In this second article on the plant family, the Solanaceae (the mandrake) is discussed. This plant (Mandragora officinarum) was well known to the ancients, including the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabs and Hebrews. Regarded by them all as having magical powers, it was thought to be possessed by a Satanic spirit. In order to gather it safely, a number of elaborate rituals were developed by these different ethnic groups. It was also thought to be propagated at scenes of execution where the body of the felon released urine and semen. In later medieval times, these superstitious beliefs were rejected but the mandrake was still highly valued as a powerful anaesthetic and had considerable use as one constituent of the soporific surgical sponge. Eventually, nitrous oxide, ether and chloroform consigned the mandrake to obscurity. Nevertheless, its story remains one of the most fascinating in the history of medicine.
