Healing



One of the hardest jobs in a Kingdom is healing. Not only do healers have to know all the herbs and properties but they also have to know what to use to treat multiple different types of wounds. Because of this, we've constructed a little cheat sheet for people to use for their characters that want to become healers. Although many creatures have healing powers, sometimes those creatures aren't around to lend a hand or maybe you need a specific healing substance to help a specific injury. Below is a list of herbs that Winsera offers but keep in mind there are still herbs not on this list that we may have missed. If you have a plant that isn't on our list then simply send in a suggestion that includes plant name, where it grows and what properties it has.

Glossary
Below is a glossary of terms to help you understand a little more about each of the herbs.

Annual: A plant that dies after one year of a full life cycle.
Axils: Angle between the upper side of a stalk or branch to the stem or trunk.
Basal: Leaf that grows from the very bottom of the stem.
Biennial: Plants that flower and complete their life cycle in two years.
Brachet: A special leaf in the reproductive part of a plant.
Compound: Leaf made of 2 or more leaflets.
Deciduous: Any tree and shrub that loses its foliage seasonally.
Evergreen: A plant with leaves in all four seasons that are always green.
Hardwood: Any species of plant with dense, heavy wood.
Leaflets: The smaller leaves that grow between the leaf and the stem.
Lichen: Any fungus that grows and lives on another tree, shrub, or plant.
Perennial: Any plant that lives for longer than 2 years.
Tuberous: A fleshy, round, or large growth that grows in the root of plants.



Medical Herbs
Common

Fennel		 Fennel promotes collagen synthesis to keep the skin firm and tight. It protects against the signs of aging, combats cancer, soothes colicky babies, relieves menstrual cramps, prevents osteoporosis, and fights against obesity. It can also lower blood pressure, aids in digestion, increases satiety, decreases the chances of heart disease, promotes eye health, treats anemia, reduces flatulence, treats most intestinal issues, and boosts brain function.
Holy Basil Unlike basil, which has a sweet taste, the holy basil has a peppery clove-like flavor.It cures fevers, treats bronchitis, relieves respiratory congestion, treats asthma, and treats lung disorders. It can also promotes cardiovascular health, relieves stress, acts as a mouth freshener, inhibits the growth of oral cancer, fights against bad breath, and destroys dental cavities, plaque, and tartar. In addition, it cleans out kidney stones, cures skin infections, treats migraines, cures cough and colds, and fights the signs of aging.
Mint It acts as a great palate cleanser. Mint also promotes healthy digestion, soothes upset stomachs, cures nausea and headaches, clears up nasal congestion, relieves chronic coughing, and helps with asthma. For breastfeeding moms, it can reduce nipple cracks and nipple pain from breastfeeding. Mint fights against depression and fatigue, aids in memory loss, gets rid of pimples, and helps in weight loss. This herb heals and soothes burns, treats rheumatism, boosts brain activity, and induces sweating on people with fever. It can also soothe muscle ache, relieves heartburn (if taken in small doses), prevents cancer, and improves eye health.
Rosemary Rosemary helps boost concentration and memory retention. It eases stress levels and improves hair growth. It also treats muscle aches and pains, relieves gastrointestinal issues, prevents cancer cells from replicating, treats gout, reduces high blood pressure, fights against eczema, and soothes toothaches. In addition, rosemary also boosts the immune system, fights against bacterial infections, stimulates blood flow, provides pain relief, and gives naturally fresh and clean breath.
Thyme Thyme and thyme again, because of its distinctive flavor, it’s used in plenty of recipes. Thyme is used healthwise as well. It is an effective acne treatment, lowers blood pressure, remedies cough, boosts the immune system, and acts as a disinfectant. In addition, thyme can fight sore throats, lowers cholesterol levels, prevents food poisoning, prevents and treats colon cancer, treats bronchitis, and improves your mood.
Wild Bergamot These wildflowers from the mint family are typically up to 3 ft (0.9 m) tall, with a few erect branches. Its leaves are about 2-3 in (5–8 cm) long, lance-shaped, and toothed. Its compact flower clusters are solitary at the ends of branches. Each cluster is about 1.5 in (4 cm) long, containing about 20–50 flowers. Wild bergamot often grows in rich soils in dry fields, thickets, and clearings, usually on limy soil. It can be used for treating colds, minor wounds, and infections.
Blackberries Plant itself carries pinkish-white flowers, each flower has five petals and produces one fruit crop a year. It traditionally grows in sunny areas. It can usually be found or identified by it’s sharp scent. These plants are found almost anywhere, making them very handy. To use them, you would chew them into a pulp and mix into a poultice. Animals use it for bee stings.
Honey A sweet, golden-colored liquid made by bees. It is found in bees nests which are usually up in trees. For use, it is eaten or given by moss soaked in it. Animals use it to soothe infections, for smoke-damaged or sore throats, to help animals swallow other conceptions, to help soothe coughing, and for energy.
