HEALING GUIDE

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the healing guide

Adequate Rest: While not a physical substance it is one of the most important factors that contribute to a animal's overall health. Getting enough sleep can help prevent many ailments while also curing many more. Sometimes rest is all you need to feel better.
Food: The most basic necessity for survival, without it all would be lost. Food can be a remedy for many illnesses, a full animal is a happy animal after all. A lack of food can cause malnutrition, lethargy, physical weakness, mood swings, and stomach pains. Eating a fully satisfying meal will heal these ailments and provide essential nutrients.

MEDICINAL PLANTS

Grass: A common plant life that can be found all over the lands of Avalon - marshes and deserts excluded. It is well known to induce vomiting in a non-lethal manner. The blades of grass act as a gentle irritant, rubbing up against a animal's stomach and inducing a reflex to vomit. This plant is best used to help alleviate an upset stomach and even help expel poisonous plants an animal may have eaten. This plant is also a good source of minor nutrients - given to young pups and nursing mothers.
Mugwort: A tall plant with dark green pinnate leaves that have soft white tomentose hairs on the bottom. The plant is often distinguishable by their purple-tinted stem and the small florets are symmetrical with yellow to dark red petals. This plant is commonly found in temperate forests, high in nitrogenous soil. Mugwort is commonly used as pain relief and a controller for lowering fevers.
Echinacea: Echinacea is a simple flowering plant and a member of the daisy family. It is most commonly identified as a purple coneflower. The flowers, leaves, and roots are usable when it comes to creating a poultice. This poultice can be rubbed into a animals sore muscles to help diminish soreness and pain. It can also be slathered on painful wounds. The roots of the plant can be chewed and eaten to boost an animal’s immune system. Echinacea is generally used to help alleviate pain, boost weak immune systems and has proven as a useful herb for anti-inflammatory purposes. Though this is the last resort if your stock is low on more direct and useful anti-inflammatory herbs. Echinacea is commonly found growing in moist to dry prairies and open wooded areas.
Honey: For those suffering from a sore throat honey is the right way to go. A few licks’s off from a honeycomb should do the trick to help soothe a sore throat. However, this isn’t the only thing honey is useful for. Honey is also great for relieving nausea and acts as an immune booster. It is also an excellent and tasty treat packed full of good fats and nutrients. This golden thick liquid is found wherever bees are located - the best place to find them is where there is a wide variety of plants and flowers to pollinate.
Feverfew: Feverfew is a bushy flower that grows from a branched tapering root to produce erect, round and slightly grooved stems. The feathery, aromatic and bitter-tasting leaves are arranged alternately along the length of the many-branched stem. They are a yellow-green color with deeply cut, toothed segments in an oval shape. This plant is known for relieving arthritis and sore muscles and when ingested can prevent blood clots. This plant also reduces fevers and it’s widely used as so. Feverfew grows along the edge of woodlands and open prairies.
Parsley: Parsley acts as a pain reliever with anti-inflammatory properties. It also provides relief from gastrointestinal issues such as indigestion, stomach cramps, bloating, and nausea, while also helping to strengthen the immune system. Parsley is a green bush-like plant with arrow-like leaves. Parsley grows well in moist regions, however, on rare occasions, one may stumble upon it on drier soil.
Moss: A green fungi that grow in clumps around the base of trees and over the surface of dead logs and rocks. It can be found in great quantities in wet and moist areas by lakes and streams. However, damp woodlands can be covered in it if one knows where to look. Moss can be used to staunch blood flow or be used as padding for breaks and sprains. They can also be used to transport water to patients.
Lavender: An evergreen plant with tall blueish purple pastel flowers. The plant’s flowers have a strong scent that helps lower heart rates and blood pressure, helping ease the distressed into a relaxed state. Lavender also has strong antifungal qualities helping to disinfect an area that has a fungal disease.
