witches and wizards.

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Anna Evans

Author โœ“ Farmer

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