Herbs and Ailments

A guide to all the herbs medicine cats have in their stores, categorized based on the uses they have.

Many herbs have more than one use, and are listed multiple times.

> ***Creator’s Note:** There are numerous wild edible and medicinal plants in British Columbia that are used traditionally by First Nations peoples. These include seaweeds, rhizomes and shoots of flowering plants, berries, and fungi.*
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> *Warriors: The Lost Stories RP borrows these traditional herbs and medicines quite liberally to our cats, sometimes inferring uses and results that are not in-keeping with official research.*
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> *DO NOT use these herbal remedies in place of actual medicine unless you’ve spoken with your doctor.*
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## Herbs

### Injuries and Infection

*Battle wounds, and the harm that can come from them: infection. If the wound is not treated with the correct herbs soon enough, a cat can get a serious infection, which can leave them maimed for life - or dead.*

**Blackberry Leaves -** the leaves of the blackberry plant. Applied to bee stings to reduce the swelling.

**Burdock Root -** the root of a tall-stemmed thistle. Applied to bites to prevent or fight infection, particularly rat bites.

**Catchweed** - the burrs help keep poultices in place without pricking a cat.

**Celandine -** a four-petaled yellow flower, used to sooth damaged eyes. Just trickle a little juice into the damaged eye.

**Chervil -** sweet-smelling plant with white flowers and fern-like leaves. The leaves are applied to wounds to fight infection.

**Cobwebs -** cobwebs are cobwebs. They are applied to wounds to stop bleeding and attach poultices. When you gather them, be sure not to take the spider along with you! They also keep the wound clean.

**Comfrey Root-** large-leaved plants with purple, pink, or white flowers and thick roots. Roots are chewed and added to a poultice to sooth wounds.

**Dandelion -** a small yellow-flowered plant. It's milk can be used to sooth bee stings.

**Dock -** an herb similar to sorrel. The leaves are chewed up and applied to wounds to sooth them.

**Dried Oak Leaf -** the leaves of oak trees, collected in leaf-fall. Used to stop infections.

**Goldenrod -** a tall plant with yellow flowers that is used to close wounds. A poultice of this is good for wounds.

**Honey**-a sweet, golden liquid created by bees. Hard to collect without getting stung by bees, but great for soothing infected wounds.

**Horsetail -** a bristly-stemmed plant. The leaves can be chewed and added to poultices to treat infection.

**Marigold -** a yellow-orange plant that grows low to the ground. The leaves or petals are added to poultices or applied to wounds to stop infection.

**Snakeroot -** roots of a green plant with fuzzy white flowers. It is the best remedy for snake bites.

**Stinging Nettle -** spiny green seeds that are either eaten or applied to wounds. They bring down swelling and dispel poison.

**Sweet Sedge -** a thick green stem with large buds on top. Swallowing the sap effectively fights infection.

**Wild Garlic -** a ground plant. If a cat rolls in it, it prevents infection.

**Yarrow -** a leafy plant that is attached to wounds to draw out poison and infection.

### Sicknesses

*Colds, fevers, coughs, and various other viruses that can range from irritating to deadly.*

**Borage -** blue-and-pink, star-shaped, hairy leaves. They are chewed and eaten, and can bring down fevers.

**Bitter Root -** the root of a plant with bright red berries. Used to treat nightcough, and is the only known cure. *(this disease and herb is not canon to the* Warriors *series; it was created by Grey, on the forum)*

**Catmint -** a delicious-scented, leafy plant that is used to treat greencough. It grows in very small quantities in the wild. May or may not be able to slow down the effects of nightcough.

**Chickweed -** a tall-stemmed plant with fat leaves shaped like almonds. It can be used for greencough, but it's not as effective as catmint.

**Coltsfoot** - a flowering plant, a bit like a dandelion, with yellow or white flowers. The leaves can be chewed into a pulp, which is eaten to help shortness of breath.

**Feverfew -** a small bush with daisy-like flowers. Eaten to bring down body temperature and help fevers, especially for cats with fever or chills.

