Weren't mandrakes used in some romantic poem?
Reminds me of a true story I read about the mandrake plant approximately a year ago. In the Middle East somewhere, Palestine, I think, the mandrake plant grows wild and it has a reputation for promoting fertility going back to biblical times. Anyway, an enterprising individual labored for years to create a drinkable liqueur flavored with the mandrake plant. He called it "Mandragora", the original Greek name for the mandrake plant, and he displayed the plant prominently on the bottle's label. In no time at all, Mandragora had acquired a reputation as an aphrodisiac and the inventor had trouble keeping the product in stock. Men and women of all ages attested to its success in reinvigorating their marital relationships. Is that the "romantic" story you were thinking of, Wordwind? As I recall, the headline over the story read: "Viagra of the Valley". I'm sure the placebo effect is at work here, rather than the mandrake plant itself, but I read somewhere that Viagra barely beat the placebo effect in its own clinical trials.