A poisonous perennial herb that grows in the Mediterranean region and that is reputed to have powerful magical properties.
Mandrake, part of the nightshade family, has a strong and unpleasant odor.
It is highly toxic, though it is used in therapeutic remedies and as an aphrodisiac in love philtres.
The magic attributed to mandrake is due to the shape of its thick root, which looks like a man or woman, or sometimes a phallus, and to the phosphorescent glow of its berries in the light dawn.
In folklore, a mandragoras, a demon spirit resembling a little man with no beard, dwelled in the plant.
