Mandrakes, along with woody nightshade, deadly nightshade, and henbane, belong to the same family as the potato, eggplant, and tomato.
Both the fruit and the root of the mandrake have been used medicinally. According to the Tacuinum Sanitatis, smelling the fruits could relieve headaches and insomnia. The danger of stupefaction could be neutralized by using it with the fruits of ivy. (Luisa Cogliati Arano, The Medieval Health Handbook, 1976.) A powerful soporific and anesthetic, mandrake was also used magically as an aphrodisiac and a fertility charm. Much of the mandrake’s occult power is associated with the humanoid form of its root. Photography by Barbara Bell.