Mandrake is the common name for members of the plant genus Mandragora, particularly the species Mandragora officinarum, belonging to the nightshades family (Solanaceae). The roots sometimes resemble human figures and their roots have long been used in magic rituals. According to the legend, when the root is dug up it screams and kills all who hear it. Literature includes complex directions for harvesting a mandrake root in relative safety.
Hortus Sanitatis, Mandrake, 1547
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