Sometimes eating a bunch of leaves or smearing them on an open wound ain't enough. Sometimes you need to bring in the big guns. That's where the professionals come in. They create tinctures, salves, ointments, and even injections using all sorts of plants. This article discusses how useful medicinal herbalists are to gamers.

Animals instinctively select the right combinations and quantities of food to stay healthy, knowing what poisonous plants to avoid and what to consume when ill. Some of this intuitive behavior must have been passed onto early man. Long before our ancestors could write, certain individuals in any group became knowledgeable about healing remedies and began to raise their personal status as consultants. Passing this information on, these people began the separation of medicine from self-prescribed treatments.

Not Everyone Used Leeches

Aside from the traditional combination of Western Dark Ages medical traditions and magic most commonly used in sword and sorcery game play, here are several systems of belief that can be adopted and adapted to any game:

Chinese Herbal Medicine. Aspects of Chinese medical knowledge were far more advanced than the world around them. They established the concept of blood circulation some 2000 years before the West. They recognized chronic illnesses early on, such as diabetes, and by the 10th century they had learned how to inoculate against smallpox. Central to their healing was the belief that ill health was due to a lack of harmony between a patient, his circumstances, and his environment.

In order to restore balance, the Chinese used specific formulas of herbs in powerful herbal soups and teas to gently stimulate the organs. Most herbs are used in combinations with other herbs. Chinese apothecaries weigh out herbs in daily doses and patients are given series of paper bags to last them a week or two. Chinese employed other techniques along with herbal, including acupuncture and moxibustion (relieving pain by heat the skin with the burning leaves of mugwort, called moxa.

Ayurvedic Medicine. From India, this form of medicine also views health as a balance between a person and the environment. Gurus combine herbal with mineral and animal substances, all of which must be purified first. Ayurvedic medicine was replaced for a time during the Mogul Empire of the 16th through 19th centuries, which brought the Unani Tibb treatments to India.

Greek Medicine. Hippocrates is still called the Father of Medicine and he frequently used herbal remedies and knew of more than 300 plants. Theophrastus wrote an account of more than 300 medicinal herbs and this was probably the first western herbal.

Roman Medicine. While physicians mainly continued to follow Hippocrates' treatments, they added magic and religion to the mix. The Romans also made advances in preventative health care by recognizing infection and isolating infected individuals during epidemics. They also established sewerage for waste disposal.

Dark Ages. About six centuries passed after the fall of Rome before scientific and medical writing and research were revived. During this time, most people had to depend on folk medicine, ritual, and magic to survive. Only the monasteries kept literature alive and preserved herbal knowledge.

Judaic views had an advantage since the Old Testament pushed cleanliness and personal hygiene, but during this time, it was the Muslim Empire that kept alive the Greek medical traditions. This Greco-Islamic medicine was described in the 11th century by Ibn Sina, the Prince of Physicians called Avicenna. This knowledge traveled west and became the basis for medical treatment at the end of the Dark Ages and for centuries to come, practiced as Unani Tibb, Arabic for "Medicine of the Greeks."

Renaissance. The arrival of the Byzantine knowledge, the recovery of the European population from the bubonic plague, and the invention of the printing press sparked new life into the west. Treatment did not change from the Greco-Islamic traditions until the arrival of drugs from the New World, including Peruvian bark, which was a near-magical cure to one of the worst health problems—malaria.

The next 300 years of western medicine were a nightmare right into the 19th century. Doctors enacted laws that made practicing medicine closed to outsiders. The apothecaries who supplied medicinal plants to the doctors won royal permits in the 17th century to train in medicine and give advice, but were only allowed to charge for the remedies. Thus, pharmacists were born.

The Profession as a Character Choice

If someone chooses for their character to be an herbalist of some sort, they should gain a significant advantage to identifying plants in the wilderness, especially in their own region. The herbalist should also have an advantage in strange territory, utilizing their knowledge to pick out strange plants related to the ones they know. For example, Nightshade is poisonous and has flowers that appear to have been pulled inside-out; this shape in a strange plant, even in a different color, would make an experienced herbalist suspect a relationship.

An herbalist in the field is able to identify and collect the best plants to heal an injury, but would most likely be unable to produce a more effective medicine than anyone else in the field. This is because most herbalists need a workshop to make effective medicines. Once created, these remedies can be then be carried on an adventure. Therefore, if a character wishes to be an herbalist, he or she will need to be outfitted with liniments, salves, and tinctures before heading out. At most, an adventuring herbalist must carry a pot to boil water in for tea, bags of dried herb or pre-made tinctures (alcohol-brewed teas that increase the potency so you don’t have to carry as much), and a mortar and pestle for maceration. If he wishes to make more he must have access to equipment and ingredients.

If the campaign allows for a home base, the herbalist can make ointments and salves using bases of lard, beeswax/honey, or organic oils. With the appropriate equipment the herbalist can also distill the essential oils out of plants to make very strong medications. Otherwise strong medications will have to be bought or bartered for by the herbalist from an apothecary. Whether or not an herbalist can get a better deal from the apothecary than the average joe is entirely up to the GM, but the herbalist can weed out the snake oil salesmen and bilkers, finding the best remedies for the group at the lowest prices.

