Information on the Mandrake according to The Witch’s Garden by Harold A. Hansen

Often resembling a small human, the mandrake is known for it’s medicinal and magical uses. Thought of as a good luck charm and commonly used as an aphrodisiac in love potions and talismans, it requires special care to harvest and possess a mandrake. To harvest, “three circles must be drawn with a knife around the base of the plant. Then, with one’s face turned towards the west, the topmost part of the root can then be cut off.” Next, more of the root can be uncovered, but “before the last bit is cut free one must dance around the plant, reciting as much as one can remember of the mysteries of love”. The reason for the recitation is based in the idea that one must repeat “as many indecencies as possible” in the presence of the mandrake, because it is a well-known fact that “demons take fright and disappear if only one behaves lewdly enough”.

During the day, mandrakes are hard to spot amongst other plants, but at night they sometimes emit a faint glow. Sometimes known as the “gallows man” or “sinner’s flower”, the mandrake allegedly only grows where blood or urine has previously been spilled. Or, alternatively, only within the bounds of the Garden of Eden.

Once harvested, a newly acquired mandrake should be “bathed in wine, wrapped in red and white silk, and covered with black velvet cloth”. Every weekday it should be bathed and fed; acceptable foods could be a small piece of bread, some spit, or some dirt. However, sometimes a mandrake grows tired of its master and becomes malicious, bringing the owner misfortune.

It can be difficult to get rid of a mandrake once it has been owned. It can’t be given away and must be sold for less that it was bought for. This complicates matters because the older a mandrake becomes, the more likely it is to bring misfortune upon the owner. Therefore, it is often found that the final owner of a mandrake will take it with them on judgement day. It is said that when the owner stands before God with their mandrake at their side, the owner will find that the mandrake has claimed their share of eternal life.