A Mandrake is a very rare, passive Mob found in Grasslands and Caves. They are very useful, and on average only 2-5 Mandrakes will spawn per World. They often spawn together in the same area, so finding one will usually result in finding them all. Mandrakes can be used to make the Pan Flute. They can also be used to make Mandrake Soup in a Crock Pot.
When picked at Dusk or Night (or when underground), it will turn into a living Mandrake, following the player around and constantly making noise until morning, after which it will replant itself on the spot. When picked during the Day, it will die instantly and can be obtained as an item. Mandrakes cannot be grown and therefore there is a limited number of them in a world.
With normal damage modifiers, it takes one hit from a Spear to kill a Mandrake (any version of an Axe or Pickaxe will do the same).
Behavior
When picked during dusk or night, rooted Mandrakes will follow the player (through Wormholes as well), hopping around and making a lot of noise. Like Pigs, they will back away when the player gets too close. If the Mandrake is attacked, they will run away from the player indefinitely. Once it becomes daytime, the mandrake will root itself back into the ground, where the player can then pick the mandrake and add it to their inventory.
Raw or Cooked Mandrakes do not spoil. Raw Mandrakes heal 60 Health and 75 Hunger when eaten, and put all nearby Mobs to sleep (until the next cycle of the day; from dusk until night, from night until daytime, from daytime until dusk).
Cooked Mandrake
Cooking a Mandrake will also put the player to sleep (until the next cycle of the day), as well as putting all nearby Mobs to sleep. Eating a Cooked Mandrake restores 100 Health and 150 Hunger, as well as putting the player and all nearby Mobs to sleep (for exactly one day). Eating Mandrake Soup restores 100 Health, 150 Hunger, and 5 Sanity, but does not put the player to sleep.
Pigs, Gobblers, and Pengulls will eat Cooked Mandrakes left on the ground, putting themselves and all nearby Mobs to sleep until the start of the next day (no matter what time it is). Raw Mandrakes will not put the player to sleep. Pigs will also produce Manure (as they would with other Vegetable) if a Mandrake is eaten. Gobblers and Pengulls will eat Mandrakes that are still planted in the ground, putting all nearby Mobs to sleep (except the player).
Usage
Will put the player to sleep.
×5
Will put all nearby Mobs to sleep. Cannot be given directly.
Since Mandrakes are extremely fast creatures and will keep their distance from the player even if they follow them, it's recommended to only pick them during the day if this is the item the player wants. If one is picked at dusk while the player has no weapons, it is best to let it replant itself in the morning because punching the Mandrake will cause it to run away from the player, where it might be killed and eaten by something else.
When picking a planted Mandrake during Dusk or Night, the player can try to force attack it by clicking on the Mandrake with the mouse while holding the force attack key.
Live Mandrakes can be eaten by Pengulls, Gobblers, and Werepigs, which will still trigger the sleep effects. Gobblers can eat an unpicked Mandrake from the ground.
A riled-up Abigail will not attack a live mandrake.
Changing settings so that mandrakes are set to lots allows the player to obtain many mandrakes. Because cooking and eating them each set the time forward one day, they can be used to unlock all the characters quickly.
One should usually eat cooked mandrakes as they are instead of making mandrake soup since it does not spoil and the sleep effect can be beneficial.
Despite this, the player is not advised to do so, as Mandrakes are hard to renew (in Rog there renewable because they can spawn in the caves witch can be reset (need investigation for DS))
Trivia
The Mandrake (raw and cooked) is one of the few foods in the game that do not Spoil, along with raw/hatching Tallbird Eggs, Guardian's Horn, and Deerclops Eyeball. However, Mandrake Soup will still spoil.
There is a page on the Klei website that is nothing more than multiple looping gifs of hopping Mandrakes along with looping audio of the "meep" sound they make.
The Mandrake, Mandragora officinarum as per Wickerbottom's identification, is a real-life plant that has roots in European folklore. Its roots can bear a vaguely human shape and were said to scream when uprooted. The sleep effect caused by cooking and eating Mandrakes is based on the myth that those who hear the scream of a mandrake die, which itself is based around the fact that the real plant can cause unconsciousness when eaten in sufficient quantities.
Bugs
Even though Mandrakes are flammable, they will not turn into Ashes when killed with a Fire Dart.
(PC) When the player picks up a Mandrake using the Spacebar, the Mandrake can be planted again, but if the player tries to pick the Mandrake when it has been replanted, the character will start to shake out of control upon attempting and will be unable to interact with the Mandrake again.
(PC) Mandrakes spawned into the player's inventory can be replanted when 'dropped' on the ground. Stacks of Mandrakes will be replanted as if there is only one, and when picked at dusk or night, only one Mandrake will actually follow the player. If killed, a stack of however many Mandrakes was originally spawned will be the number the player receives.
If a Mandrake runs into a Tooth Trap, the game may crash.
In SW, sometimes a Mandrake can follow the player into the Ocean, essentially walking on water. At daybreak, it will plant itself in the water.
Mandrakes in the player's inventory can sometimes be lost when using the Seaworthy to cross over to SW.
Gallery
Original HD Mandrake icon from Bonus Materials from CD Don't Starve.
Original HD Cooked Mandrake icon from Bonus Materials from CD Don't Starve.
Dead, planted, and recently deceased Mandrakes.
Two hopping Mandrakes.
A Mandrake found underground.
Three mandrakes following Wilson.
A Mandrake mid-hop.
Hounds asleep due to eating Mandrakes.
A drawing of Wendy and Webber taking pictures of a live Mandrake from Rhymes With Play.
Attention: The following categories are only for the players look up the page based on their first impression, they have nothing to do with the actual categories/behavior/function/tags of these creatures
Attention: The following categories are only for the players look up the page based on their first impression, they have nothing to do with the actual categories/behavior/function/tags of these creatures
Attention: The following categories are only for the players look up the page based on their first impression, they have nothing to do with the actual categories/behavior/function/tags of these creatures
Attention: The following categories are only for the players look up the page based on their first impression, they have nothing to do with the actual categories/behavior/function/tags of these Mobs
Attention: The following categories are only for the players look up the page based on their first impression, they have nothing to do with the actual categories/DLC/function/tags of these Things. Some of them are not even.
Attention: The following categories are only for the players look up the page based on their first impression, they have nothing to do with the actual categories/DLC/function/tags of these Things. Some of them are not even.
Attention: The following categories are only for the players look up the page based on their first impression, they have nothing to do with the actual categories/DLC/function/tags of these Things. Some of them are not even.
Attention: The following categories are only for the players look up the page based on their first impression, they have nothing to do with the actual categories/DLC/function/tags of these Things. Some of them are not even Structures.
