Mandrake - The Botanical Homunculus
- victoria ward
- 8 hours ago
- 5 min read
If you have been watching Mackenzie Crook's wonderful Small Prophets, you may find the concept of Homunculi rather intriguing. This fantastical alchemical proposition links to herbalism and a time in history where herbs, magic and mysticism combined as resources for truth-seekers. The roots of the Mandrake plant have long been interpreted as a representation of man and have been closely associated with supernatural powers, particularly in medieval times when the great thinkers sought divine signs to guide them. The Mandrake root represents a magical intersection where plant and human kingdoms appear to merge together and share the secrets of the universe.
What Are Homunculi?
The term for Homunculi translates from the Latin to 'little man' and is the name given to miniature, human-like beings that were believed to be created by an alchemical process in the medieval era. Later it was thought homunculi inhabited germ cells (eggs and sperm), as fully-formed minatures which eventually would grow to be full size humans.
The physician, philosopher and alchemist Paracelsus' 1537 work 'De Natura Rerum' (Of The Nature Of Things) attempts to explain the generation of life forms including plants and minerals, by conjoining two sexes and applies this to the creation of 'artificiall men'.
His radical ideas were rooted in alchemy, combining medicine, chemistry and spiritual philosophy. Paracelsus believed that alchemy (the transforming of base metals into gold) could be applied to the human body and that alchemical processes were both physical and spiritual transformations.
Paracelsus saw alchemy as part of the role of humans to continue God's work and create life. Generating a homunculus was therefore seen as an act of divine creation.
'The Doctrine of Signatures' explains how we know which plants may heal us and suggests the natural word is guided by divine intelligence designed to be understood. The alchemist is a go-between, acting as a sacred philosopher interpreting these divine signs.
Here is Paracelsus's 'homunculus procedure'-
“Let the semen of a man putrefy by itself in a sealed cucurbite with the highest putrefaction of the venter equinus [horse manure] for forty days, or until it begins at last to live, move, and be agitated, which can easily be seen…If now, after this, it is everyday nourished and fed cautiously and prudently with [an] arcanum of human blood…it becomes, thenceforth, a true and living infant, having all the members of a child that is born from a woman, but much smaller”.
(De Natura Rerum, 1537)
Alchemical Herbal Medicine
The Doctrine of Signatures is a fine example of the intersection of herbalism and alchemy, it proposes that plants have been marked with clues as to their use and the body organ they may help. The divinely inspired could interpret these messages and use them to heal.
Distillation practices too are alchemical, plant material is transformed from it's raw transitory state into a vital essence that is valuable and preserved.
To read more about distillation read my previous post
The Lapis philosophorum or the Philosopher's Stone is a substance or elixir that has the power of transmutation and acts also as a metaphor for perfected souls. Many powerful herbs are thought of as possessing transformative properties and the term 'tincture' describes such substances.
Mandrake Root (Mandragora officinarum)- The Botanical Homunculus
Mandrake or Mandragora officinarum is a herbaceous member of the Nightshade (Solanaceae) family which is native to Southern Europe and the Levant. It flowers in the summer and displays pretty, purple flowers.
The leaves have traditionally been used to cool and soothe skin in external preparations, the fresh root is so highly purgative and emetic that "few constitutions can bear it" (Culpepper).
In ancient times Mandrake was used more readily for its ability to relieve pain, procure sleep and treat melancholy. Physicians soon discovered the potency of Mandrake root, realising that large doses could result in 'delirium and madness'.
The eminent Greek physician Dioscorides used Mandrake root as an anaesthetic, the dry root would be offered to the patient to chew before an operation . It was considered an effective anaesthetic as described below by 13th-century Franciscan scholar Bartholomew Anglicanus-
'the rind thereof medled with wine . . . gene to them to drink that shall be cut in their body, for they should slepe and not fele the sore knitting.' |
The alkaloid hyoscine is responsible for the powerful actions of the root, this tropane alkaloid is also found in Datura (Datura stramonium) and Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna).
The Roots of Mandrake's Mythical Status
The shape of the Mandrake taproot being interpreted as resembling a man's body led to an association with the plant and reproductive powers. This ancient belief can be traced back the Book of Genesis where Mandrake is mentioned as a fertility aid.
Mandrake roots were considered lucky talismans and crafted into amulets, it was believed that this magical root could bring all kinds of success and powers.
Is Mandrake unique as a botanical homunculus? Other roots could be considered botanical homunculi due to their appearence but Mandrake's strong actions on the human mind and body marked it out.
Mandrake root's distinct human resemblance combined with demonstrating powerful mind-altering effects led to a reputation as a most magical plant with supernatural abilities, elevated beyond the plant realm, Mandrake became a botanical homunculus.
The demand for Mandrake became such that another myth arose suggesting a demon inhabited the root. This demon would resist attempts at being dug up and scream, killing all that heard it, the 'Mandrake Curse' is explained in Harry Potter -
"The cry of the mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it," says Hermione, showing off her knowledge to the class. But the students are dealing with young plants which are not quite so dangerous. Prof Sprout points out that as they are "only seedlings, their cries won't kill yet… but they will knock you out for several hours".
The screams of the disturbed Mandrake Roots are mentioned in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet-
"What with loathsome smells, And shrieks like mandrakes torn out of the earth, That living mortals, hearing them, run mad."
The Mandrake's Curse
Herbalists who wanted to use mandrake were advised to plug their ears, tie the plant to a dog and place some meat out of reach - then when the dog ran to the meat it would pull the screaming root out of the soil. The dog would die, but the herbalist would get the mandrake safely.
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