The Profession as an NPC

Healers are useful entities to help the characters along when they need it. There is probably one healer, shaman, wise man/woman, or physician per group of people, whether a family, clan, or town. No matter how serious an injury, if the characters can just get to the next village, there’s a good chance they'll be able to call a considerably talented healer in to patch up a buddy.

Herbalists can also help a group identify strange substances. If the characters suspect someone's been poisoned intentionally or accidentally, a healer with herbal experience should have a better-than-average chance of accurately guessing the strange substance's identity. Herbalists often gather their own wild herbs; therefore they know the layout of the land and can identify many landmarks in the area. They would also know where the unsafe regions are, including quicksand, dangerous animals’ lairs, and possibly ruins.

The Profession as a Resource

In many regions and many eras, the herbalist would run a store where they sell remedies and first aid. Depending on the area, the competition, and the disposition of the seller, prices can be fair to outlandish. Here's a list of some mundane items that could be sold by an apothecary using "fair" prices; raise depending on how much the herbalist is trying to pull a fast one or how much the character annoyed the seller.

Infusion. Used with flowers and leaves, around 30 grams per 2 cups just-boiled water, drink like tea. Cheap bulk herbs, price depends on rarity of herb. Must be made fresh each day.

Decoction. Used for roots, bark, twigs, and some berries—plant material is boiled with the water for around an hour, then strained. Pricing same as infusions

Tincture. Steep herbs in water consisting of 25% alcohol. Resulting substance can be use like infusions and decoctions, but are very useful in that you don’t have to carry as much. Priced slightly more than bulk herb, since alcohol is involved and it takes less of a dose to get same effect. Can be stored for long time and doses can be mixed with other herbs readily.

Syrup. Using honey to make flavored meds. Not that expensive but doesn't last as long.

Infused Oils. mixed with oils, these are potent and more difficult to make. Usually rubbed on skin instead of consumed, can be store for long periods of time.

Cream. External use. Mixed with bases of honey, milk, or roots with thickening agents. More expensive than tea herbs and will go rancid if not kept cool.

Ointment. Contains lard, beeswax, or oils to preserve for long periods. Keeps well if sealed.

Compresses. Most can be made from infusions, some have added oils that help the medicine set on the site longer. Salves: Uses more base (lard, beeswax) to make harder and preserves them longer. More expensive.

Essential Oils. Most expensive substances since they require distilling. Attar of Roses can go for a $100 dollars an ounce today, so it probably was expensive then too.

On the shelf:

• All-Purpose Salve: Antiseptic, speeds healing, soothes inflamed tissue. Cheap.
• Astringent Washes: For mild sunburn, staunching bleeding, insect bites, relieving swollen tissue. In vials, cheap.
• Bruise and Sprain Treatment Salve: More expensive.
• Disinfectant: Another wash made of alcohol and oils. Used for wounds. Moderately priced
• Hangover Remedy: Special tea that reduces headaches, nausea, and ill feelings. Moderate.
• Nausea, Indigestion, Motion Sickness: Using ginger, which has to be imported from tropics.
• Pain Relief: Can be as simple as willow bark or meadowsweet bulk herbs (like aspirin), and cheap, to opium extracts far more expensive.
• Styptic: Stops bleeding. Special wash or salve that immediately begins clotting process. Moderate.

Some Names to Use in Game play:

• Marigold Cream: Wound healer
• Comfrey Ointment: Wound, bruise, and broken bone healer, Use on clean wounds only; literally causes new growth of skin over wound, can be dangerous to use on dirty wounds.
• Chickweed cream: Wound healer
• Arnica cream: Bruise and swelling healer. Do not use on broken skin, poisonous when used internally.

The Profession as Employment

Collecting herbs for an apothecary can be a lucrative business for a group of characters and they should seriously consider it if their money is low. Many herbs grow in dangerous or hard-to-reach places and any herbalist would be willing to pay for the PCs to go out and bring some back, especially in the right season. An example would be for an herbalist to send the group out to a damp dark field to pick the roots of Lily-of-the-Valley… he doesn’t want to go because there’s some sort of monster in the area, but its cardiotonic abilities are needed by the local manor owner. Another example would be that the Delphi oracle needs more Datura for their prophesizing; unfortunately it can only be found in the realm of fill-in-the-blank, the evil sorcerer…and so on. If the characters come across a surplus of one of the more expensive herbs on the list, they can set their own prices in selling them in towns or on the black market.