Ginger: A ginger plant’s root has a long history of use for relieving digestive problems such as nausea, loss of appetite, motion sickness and acts as a blood thinner by circulating blood flow. It is commonly used to help relieve morning sickness for pregnant animals. The green plant is known for its thick brown roots. Ginger thrives best in warmer climates such as woodlands. This is not to say it can be found in colder areas! The roots are high in vitamins and minerals and have antiviral, anti-toxic and antifungal properties when ingested. Ginger However, be warned as ginger root must be eaten in moderate small doses or it could be toxic and lead to death!
Peppermint: A strong-smelling plant that belies in the mint family. When ingested it can help calm a stomach ache and rid a canine of foul breath. The plant is a deep green color that blooms purple flowers when at full maturity. The plant in of itself is sweet-tasting, making it easy to give to pups, but when the flowers of the plant are mixed in it becomes earthy and bitter to taste. Peppermint is commonly found in wet moist conditions with a stable and reliable water source and partly shaded areas.
White Willow: A species of willow tree known for the underside of its leaves having a white pigmentation. The bark of the tree itself is considered an ashy brown color. White willow is commonly found in moist soil in cold or temperate regions of Avalon. Ingesting the tree’s versatile leaves helps reduce indigestion and various other physical ailments like arthritis; while the bark has proven to be effective in reducing fevers, headaches, and acts as an anti-inflammatory when made into a poultice with its leaves.
Aloe Vera: Aloe Vera has versatile healing properties. It’s the most effective plant you'll come across when it comes to soothing cuts and scrapes and treating burns and irritated/dry skin. The plant itself is found in dry rocky outcroppings in warm climates. Aloe Vera is a short stemless plant that grows low to the ground. It is commonly distinguished by is large and fleshy leaves that are often a green color, some varieties having flecks of white spots on the tip of its mature leaves. The plant is widely used for its gel, a hidden gem that the plants leaves protect inside them. Eating the leaves and gel together can help soothe and prevent toothaches and gum disease. The gel from the plant also acts as a natural antioxidant, helping prevent infections from wounds.
Yarrow: A versatile plant, yarrow is commonly used to help treat cramps, toothaches, and fevers - though not as efficient as feverfew. Yarrow can also be made into a poultice and applied to itchy dry skin to help with irritation. The plant is also effective in curing small minor colds.
Valerian: Valerian is a perennial flowering plant native to temperate regions in Avalon. In the summer a mature specimen bears sweetly scented pink or white flowers. However, it's the root of the plant that is most sought after. The root of the valerian plant can help animals sleep, reducing insomnia. It also helps animals manage anxiety, depression, and other mental disorders. The plant’s root can also be effective against convulsions, muscle and joint pain, and mild tremors.
Milk Thistle: Milk whistle is a hardy plant that grows in both wet and dry conditions. It is a purple flowering plant with dark green leaves that have white markings. It's commonly used for decreasing the potency of poison and boosts the immune system.
Wormwood: Wormwood is used for a variety of medical conditions - loss of apatite and upset stomachs. The leaves on the plant can also be used to treat slight fevers, memory loss, and muscle pain. The roots of the plant, if ingested, can increase sexual desire.
Chamomile: A plant that is pleasant to the nose and well known for its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory traits. This plant can be used as a mild sedative to help calm a frantic heart. When made into a poultice it can help soothe irritated/inflamed skin, treat minor cuts, and bacterial infections.
Basil: Known for its wax looking leaves this plant is used to help treat bug bites and control asthma. This earthy tasting plant grows in moist soil in direct sunlight in warmer climates. The leaves of the plant tend to be a gray-green or intense shade of green. This plant can also help reduce pain from snake bites.

