Herbs

Mandrake

• Also known as: Alraune (elf root, Feywild); thjofarót (thieves-root, Icewind Dale).
• References: wikipedia, image

A poisonous herb, known for causing stomach and bowel distress when the leaves are eaten, and powerful hallucinogenic effects when the root system is consumed. The root system often grows in a form similar to that of a humanoid body. It is used in the creation of herbal remedies, poisons, and as a spell or ritual component.

Folklore (unverified)

• Mandrake spontaneously grows from the brains of executed criminals
• Mandrake roots may scream when pulled from the earth, cursing anyone who hears the sound to die within a few days. Animals or deafened humans are sometimes used to harvest it due to this effect.
  • A furrow must be dug around the root until its lower part is exposed, then a dog is tied to it, after which the person tying the dog must get away. The dog then endeavors to follow him, and so easily pulls up the root, but dies suddenly instead of his master. After this, the root can be handled without fear.
• Mandrake, properly cared for, can be cultivated into living servants known as mandragora, a type of golem.
  • Take it out of the ground on the day of the moon, a little time after the equinox. Cut off the ends of the root and bury it at night in a dead man’s grave. For 30 days, water it with mother’s milk. When the 31st day arrives, take out the root in the middle of the night and dry it in an oven heated with branches of verbena; then wrap it up in a piece of a dead man’s shroud and carry it with you everywhere.

Uses

• Mandrake leaves eaten raw cause significant bowel/stomach issues. They can be diluted to create an herbal emetic/laxative, or concentrated as a poison.