Herb Lore - Bistort to Broom
Herb 32: Bistort
Common Name: Bistort (also known as Snakeweed, Adderwort)
Latin Name: Persicaria bistorta
Medicinal Parts: Root (Rhizome)
Habitat: Big Valley, West Elizabeth. Prefers wet meadows, stream banks, and damp woods.
Medical Use:
One of the most powerful astringents for stopping all kinds of bleeding (internal and external) and fluxes.
Used to treat sore mouths, nosebleeds, and excessive menses.
Preparation Methods:
Decoction: Root boiled in water.
Powder: Dried root powdered and used as an application.
Herb 33: Bitter-Sweet
Common Name: Bitter-Sweet (also known as Woody Nightshade)
Latin Name: Solanum dulcamara
Medicinal Parts: Stalks, Berries (use with extreme caution)
Habitat: Roanoke Ridge, New Hanover. Found in hedgerows, damp thickets, and wood edges.
Medical Use:
Purges the head and eyes; used for jaundice and spleen obstructions.
Externally applied to clear skin diseases (scabs, ulcers).
Note: Berries are mildly poisonous.
Preparation Methods:
Decoction: Dried stalks boiled.
Ointment: Stalks boiled in butter for external use.
Herb 34: Black Cohosh
Common Name: Black Cohosh (also known as Black Snakeroot)
Latin Name: Actaea racemosa
Medicinal Parts: Root (Rhizome)
Habitat: Tall Trees, West Elizabeth. Found in moist, shaded woods and thickets.
Medical Use:
A specific remedy for menstrual cramps and menopausal symptoms (hot flashes).
Relieves muscular and nerve pain (rheumatism, neuralgia).
Historically used to treat snake bites.
Preparation Methods:
Decoction: Dried root boiled in water.
Tincture: Root infused in alcohol.
Herb 35: Black Hellebore
Common Name: Black Hellebore (also known as Christmas Rose)
Latin Name: Helleborus niger
Medicinal Parts: Root
Habitat: Grizzlies East, Ambarino. Found in rocky, mountainous areas and high-altitude slopes.
Medical Use:
A violent purgative used to clear melancholy and nervous diseases.
Historically used for dropsy (edema).
Note: Extremely poisonous. Internal use is highly dangerous.
Preparation Methods:
Powder: Root dried and powdered (extreme caution required).
Herb 36: Black Nightshade
Common Name: Black Nightshade (also known as Garden Nightshade)
Latin Name: Solanum nigrum
Medicinal Parts: Leaves, Berries (use with caution)
Habitat: The Heartlands, New Hanover. Common in waste ground, cultivated fields, and disturbed soil.
Medical Use:
Highly cooling; used for inflammations and hot fevers.
Externally applied to treat skin ulcers and erysipelas.
Note: Raw leaves and unripe berries are toxic, but ripe berries may be safe in small amounts.
Preparation Methods:
Poultice: Leaves bruised and applied.
Juice: Pressed for cooling effect.
Herb 37: Blackberry
Common Name: Blackberry (also known as Bramble)
Latin Name: Rubus fruticosus
Medicinal Parts: Leaves, Berries, Root
Habitat: Almost all regions, especially near hedgerows and thickets.
Medical Use:
The root bark and leaves are a strong astringent for stopping diarrhea and bloody flux.
The berries are a delicious nutritive tonic and mild laxative.
Used as a gargle for sore throats and mouth ulcers.
Preparation Methods:
Decoction: Root bark boiled for diarrhea.
Syrup/Jam: Berries preserved and eaten.
Herb 38: Bladderwrack
Common Name: Bladderwrack (also known as Sea Oak, Kelp)
Latin Name: Fucus vesiculosus
Medicinal Parts: Fronds (Whole Plant)
Habitat: Along the coastlines of New Hanover and Lemoyne (where saltwater meets the shore).
Medical Use:
Rich in Iodine, historically used for goiter and thyroid issues.
Helps manage weight (obesity) by stimulating metabolism.
Soothing for stomach issues and indigestion.
Preparation Methods:
Decoction: Dried fronds boiled.
Powder: Dried and encapsulated.
Herb 39: Bloodroot
Common Name: Bloodroot (also known as Red Puccoon, Tetterwort)
Latin Name: Sanguinaria canadensis
Medicinal Parts: Root (Rhizome)
Habitat: Tall Trees, West Elizabeth. Prefers rich, moist deciduous woods.
Medical Use:
A potent expectorant and antimicrobial. Used for coughs, bronchitis, and respiratory congestion.
The root juice is a topical caustic used to remove warts and skin growths.
Note: Considered toxic; internal use requires great caution.
Preparation Methods:
Tincture: Alcohol extract for internal use (small dose).
Caustic Wash: Root juice applied externally.
Herb 40: Bogbean
Common Name: Bogbean (also known as Marsh Trefoil)
Latin Name: Menyanthes trifoliata
Medicinal Parts: Leaves
Habitat: Grizzlies East, Ambarino. Found in wet bogs, marshes, and very damp ground.
Medical Use:
A powerful bitter tonic that stimulates appetite and aids digestion.
Used to treat fevers, jaundice, and rheumatism (joint stiffness).
Purifies the blood.
Preparation Methods:
Infusion: Leaves steeped in water or wine.
Tincture: Alcohol extract of leaves.
Herb 41: Borage
Common Name: Borage (also known as Starflower)
Latin Name: Borago officinalis
Medicinal Parts: Flowers, Leaves, Seeds
Habitat: Scarlett Meadows, Lemoyne. Cultivated in gardens, preferring mild, temperate climates.
Medical Use:
Greatly comforts the heart, revives the spirits, and relieves melancholy.
Induces sweating to break fevers (diaphoretic).
