Mandragora officinarum (Solanaceae) is also known as Mandrake, and was so named for its fancied resemblance to the human form. Western legend has it that the plant screamed when pulled by the roots from the ground. It made a noise so deafening to humans that dogs were employed for the task. Mandrake was used in the practice of witchcraft and sorcery during the Middle Ages in witches’ brews to induce hallucinogenic states for communing with the supernatural. It is grown to this day in some places for use as an aphrodisiac.

MEDICINA ANTIQUA: LIBRI QUATTUOR MEDICINAE, 13TH CENTURY.
Codex Vindobonensis 93. Facsimile.
(Washington University, Becker Library)