**Hawkweed -** a small green plant with yellow flowers and orange stems that can be used to compliment catmint.

**Lavender -** small purple flowering plants. Helps in curing fevers.

**Tansy -** a plant with small round yellow leaves. It's taken in small doses to stop coughing.

**Willow Leaves -** leaves of the willow trees can stop vomiting.

**Yarrow -** a leafy plant that is chewed and eaten to cause a cat to vomit, expelling poisons and crow-food. It can also be chewed into a poultice and applied on wounds, especially cracked and swollen pads, to expel poison.

### Bones

*Bones are often broken in battle, and joints don't always stand the test of time. Treating these with the right herbs can help.*

**Alder Bark** - the bark of the alder tree, used for curing toothaches.

**Comfrey Root-** large-leaved plants with purple, pink, or white flowers. Roots are chewed and added to a poultice to mend broken bones.

**Broom -** small shrub with yellow leaves that is used similarly to comfrey in order to treat broken bones.

**Daisy Leaf -** the leaves of a daisy flower can be used to treat aching joints.

**Marigold -** a yellow-orange plant that grows low to the ground. Helps inflamed joints.

**Rush -** a plant with long narrow leaves and purple heads. Used to bind broken wounds.

**Ragwort -** a tall shrub with yellow flowers. The leaves are used to treat aching joints.

### Throat and Belly

*Sore throats and bellyaches can be caused for many different reasons: smoke inhalation, crow-food, or tainted water. Whatever the case, there are medicines to treat them.*

**Chervil Root -** the root of a sweet-smelling plant with white flowers and fern-like leaves. They are chewed to help bellyaches.

**Coltsfoot -** dandelion-like plant with yellow or white flowers. Chewed and eaten to help shortness of breath.

**Heather Nectar -** the juice of heather flowers can help ease swallowing.

**Honey -** a golden liquid taken from bees nests. Difficult to obtain without getting stung. Swallowed to help sooth the throat of those who have breathed in smoke, and for soothing sore throats. Excellent to use.

**Juniper Berries -** bushes with spiky, dark green leaves and purple berries. Eating the berries helps shortness of breath, as well as bellyache.

**Mallow Leaves -** sweet-smelling, purple, three-pointed leaves of the mallow plant. Eaten to sooth bellyache.

**Water Mint -** a leafy green plant found in damp or watery locations. It's eaten to sooth bellyache and has a strong scent, so it is also used to obscure the scent of death.

**Parsley -** a leafy green plant that is used to cure bellyache.

### Kitting and Queens

*Many herbs can help the kitting process, and the queens who go through it.*

**Borage -** blue-and-pink, star-shaped, hairy leaves. Used to increase a queen's milk by chewing and eating.

**Fennel -** thin, spiky leaves of a small plant. Breaking the stalks to release the juice helps pain in the hips.

**Parsley -** a leafy green plant that is used to dry up milk when queens produce too much, or their kits have died.

**Raspberry -** the leaves of the raspberry bush are eaten to use as a painkiller, and stop bleeding during kitting.

### Calming and Pain Relieving

*When nerves are frayed and anxiety has taken hold, many herbs have the ability to sooth and calm the mind.*

**Catchweed -** a plant with fuzzy, burr-like plants on long stems used to help remove poultices without hurting the skin.

**Dandelion -** a small yellow-flowered plant. The leaves can be chewed to relieve pain.

**Goatweed -** a plant with dark green, oval-shaped leaves that ease anxiety.

**Lavender -** small purple flowering plants. Can be eaten to help calm the nerves.

**Poppy Seeds -** tiny black seeds that are eaten to relieve shock and distress. They're used as a pain reliever and can cause a cat to sleep.

**Sticks** - they aren't really a herb but they help with pain as a cat can bite down on them when pain comes.

**Thyme -** dusky green leaves that are eaten to relieve anxiety. They also help with shock.

**Traveling Herbs -** sorrel, daisy, chamomile, and burnet. Used to relieve hunger and give strength.

**Willow Bark -** chewing on the bark of a willow tree can help relieve pain.

## Other Treatments

**Soaked moss** is simply moss dipped into clean water. It can sooth the throat, calm the belly, help wash out wounds, soak up blood. Sometimes herbs aren't even needed; water might be able to do the trick.

**Mouse Bile** is used to treat ticks. Dab it onto the insect with moss, and it falls right off.

**Poultices** are a mixture of herbs that can treat an injury more effectively because the herbs are combined.