Post by ~THE OWNERS-BE AFRAID~ on Jun 17, 2019 7:49:57 GMT -6
Medicine Cat Herbs
Medicine Cats, Water Healers and their apprentices all have a practised knowledge of herbs taught to them by their experienced mentors. Other cats will have little to no knowledge of these herbs, and must rely on their healer's advanced knowledge. This list is not exhaustive, it shows only commonly available herbs and their known uses. Your healer might have a wider knowledge of usable herbs, however these are the most common and recognisable.
Common Healing Herbs
Alder: Small tree with deciduous serrated leaves and long catkins for flowers. Alder bark tends to be dark and smooth with light colored horizontal markings. This small tree grows in wet environments. Chewing on bark can help with toothache. Dew caught on leaves and bark are useful for treating burns and swelling, or if dew can not be found, clean rainwater caught on a leaf and soaked with a chunk of bark will have the same effect.
Borage Leaves: To be chewed and eaten. The plant can be distinguished by its small blue, white or pink star-shaped flowers and hairy, green and rough leaves that are aromatic. It grows all year round, in well drained soil positioned in full sunlight. Great for nursing queens as it helps increase their supply of milk. Also brings down fever.
Broom: Deciduous shrub with dense, slender green stems, very small leaves and big, bright yellow flowers that have a round bulb at the bottom. Poultice for broken limbs; chewing on the stalks may prove useful for treating toothaches.
Burdock Root: A tall-stemmed, sharp-smelling thistle with dark leaves. A medicine cat must dig up the roots, wash off the dirt, and chew them into a pulp, which can be applied to rat bites. Cures infection.
Catmint/Catnip: A delicious-smelling, leafy plant that's hard to find in the wild; often found growing in Twoleg gardens. Grows in fertile, well drained soil in face of full sun. Its leaves are a soft, mid-green color and extremely fragrant to cats. The best remedy for greencough.
Chamomile: This herb strengthens the heart. Chamomile lives in well drained soil, facing full sun with some shade. If a medicine cat wants a good stock of chamomile it is advisable they assist it by growing it in a large clump; otherwise the soil will dry out and stagnate around an isolated plant, causing it to wither and die. This herb grows a white daisy, with pale green fern-grass foliage. Both leaves and occasionally flowers may be used.
Chervil: A sweet-smelling aromatic plant with large, spreading fern-like dark green leaves and small white flowers. This herb grows in well drained soil and appreciates shade. The juice of the leaves can be used for infected wounds, and chewing the roots helps with bellyache.
Cobwebs: Spiderwebs can be found all over the forest; be careful not to bring along the spider when you take the web! Medicine cats wrap it around and injury to soak up the blood and keep the wound clean. Stops bleeding and can be used to bind broken bones.
Coltsfoot: A flowering plant, a bit like a dandelion, with yellow or white flowers. Grows in soils by banks located under shrubs, its leaves are dark green and grey, feeling "feathery" on the undersides of the foliage. Can only be collected in late spring where the leaves appear. The leaves can be chewed into a pulp, which is eaten to help shortness of breath.
Comfrey: Large leaves and small, bell-shaped flowers, which range in color from pink, to white, and also purple. It has fat, black-colored roots, and if divided and replanted in early Newleaf or early Leaf-fall, it will happily multiply. When the roots are chewed into a poultice, it can be used to repair broken bones, as the root pulp sets hard when dry. Leaves can be chewed into pulp to soothe wounds.
Dock/ Dock Leaves: A plant similar to sorrel. The leaf can be chewed up and applied to soothe scratches. Also these can be used to make a cat's coat slippery; also can be used as a surface for vomiting if swallowed.
Dried Oak Leaf: Collected in autumn and stored in a dry place. Stops infections.
Feverfew: A small bush with flowers like daisies. The leaves can be eaten to cool down body temperature, particularly for cats with a fever or chills.
Goldenrod: A tall plant with bright yellow flowers. Grows in woodland clearings, wood edges and grasslands, in soils that are not too rich; it prefers open conditions. A poultice of the entire flowering plant (not including roots) is terrific for healing wounds. Can be used in a mixed poultice to treat arthritis, or applied to itchy skin.
Honey: A sweet, golden liquid created by bees. Difficult to collect without getting stung, but great for soothing infections or the throats of cats who have breathed smoke.
Horsetail: A tall plant with bristly stems that grow in marshy areas. The leaves can be used to treat infected wounds. The leaves can be chewed up and applied as a poultice.
Juniper Berries: A bush with spiky dark green-grey leaves and purple berries. The berries grow in dry soil, near banks in sunny spots. The berries soothe bellyaches and help cats who are having trouble breathing.
Lavender: A small purple flowering plant. This plant grows in chalky, poor soils; preferring to grow in sunlight as long as it isn't too exposed. Has grey leaves and is very aromatic. This herb cures fever, and assists coughing or weak-lunged cats.
