A Mandrake is a passive Mob found in Mandrake Forests. They are very rare and only 2-5 Mandrakes will spawn per World. They usually spawn in the same area and always on Grass Turf. No Mobs will eat Mandrakes that are still planted in the ground.
Mandrakes cannot be grown and there is no way to get more live Mandrakes. The player can only get Mandrake as an item from the Loot Stash, which spawns every Winter.
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). All forms of the Mandrakes are completely immune to fire and cannot be set on fire.
Behavior
When picked at Dusk or Night, it will turn into a living Mandrake, following the player around, even through Wormholes, and constantly making noise until morning, when it will replant itself on the spot. Like Pig, it will back away when the player gets too close. The player can chase and kill it, and the mandrake will die and become an item.
When picked during the Day, it will die instantly and can be collected as an item.
Raw Mandrakes heal 60 Health and 75 Hunger and do not spoil. When eaten, Mandrakes will put all players and Mobs within 3.75 tiles radius to sleep for 10 seconds.
Werepigs, Gobblers and Pengulls will eat Raw Mandrakes left on the ground, putting themselves and all nearby Mobs and players to sleep.
Mandrakes can be used to make the Pan Flute and can also be used to make Mandrake Soup in a Crock Pot. Eating Mandrake Soup restores 100 Health, 150 Hunger, and 5 Sanity, but does not put anyone to sleep.
Cooking a Mandrake will put all player and Mobs within 6.25 tiles radius to sleep for 10 seconds. Eating a Cooked Mandrake restores 100 Health and 150 Hunger, as well as putting all player and Mobs to sleep like cooking it.
Pigs, Bunnymen, Gobblers, and Pengulls will eat Cooked Mandrakes left on the ground, putting themselves and all nearby Mobs and players to sleep.
Cooked Mandrake cannot be put into Crock Pot and have no other uses than eating.
Usage
Will put the player to sleep.
×5
Will put all nearby Mobs to sleep.
Tips
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 attacked and eaten by Werepigs, which will still trigger the sleep effects.
A riled-up Abigail will not attack a live mandrake.
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 it is not easy to get more Mandrakes.
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.
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.