Poppy Seeds Tiny, round black seeds that are shaken out of a dried poppy flowerhead. It can be found all over forests. For use, it is chewed on. Animals use it for help sleeping, to soothe shock or distress, or ease pain. However, it is not recommended for nursing mothers.
Borage Leaves (Starflower) It is easily distinguished by its small blue or pink star-shaped petals and hairy leaves. Borage can be distinguished by smell just as well as sight. The best leaves are typically halfway up the stem, and have a zesty scent to them. Leaves can be dark green or grey-green in color, soft, and they lose their flavor when they are dried out. Borage can most commonly be found in forests and around lakes. For use, the leaves are chewed and eaten. Animals use it to produce more and better milk for children. It also brings down fevers, helps soothe bad bellies, and relieves tight chests.
Pokeberry It has simple leaves on green to red or purplish stems and a large white taproot. The flowers are green to white, followed by purple to almost black berries. It is found in pastures, recently cleared areas, and woodland openings. Every part of this plant is very toxic and should not be eaten. Animals use it to poison other creatures.
Dried Oak Leaf Round, cartoon-like ruffled leaves. They can be found all over forest floors and are collected during fall. The dried leaves are stored in a dry location until the time of usage. For use, they chewed into a thick poultice and spread on a wound. Animals use it to stop infections from settling in.
Mouse Bile Foul smelling, yellowish-green liquid. It can be found anywhere mice are present. For use, the liquid is stored in moss and dabbed onto ticks embedded in fur. Animals use it to get rid of ticks.
Wild Garlic Extremely sharp and tangy scent. It grows in patches and typically has a white bulb with green leaves. They can also occasionally grow a flower. It is found in damp areas or woodlands. For use, an animal is to roll in it. Animals use it to draw out poison in bites and to prevent infection.
Yarrow A flowering plant with green, jagged leaves, a tangy scent and a bitter taste. It is mostly found in forests, but can be seen elsewhere. For use, its leaves are chewed into a poultice that can be given to animals or applied to a wound, depending on the situation. Animals use it to extract poison from wounds, it will make animals vomit up toxins. The ointment will soften and help heal cracked pads.
Dock Common, large-leafed plant with a tangy smell and taste. Though it is common, it doesn’t grow well in mountains and is best in leafy areas. For use, it is chewed up and applied to scratches and can be put in one’s bed or den. Animals use it to soothe scratches, though can sting when applied. It also soothes sore pads and if placed in a bed or nest, can ease the pain of wounds.
Echinacea This is a coneflower that comes in many different colors. It is mostly found in moist to dry prairies or open wooded areas. For use, it is chewed then applied. Animals mainly use it to ease infections.
Ferns Ferns are a type of bushy plant with no seeds or flowers. They grow basically everywhere. For use, they are applied to the area. Animals use them to clean out wounds.
Hawthorn Berries The plant itself is a shrub or small tree 15 to 45 feet tall, with a dense crown. It is very common and can be found anywhere. For use, the berries are eaten. Animals commonly use it for heart burn or indigestion.
Ivy Ivy is a plant that on level ground, doesn’t become very big, but it can climb many things like trees and boulders. It has greenish-yellow flowers and the berries are a greenish-black, dark purple, or (rarely) yellow. It grows everywhere and is considered invasive. For use, it is eaten. Animals use it to calm down the body.
Daisy Leaves Thick, dark green, oval shaped leaves. Daisies are very common and can be found most places. For use, the leaves are chewed into a paste. Animals use them to ease the pain of aching joints.
Dandelion A dandelion is a common, yellow-flowered plant with long, hollow stems. After flowering is finished, the flower transforms a sphere made out of hundreds of smaller white florets with seed heads at the bottom that connect to the flower head. Dandelions can be found anywhere and everywhere. For use, the white liquid is thought to be applied to bee stings but it can also be chewed. It is thought to soothe and heal bee stings. It’s leaves can also be chewed to act as a painkiller.
Goosegrass (Galium aparine) This plant is an annual with creeping straggling stems which branch and grow along the ground and over other plants. They attach themselves with the small hooked hairs which grow out of the stems and leaves. The stems can reach up to three feet or longer, and are angular or square shaped. The leaves are simple, narrowly oblanceolate to linear, and borne in whorls of six to eight. Goosegrass has tiny, star-shaped, white to greenish flowers, which emerge from early spring to summer. The flowers are clustered in groups of two or three, and are borne out of the leaf axils. The corolla bears 4 petals. The globular fruits are burrs which grow one to three seeds clustered together; they are covered with hooked hairs which cling to animal fur, aiding in seed dispersal. This plant can be found almost anywhere. For use, it can made into a poultice and applied to the affected area or it can be chewed into a pulp. Animals use it to to help light wounds and burns or relieve poisonous bites and stings.