POISONS

Deadly Nightshade: The name says it all, both the foliage and berries are extremely toxic and can kill anyone who ingests it. Nightshades berries look edible which often confuse animals and result in their death - the plant's berries are pleasantly sweet and good tasting. Two to four berries are a fatal dose for a pup while an adult needs nine to eleven berries. The most poisonous part of the plant is the roots when ingested. The consumption of even a single leaf can be toxic enough to cause death so you must be vigilant! Symptoms include, but are not limited to a dry mouth, dilated pupils and quickened pulse; in later stages, heart arrhythmia, tremors, hallucinations, paranoia, and cramping. This plant is described as a shrub with long oval like leaves. Its flowers are bell-shaped and are purple with greenish tinges. Its fruits are berries that start out green and ripen to a shiny black color.
Foxglove: Foxglove s a short-lived perennial plant. Its leaves are simple and spirally arranged. The flowers of the plant are arranged in a showy, terminal, elongated cluster. Each flower is long and tubular and consists of being either purple, pink, yellow, or white. Within minutes of ingestion nausea and vomiting are common symptoms. In very small doses Foxglove can cause intoxication. In higher doses it can cause uncoordinated contractions of different parts of the heart, leading to cardiac arrest and finally death.
Lily of the Valley: Lily of the Valley is a highly poisonous plant that can be found blooming in woodlands and on rocky outcropping in valleys. The plants are found clustered together in extensive colonies. The flowers of this plant are bell-shaped and murky white color. Ingesting Lily of the Valley can cause vomiting, diarrhea, a drop in heart rate, severe cardiac arrhythmias, and possibly seizures. If left untreated death can occur.
Hemlock: A hardy plant capable of living in a variety of environments. Hemlock is a biennial flowering plant with a smooth, green and hollow stem. Red or purple streaks can be found on the base of the plant. The flowers are small and white while the body of the plant is smooth and light green in color. The flowers are loosely clustered and have five petals each. All parts of the plant are poisonous, however, when dried the plant is reduced significantly in its toxicity. At this point, it can 'be safely ingested, though it'll cause mild discomfort. When hemlock is ingested symptoms can vary based on how much was eaten. Some of these symptoms are drooling, seizures, excessive urination, muscle spasms and shaking, pain in the abdomen, vomiting, increased heart rate, and even abnormal hyperactivity or excitement.
Poison ivy: Poison ivy can be found practically anywhere - woodlands, fields, and wetlands. It grows in clusters of three jagged like leaves as shrubs or vines. Brushing up against this plant causes minor to severe angry rashes that cause itching and skin irritation. If ingested it causes abdominal pain and gas. This is not a deadly plant, merely a poison that causes discomfort and is recommended to avoid.
Larkspur: The leaves of this plant are deeply lobed with the main flowering stem is erect. It can be found growing near the base of mountains and in meadows. The plant is topped with many flowers, varying in color from purple and blue to red, yellow, and even white. All parts of this plant is poisonous, if ingested it can cause severe digestive discomfort and skin irritation. When ingested in small non-lethal quantities it can cause weakness, confusion, and drooling - it is recommended to induce vomiting in an afflicted canine to help expel the toxins and save their life. With large toxic ingestions, heart and lung failure can be seen, along with death. Other symptoms include but are not limited to paralysis, tremors, and seizures.
Yewberry: A bright red seed growing on a medium-sized evergreen tree. The bark of the tree is a scaly brown and comes off the tree in small flakes. The leaves themselves are flat and dark green, do not ingest the leaves! They are just as toxic as the berry! The berries themselves are poisonous and bitter-tasting, a deterrent for eating them. The juices of the berries can be used to soothe one into a calm and peaceful death.
White Snakeroot: A tall flowering plant that blooms white flowers. White snakeroot is a hardy and adaptive species that can be found virtually anywhere - except sub below temperatures. Signs of poisoning include, but are not limited to, depression and lethargy, nasal discharge, excessive salivation, arched body posture, and rapid or difficulty breathing. The root of this plant can also be used for medicinal purposes. A root poultice can effectively be used on snakebites while the root boiled in water can be drank and help treat diarrhea and mild fevers.
Wolfsbane: Can be found in temperate or mountainous regions in the world of Avalon. The plant has purple flowers that have a helmet-like shape. Ingesting the plant has instantaneous side effects, convulsions, and diarrhea that can quickly lead to death. In large doses death it immediate, otherwise smaller lethal doses can cause death in 2-6 hours. Breathing in the plant’s aroma and ingesting it can cause early symptoms of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea that are followed shortly after by a sensation of burning in the abdomen, tingling, and numbness in the mouth or face. In severe poisonings pronounced loss of motor functions. Other possible symptoms include, but not limited to, sweating, dizziness, difficulty in breathing, headache, and confusion. While this plant is deadly if properly used the poison can cause paralysis for a short period of time, effectively immobilizing animals. Useful for capturing scouts or detaining prisoners.