[maryz]

mandrake was used in various black magic rituals in the past.

Never heard that. It was definitely part of folklore. John Donne:

Go and catch a falling star,
Get with child a mandrake root,
Tell me where all past years are,
Or who cleft the devils foot;

I recall the footnotes about folklore, nothing about black magic.

[little jeremiah]

Do a little more research, then.