In the Harry Potter series, the Mandrake Root is the root of a magical plant known as the Mandrake or Mandragora. It's a powerful potion ingredient with restorative properties, particularly used in the Mandrake Restorative Draught, a potion capable of reversing petrification. The Mandrake is a sentient plant with a root system that resembles a human; it matures from a form similar to a baby into a small humanoid adult. The cries of the Mandrake are dangerous; the screams of a fully-grown Mandrake can be fatal, while those of a young Mandrake typically cause unconsciousness. In "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," the students at Hogwarts use Mandrakes to create a potion to cure those who have been petrified by the Basilisk.