Seeds yield an oil used to treat skin inflammation and dryness.
Preparation Methods:
Infusion: Flowers and leaves steeped in wine or water.
Oil: Seeds pressed (Borage Seed Oil).
Herb 42: Box Tree
Common Name: Box Tree (also known as Boxwood)
Latin Name: Buxus sempervirens
Medicinal Parts: Leaves, Bark
Habitat: Tall Trees, West Elizabeth. Often planted in formal gardens or found in chalky, rocky woodland.
Medical Use:
Used to treat fevers and rheumatism.
Leaves and bark are considered a strong purgative.
Note: Considered toxic; use with extreme caution.
Preparation Methods:
Decoction: Leaves and bark boiled (strong purge).
Herb 43: Bracken
Common Name: Bracken (also known as Fernbrake)
Latin Name: Pteridium aquilinum
Medicinal Parts: Root (Rhizome)
Habitat: Big Valley, West Elizabeth. Highly common in woodlands, heaths, and open forests.
Medical Use:
Traditionally used to expel worms (vermifuge).
Decoction used for spleen disorders and to stop diarrhea.
Note: Considered carcinogenic and unsafe for consumption.
Preparation Methods:
Decoction: Root boiled in water or wine.
Herb 44: Bramble
Common Name: Bramble (Dewberry, Thimbleberry)
Latin Name: Rubus caesius (and related species)
Medicinal Parts: Leaves, Fruit, Root
Habitat: Almost all regions, especially near thickets, hedgerows, and forest edges.
Medical Use:
Astringent properties in the leaves and root stop diarrhea and bloody flux.
Gargle for sore throats and mouth ulcers.
Berries are highly nutritive and contain iron.
Preparation Methods:
Decoction: Leaves/root boiled.
Eaten: Berries (raw or in jam/syrup).
Herb 45: Bryony
Common Name: Bryony (also known as Wild Vine, Devil's Turnip)
Latin Name: Bryonia dioica (White Bryony)
Medicinal Parts: Root (use with extreme caution)
Habitat: Roanoke Ridge, New Hanover. Found in thickets, hedgerows, and woodland margins.
Medical Use:
Extremely violent purgative for dropsy, convulsions, and melancholy.
Root poultice used to draw out bruises and tumors.
Note: Highly toxic and poisonous.
Preparation Methods:
Poultice: Root grated and applied externally.
Tincture: Root extract (used by trained practitioners only).
Herb 46: Bugle
Common Name: Bugle (also known as Middle Comfrey)
Latin Name: Ajuga reptans
Medicinal Parts: Whole Herb
Habitat: The Heartlands, New Hanover. Grows in damp, shaded meadows and open woods.
Medical Use:
Excellent for internal and external wounds, staunching blood and healing quickly.
Used for coughs, consumption, and bloody expectoration (coughing up blood).
Eases bruises.
Preparation Methods:
Decoction: Herb boiled in water or wine.
Poultice: Bruised herb applied to wounds.
Herb 47: Bugloss
Common Name: Bugloss (also known as Ox-Tongue)
Latin Name: Anchusa officinalis (related to Alkanet)
Medicinal Parts: Flowers, Leaves
Habitat: Gaptooth Ridge, New Austin. Prefers dry, sandy, or disturbed ground.
Medical Use:
Comforts the heart, revives the spirits, and helps relieve fevers.
Expels melancholy and sadness.
Used in washes for sore eyes.
Preparation Methods:
Infusion: Flowers steeped in water or wine.
Syrup: Flowers pressed with sugar.
Herb 48: Burdock
Common Name: Burdock (also known as Beggar's Buttons, Fox's Clote)
Latin Name: Arctium lappa
Medicinal Parts: Root, Leaves, Seeds
Habitat: Almost all regions, favoring disturbed ground, roadsides, and waste places.
Medical Use:
Blood purifier (alterative) and diuretic. Used to treat skin conditions (acne, boils, psoriasis).
Root is beneficial for rheumatism and joint pain.
Seeds (oil) used for hair and scalp issues.
Preparation Methods:
Decoction: Root boiled in water.
Poultice: Bruised leaves applied to boils.
Herb 49: Burnet
Common Name: Burnet (also known as Salad Burnet)
Latin Name: Sanguisorba minor
Medicinal Parts: Leaves, Root
Habitat: Big Valley, West Elizabeth. Found in dry, chalky grasslands and open meadows.
Medical Use:
Powerful astringent for stopping bleeding and fluxes (diarrhea).
Used to treat internal wounds and snake bites.
Eaten to freshen the breath.
Preparation Methods:
Decoction: Root boiled in wine.
Eaten: Fresh leaves in salads/broth.
Herb 50: Brooklime
Common Name: Brooklime (also known as Water Pimpernel)
Latin Name: Veronica beccabunga
Medicinal Parts: Whole Herb
Habitat: Grizzlies East, Ambarino. Found in running streams, ditches, and very wet ground.
Medical Use:
Blood purifier (alterative) and diuretic.
Used to clear jaundice and other obstructions of the liver and spleen.
Good for scurvy and internal ulcers.
Preparation Methods:
Juice: Pressed and mixed with water/whey.
Salad: Eaten raw.
Herb 51: Broom
Common Name: Broom (also known as Besom, Irish Broom)
Latin Name: Cytisus scoparius
Medicinal Parts: Tops, Seeds
Habitat: Big Valley, West Elizabeth. Common on heathlands, open, poor ground, and forest clearings.
Medical Use:
A strong diuretic, used to purge the body of water and dropsy (edema).
Clears obstructions of the liver and spleen.
Note: Large doses can be poisonous; use with extreme caution.
Preparation Methods:
Decoction: Tops or seeds boiled in water.
Ash: Burned and mixed with wine.