Uncommon
Milk Thistle supports kidney, gallbladder, and liver health. It also contains potential anti-cancer properties. Milk thistle also promotes heart health, regulates blood sugar levels, and boosts brain health. In addition, it improves skin conditions, reduces skin damage caused by radiation treatment, prevents free radical damage, reduces visible signs of aging, and maintains healthy eyes.
Oregano It reduces oxidative stress, fights against harmful free radicals, defends the body against harmful bacteria, speeds up metabolism, and promotes good digestion. Also, it balances out cholesterol levels, reduces inflammation in the cardiovascular system, speeds up the process of toxin elimination, and promotes bone health. Oregano can also rejuvenate the body and keeps it energized, treats urinary tract infections, remedies sleeping problems, relieves cough and colds, prevents degenerative arthritis, and heals wounds and insect bites.
Parsley For one, it aids in bone health, boosts the immune system, fights the effects of aging, protects the body from free radical damage, and supports healthy kidney function. It can also relieve joint pains, relaxes stiff muscles, promotes good digestion, treats anemia, and contains cancer-fighting compounds. Lastly, it protects against rheumatoid arthritis, cleanses the liver, balances hormones, acts as a diuretic, reduces bad breath, and improves appetites.
Sage Sage helps a lot with digestive problems, which include flatulence, gastritis, loss of appetite, bloating, diarrhea, and heartburn. For women, it soothes painful menstrual cramps, corrects excessive milk flow for breastfeeding moms, and reduces hot flashes for menopausal women. It also functions as an effective brain booster, possesses anti-inflammatory properties, prevents oxidative stress, fights against Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, promotes bone strength, and helps in keeping skin healthy. In addition, it lowers blood glucose, lowers cholesterol, improves fertility, and treats night sweats in tuberculosis patients.
Celandine Celandine is a yellow flower with four petals. It can grow almost everywhere. For use, it is crushed into a juice before trickled into the eye. This plant is best used for weakened or damaged eyes.
Chervil A sweet-smelling plant with large, leafy, fern-like leaves and small white flowers. The roots are described as being knobby and brown. Mostly found in forests, but can be found elsewhere. For use, it is chewed to extract the juice of the leaves or roots. Animals use it for infected wounds and bellyache, respectively. Can also be used during birth.
Alfalfa This plant superficially resembles a clover, especially when it’s young, when trifoliate comprising round leaflets predominate. Later in maturity, leaflets are elongated. It has clusters of small purple flowers followed by fruits spiraled in 2 to 3 turns containing 10-20 seeds. Alfalfa is found in warmer temperate climates. For use, it is eaten. Animals mainly use it to prevent tooth decay but if too much is consumed, it can make the animal’s skin extra sensitive to sunlight.
Feverfew Small bush with flowers resembling daisies. Has a sharp tangy smell and small soft leaves. It grows best along water sources. For use, it is eaten. Animals use it to reduce body temperature in case of fevers or chills. Also heals aches and pains, especially good for headaches.
Juniper Berries Purple-blue berries from the dark green, spiky-leaved juniper bush. It grows anywhere that isn’t wet. For use, it is chewed and eaten. Animals use it to soothe bellyaches, for strength, and to help troubled breathing. It is also used to help calm animals.
Elderberries The plant leaves are pinnate with 5-9 leaflets that have serrated margins. They bear large clusters of small white or cream-colored flowers in late spring. These are followed by clusters of small black, blue-black, or red berries, rarely yellow or white. It is found in temperate to subtropical areas. For use, it is eaten. Animals use it to ease pain or help with flu symptoms.
Willow Willow trees are found most in alpine areas. The willow bark is sometimes used by animals. For use, it is eaten. Animals use it to ease pain. The willow leaves are also used. For use, they are eaten. Animals use them to stop vomiting.
Coltsfoot Coltsfoot is a flowering plant with yellow or white flowers resembling dandelions. It grows best during the spring. Can usually be found around water sources. For use, the leaves are chewed into a pulp. Animals use it to ease breathing or coughing, as well as for cracked or sore pads.
Goldenrod Goldenrod is a tall plant with bright yellow flowers. It grows well in the moors but can be found elsewhere occasionally. For use, it is chewed into a poultice. Animals most commonly use it for healing wounds.
Lavender Lavender is a small purple flowering plant. It is found in sunny spots with sandy or gravelly soil. For use, it is placed under an animal’s nose and is to be inhaled constantly. It can also be rubbed or placed on an animal’s body to hide the scent of death. Animals use it to cure fevers and chills. Some animals use it to hide dead bodies.
Marigold A low-growing flower that can be yellow to bright orange. It is mostly found near water. For use, the petals or leaves are chewed into a poultice, the juice can be used as well. Animals use it to stop infection, stop bleeding, or for inflamed stiff joints.
