A name used to describe the plant mandrake (mandragora officinalis). Upon sudden death at a gallows, a man’s body would relax releasing all of the fluids within him, including semen. It was believed that a mandrake would grow where the semen of a hanged man touched the ground.
Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Sandra Kynes, author of several books, including The Herb Gardener's Essential Guide, Plant Magic, and the new Witches' Encyclopedia of Magical Plants, among many others.
Although a few old books...