Mallow: Small shrub with rounded star-shaped leaves that feel soft against a cat's nose. Small but pretty pinkish-violet flowers appearing in Greenleaf. The leaves are best collected at sunhigh, when they are dry. It soothes a cat's belly, and can assist in the treatments of coughs.
Marigold: A bright orange or yellow flower that grows low to the ground, has dark green leaves. This herb can be found on riverbanks or ditches near ponds. Collect flowers in late Greenleaf for the best stock for drying. The petals or leaves can be chewed into a pulp and applied as a poultice to wounds. Stops infection. Petals soaked in rainwater create a healing rinse for infected or weeping eyes.
Mouse Bile: A bad-smelling liquid that is the only remedy for ticks, obtained from the stomachs of freshly killed mice. Dab a little moss soaked in bile on a tick and it'll fall right off. Wash paws thoroughly in running water afterward.
Parsley: This herb grows in rich, fertile soil, and often grows in rows. Flowers are white-creamy or green-tinted, this herb's leaves are easy to identify because they are crisp, curled, bright green and fragrant. Can be fed secretly in tiny doses to flatulent elder to cure him. Stops a queen's milk from coming, but should never be given to a pregnant queen as it can result in abortion or birth defects.
Poppy Seeds: Small black seeds shaken from a dried poppy flowers, these are fed to cats to help them sleep. Soothes cats suffering from shock and distress. Not recommended for nursing queens.
Ragwort: Single-stem plant with round yellow leaves and golden-yellow flowers. Often used alongside juniper berries in a poultice to treat aching joints. In dire circumstances, may be used by experienced medicine cat to assist in difficult kitting, but can be toxic so should be a last resort only.
Rush: This herb is used to bind broken bones. It has long narrow leaves and lavender colored head stalks.
Snake Root: This plant has clusters of fluffy, red or pinkish-white flowers. It can be taken to induce vomiting to counter poisoning.
Stinging Nettle: This is a painful weed and grows where ever twolegs have disturbed the land. The spiny green seeds can be administered to a cat who has swallowed poison, while the leaves can be applied externally to bring down swelling.
Tansy: A strong-smelling plant with round yellow flowers. This herb can be found blooming in sandy moist soil with frequent shade. It has dark green fern like leaves that are quite pungent. Good for curing coughs, belly-aches and round-worms, but must be eaten in small doses. Do not give to pregnant queens.
Thyme: This can be found in light and well drained soil, growing in full sun, usually starts behind a rock or something to give this plant something to cover in carpet fashion. Grows pink flowers with grey-green leaves that are minute. This herb is best picked and dried during Newleaf, when growth is freshest. This herb can be eaten to calm anxiety and frayed nerves.
Traveling Herbs: Two leaves of different colors which must be eaten before a warrior/apprentice journey. The dark green leaf stops hunger. The other leaf, of an unknown color, gives the cat strength. Both taste extremely bitter. A certain poultice made from several different leaves is a variation of the traveling herbs.
Watermint: A leafy green plant found in streams or damp areas, prefers shade. Its leaves are shiny mid-green color and fragrant. Usually chewed into a pulp and then fed to a cat suffering bellyache, can also benefit a cat suffering from a mild cold.
Wild Garlic: Rolling in a patch of wild garlic can help prevent infections, especially for dangerous wounds like rat bites.
Yarrow: A flowering plant whose leaves can be made into a poultice and applied to wounds or scratches to expel poison; also helps toothache. This herb grows in well drained soil and as long as the ground is moist it can grow anywhere. It has pink or white flowers and grey-green feathery leaves. A cat that has swallowed a poisonous substance may be saved by swallowing yarrow leaves, resulting in throwing up the offending substance.
Common Toxic Herbs
Deathberries/Yew/Nightseeds: Red berries that can be fatally poisonous to kits and elders. They are not a medicine. Known to Twolegs as yew berries. They are used to kill.
Foxglove: This is of no medical value but is poisonous. Lives in fertile and well drained soil, grows in full sun, tolerates shade. Its foliage is mid-green, wrinkled and soft. Grows flowers that resemble long tube-like bells in a range of beautiful colors.
Deadly-Nightshade: Little purple flowers; the leaves and green fruit of the plant are deadly. The leaves are dull green. This is of no medical value but is poisonous.
English Ivy: Not dangerous, it will just give you a stomach ache. Poison Ivy will give you itchy fur, and don't eat it!
Hemlock: Keep your kits away from any hemlock! It's a plant that comes in lots of varieties, and is very dangerous. It smells like mice, with stems speckled purple. Its foliage is dark and finely cut, and in Greenleaf to Leaf-fall white flowers grow. It can be found in weedy places, especially in moist and warm sites like streams.
Bleeding Heart: Pink little flowers with white bottoms; can be deadly, so watch out!
Cherries: Aren't especially common; deep red fruits that grow on small trees, dangerous for cats.
Buttercups: These aren't too dangerous, but they might give your patient a nasty bellyache.