Tansy The tansy plant has round, yellow leaves. It has a very sweet and strong scent, making it good for disguising an animal’s scent. Tansy can be found in average or somewhat dry soils, but not wet soils. They grow in full or partial sunlight. For use, it is consumed in small doses. Animals use it to cure coughs, cure wounds and poisons, and to soothe throats. However, this plant can be very dangerous to pregnant animals.
Watermint A green, leafy plant, with purple flowers at the end of its spiky stems. It is usually found in streams or damp earth. For use, it is chewed into a pulp and then eaten. Animals use it to ease the suffering that originates from bellyaches.
Broom It is a shrub with small leaves and small yellow flowers. The flowers are often solitary but can also come in pairs. It grows best in the forest and is found most often during winter. For use, it is ground into a poultice. When used in a poultice, it can help broken legs and wounds.
Ginger Ginger is an annual flowering plant that grows to be about a meter tall. The leaves are long, narrow blades and the flowers are purple. It grows in tropical or subtropical areas. For use, it is eaten. Animals use it to help with coughs.
Huckleberry The plant has shallow, radiating roots topped by a bush growing from an underground stem. They grow on subalpine slopes, forests, and lake basins. For use, it is eaten. Animals use it to relieve muscle pain.
Raspberry Leaves They are soft to the touch but rough around the edges. Raspberry leaves are found on raspberry bushes. The bushes are more often found in cooler climates and can possibly be found anywhere. Animals use them to ease pain or stop bleeding.
Rare
Stinging Nettle Stinging Nettle is correctly named. Its long stinging hairs inject an array of chemicals when touched. This produces an irritating and uncomfortable feeling on the skin. One should take great care in handling this herb. However, its numerous benefits far outweigh this one bad thing. For one, it cleanses the body of toxins. It also improves the nutrient uptake efficiency of the gut, stimulates red blood cell production, speeds up wound healing, boosts energy levels, and relieves fatigue and anemia. Stinging nettle helps with women’s issues too. It helps ease painful labor in pregnant women, reduces bleeding during childbirth, stimulates the production of milk for breastfeeding, soothes menstrual cramps, reduces blood flow during the red days, and helps in hormonal shifts in menopausal women. Stinging nettle also breaks down stones found in the gallbladder and kidney, protects against excess fluid retention, maintains calcium content in our bones, reduce allergic reactions, treat asthma, lower blood pressure, and relieves tension in the cardiovascular system.
Butterfly Weed A species of milkweed, it is a perennial plant growing to 1 ft - 3 ft tall, with clustered orange or yellow flowers from early summer to early autumn. The leaves are spirally arranged, lanceolate, 5–12 cm long, and 2–3 cm broad. This plant favors dry, sand or gravel soil, but has also been reported on stream margins and requires full sun. It is commonly known as butterfly weed because of the butterflies that are attracted to the plant by its color and its copious production of nectar. It is also the larval food plant of the queen and monarch butterflies. Hummingbirds, bees and other insects are also attracted. This plant can be used as a treatment for heart failure and cardiac arrhythmia however can lead to death is pregnant mothers and young children.
Burdock This is a tall-stemmed thistle with a sharp smell and dark leaves. It’s taste is commonly found to be bitter. Burdock is mostly found in temperate areas. For use, the root is dug up, the soil is washed off, and then it is chewed into a pulp. Animals use this for infected paws or other sores, but if too much is eaten, it can cause a bellyache.
Chamomile A small white flower with white pedals and a yellow center. It can be found in sandy-like areas and grows best in cooler areas. For use, it is eaten. Chamomile strengthens the heart and soothes the mind, and can be used on traveling animals for strength during their journey.
Comfrey It has large leaves, small bell-shaped flowers, which are pink, white, or purple, and fat, brown roots. The smell is said to be tangy. Comfrey is only found in damp, grassy places. For use, roots are chewed into a poultice and can also be lined in one’s bed or den. Repairs broken bones or soothes wounds, as well as used for wrenched claws. It can also be useful for itching or inflamed joints. Comfrey can ease stiffness or wrenched shoulders when lined in a bed or den. And is also used for burns.
Horsetail A tall, bristly-stemmed plant, referred to with fleshy stalks. It is only found in marshy areas. For use, it is chewed into a poultice and applied to wounds. Animals use it to treat infections and stop bleeding.
Aloe Vera Aloe Vera is a stemless or very short-stemmed plant growing to 24–39 in tall, spreading by offsets. The leaves are thick and fleshy, green to grey-green, with some varieties showing white flecks on their upper and lower stem surfaces. The margin of the leaf is serrated and has small white teeth. The flowers are produced in summer on a spike up to 35 in tall, each flower being pendulous, with a yellow tubular corolla 2–3 cm long. For use, it is applied to the skin. Animals use it to treat burns.