Foraged Herbs:

• No stars: cheap (estimate $4/4 silver pieces a pound)
• One star: moderate (estimate $8/8 silver a pound)
• Two Stars: expensive ($10-12/10 silver a pound)
• Three Stars: Real Expensive (more than $12/12 silver a pound)

• Angelica Root (Near Water) **
• Bay Leaves (Chaparral) *
• Bergamot (Meadows) **
• Bearberry (Northern dry rocky areas))
• Blackberry Leaves (Temperate)
• Black Cohosh (Deep woods) *
• Blessed Thistle (Temperate)
• Blue Cohosh (Moist cool woods) *
• Borage (Sunny temperate places)*
• Burdock (Temperate north)*
• Calamus Root (Near fresh water)*
• Cascara Segrada (Taiga, thickets, canyons)*
• Catnip (Fields, meadows) *
• Chickweed (Meadows, wastelands)
• Chicory (Roadsides, Meadows)
• Coltsfoot (Embankments, fields)*
• Comfrey (Along streams, moist meadows)
• Dandelion (Temperate fields)**
• Echinacea (Prairies, open woods, fields)**
• Eucalyptus (savannahs (Australia))
• Ginseng (Hardwood Forests on northern slopes)*** (up to $320)
• Goldenseal (Deep woods)*** (up to $32)
• Horehound (Pastures, sandy wastelands)
• Horsetail (Moist woods, wastelands)
• Hypericum (Temperate woods and meadows)
• Kelp (Seashores)
• Licorice Root (Chaparrals to arid conditions) *
• Lobelia (Fields, Light woods)**
• Lovage (Chaparrals)**
• Mahonia (Coniferous forests)
• Mandrake (Chaparrals)**
• Marshmallow (Moist area, salt marshes) **
• Mistletoe (Hardwood parasite, temperate to chaparral)*
• Mugwort (Deserts, prairies)*
• Mullien (Fields)
• Nettle (Weedy places near water)
• Pennyroyal (Temperate)*
• Pippissawa (Coniferous and hardwood forests)*
• Plantain (Meadows, disturbed earth)
• Poke Root (Forest edges)**
• Raspberry Leaf (Temperate thickets)
• Red Clover Flowers (Meadows)
• Rosehips (Native to Middle East, damp grounds)
• Sarsaparilla Bark**
• Sassafras Bark (Sandy wood edges)**
• Scullcap (Moist woods, swamps, native to New World)*
• Shepherd's Purse Seeds (Pastures, meadows) *
• Slippery Elm (Native to New World)**
• Spearmint (Wild mint, naturalized everywhere)
• Strawberry (Meadows, fields)*
• Tansy (Weedy places)
• Valerian (Grasslands, damp meadows, up to dry alpine)**
• Vervain (Sunny temperate)**
• Wintergreen (Woods and clearings)
• Witch Hazel (Moist light woods, streams)*
• Woad (Native to chaparral, naturalized north)
• Woodruff (Moist temperate woods)
• Wormwood (Chaparral regions)
• Yarrow (Fields and meadows)
• Yellow Dock (Disturbed ground, meadows)*
• Yohimbe (Tropics)
• Zatar (Arid climes)

If the GM is running a long-term campaign, another opportunity for big profits is farming. Even if the adventurers are too busy to oversea the daily operations of a farm, the characters could invest in a plot of land to grow specific crops on, gaining a profit every year. Another possibility for the characters would be to get in on the sale of some of these crops to places that need them. Grains, fruits, and vegetables are all valuable crops, as well as the following herbs:

• Alfalfa
• Anise (Arid) **
• Basil (Temperate to warm)
• Caraway (Arid to chaparral)
• Cardamom (Tropics, jungle) *** (up to $20)
• Chamomile (Temperate)**
• Chervil (Temperate)**
• Cinnamon (Tropics)
• Cloves (Tropics) **
• Coffee (African Savannahs) ***
• Coriander (Arid to Chaparrals)
• Cumin (Chaparral)
• Dill (Chaparrals)*
• Fennel (Chaparrals)
• Flax (Cooler climates, but sold everywhere) *
• Garlic (Widely cultivated)*
• Ginger (Tropics)
• Hop (Temperate)*
• Hyssop (Temperate)
• Indigo (Tropics) *** (+$30; most important blue dyestuff for a time)
• Lavender (Chaparral)**
• Lemon Balm (Warmer climes)*
• Lemon Verbena (Warm climes)**
• Marigold (Calendula variety, Warmer climes)*
• Marjoram (Chaparral to Arid)*
• Myrrh (Very hot regions)
• Oatstraw (Temperate)
• Onion (Native to Asia, cultivation widespread)*
• Oregano (Chaparrals)*
• Orris bulbs (Chaparrals)
• Parsley (Temperate)**
• Passionflower (Warmer regions, not native to Old World)*
• Peppermint (Many regions, usually near water)
• Rosemary (Chaparrals)
• Rue (Dry areas)
• Saffron (Widely cultivated) *** (35,000 flowers needed for 1 pound--set your own price)
• Sage (Northern Chaparrals, cultivated to temperate)*
• Savory (Chaparrals)
• Tarragon (Widely cultivated)*** (Hard to maintain plants, up to $20 a pound)
• Thyme (Native to chaparral, widely cultivated)

Next Article: Poisons and Gaming.