Herbs
Trees for shelter and herbs for healing.
"Out of the broken stone grew a sprout, and from that seedling would come all the world's medicines."
Overview
The herbs found in and around StoneClan territory are typical of medicinal plants found in temperate North America. Many of these herbs are familiar to the four original clans, but some herbs, such as Borage, are not native to the Western Hemisphere, and others, like Cohosh, are unfamiliar to the woodlands of England.
Historically, StoneClan medicine cats had license to roam further than their warrior kin in search of medicine, but generations of medicine cats have learned to make do with the productive patches of herbs alongside streams and meadows. With the invasion of Twolegs to the territory, much of the oldest, most deeply-rooted woodland has been cleared, but newly-disturbed land along Twolegplace and Thunderpaths have created an ideal environment for useful plants like Plantain and Yarrow. StoneClan is blessed with a long warm season, but many herbs appear only during Newleaf or Leaf-fall, and medicine cats make an effort to preserve and store what herbs are needed out of season or collect workable alternatives where they can be found. Willow bark and wild rose hips can be found growing naturally in the walls of StoneClan's new medicine den, but one young herbalist's apprentice has even taken to weeding and cultivating the helpful herbs that grow in the nearby Barren Place.
Herb training
Even in the strictly regimented society of old StoneClan, warriors were trained with a working knowledge of some basic herbs, either from experience or from lessons with their mentors. Cobwebs, moss, and mouse bile were fixtures in every apprentice's early days. Poppy seeds, of course, were every sore warrior's favorite herb to beg off of an exasperated medicine cat. But most warriors also knew the uses for marigold, dock, and juniper, and no warrior could forget if they had once been saved by catmint or yarrow. Other herbs, however, were more clandestine, reserved for The Mysteries passed from medicine cat to medicine apprentice, and after the successive deaths of Swansong and Cinnamonswirl, knowledge of their use was lost.
StoneClan's current herbalist, Cherviltail, learned all her mother remembered about herbs as a young cat. Now, determined to better treat her chronically ill sister and her new clanmates, she experiments with plants and interviews older cats and traveling loners for herbal knowledge. In modern StoneClan, all apprentices receive formal training in first aid and herblore alongside hunting and fighting, so that this vital information might never be lost again.
Herbs
Alfalfa
Hayfields | Greenleaf and Leaf-Fall
Alfalfa, found exclusively in farm cat territory, is used to promote lactation and good health in nursing mothers. A thickly growing plant with full, oval-shaped leaves in sets of three, it is a favorite food of farm monsters. Take particular care when collecting.
Bindweed
Vining up posts and tall grass | Greenleaf
The strong, flexible vines of bindweed are used in combination with straight sticks to bind broken legs. Easily identifiable by its trumpet-shaped flowers in Greenleaf, bindweed can be found equally in wild fields and Twoleg nests.
Substitute the thinnest tendrils of wild grape in Leaf-Fall and Leaf-Bare. These vines are easily found in the shelter of trees, but their tough bark is difficult to work with.
Bramble leaves
Disturbed land | Newleaf through Leaf-Fall
These leaves are chewed into a pulp and applied to treat bee stings. This herb is also a painkiller and is used to help stop bleeding during kitting. While young shoots are the mildest tasting, bramble leaves can be collected in any green season and store well. The thorny canes are a hazard to the eyes and fur.
Also known as blackberry, raspberry, or wineberry.
Burial herbs
Various locations | Year-round
Mint, lavender, and rosemary are aromatic herbs that are used by elders to mask the scent of death for a fallen warrior's vigil and burial.
Burdock root
Everywhere | Year-round
Burdock root is chewed into a poultice to treat rat bites. The plant's large, soft leaves can be seen in bunches sprouting directly from the ground.
Strong-smelling wild garlic can also be used to treat rat bites, but it is more commonly used for disguising one's scent.
Catmint
Twolegplace | Newleaf through Leaf-Fall
Catmint is rarely found in the wild is but often grown by Twolegs. It is able to cure whitecough or greencough. This delicate, silvery herb is treasured wherever it is found.
Substitute chickweed when it is plentiful in Newleaf.
Celandine
Fields | Newleaf through Leaf-Fall
Celandine is used to soothe and treat damaged eyes. When broken, the feathery upright herb drips a yellow sap that is applied directly to the eye.
Substitute a poultice of witch hazel when its yellow flowers appear in late Leaf-Fall.
Chicory root
Fields and roadsides | Year-round
The bitter-tasting root of the chicory plant can be chewed for a burst of energy. Some cats cannot stand the taste, but a few enjoy it. On Greenleaf mornings, dense stands of blue chicory flowers bloom in the fields.
Kits and growing apprentices should not be allowed chicory root. The burst of energy gained could spell havoc.
Cobwebs
Everywhere | Year-round
Sticky white cobwebs have many uses, from bandaging bleeding wounds to binding poultices to an injury. They are challenging to store and are best collected fresh.
Cohosh
Woodlands | Greenleaf
Cohosh is a versatile herb for queens. Its root may be chewed to ease cramping or soothe the hot flashes of elders. However, it may also induce labor in expectant queens.
Coltsfoot
Disturbed land | Newleaf
A dandelion-like yellow flower that disappears at the end of Newleaf, coltsfoot can be chewed into a pulp and eaten to ease shortness of breath. It can also be used to treat cracked or sore pads.
Comfrey
Woodlands | Newleaf and Greenleaf
A long-leafed plant with pale blue flowers on a long, central stalk. The fat, black roots of the plant can be chewed into a poultice to mend broken bones. Comfrey leaves may also be chewed and the juice used to soothe minor cuts and scratches.
Cow parsley
Along roadsides and streams | Newleaf and Greenleaf
The juice of cow parsley leaves can be used to treat infected wounds. Chewing its roots can help with bellyache and the pain of labor. This plant has soft, feathery leaves and tiny white flowers.
A word of warning: the leave of this plant can stop a queen from producing milk. Do not use to treat cats with nursing kits. If intended for this use, take one leaf per day until the milk stops.
Dock
Everywhere | Newleaf through Leaf-Fall
The broad green leaves of dock plants can be chewed into a slippery poultice that is used to treat a variety of ailments. It can be applied with appropriate herbs to protect scratches and help stop bleeding. the cooling poultice is also able to soothe the sting of cracked pads or bee stings.
Like Dock, the equally common herb plantain is used to soothe irritation, beestings, and rashes. It is also used to cover larger wounds and to wrap and store herbs.
Dried oak leaves
Woodlands | Leaf-Fall
The astringent dried leaves of oak are collected in Leaf-Fall and may be applied to stop infections.
Elderberry
Hedgerows and farmland | Flowers in Newleaf and berries in Greenleaf
Elderberry is used to support sickly cats, and the berries can be made into a poultice that soothes a sore throat. The white Newleaf flowers are sweet but less effective, but nausea-causing seeds must be removed from the more potent berries before use.
Beware dogbane: it superficially resembles elderberry, but every part of the plant is toxic.
Feverfew
Fields| Newleaf through Leaf-Fall
A small bush with flowers like daisies. The leaves can be eaten to cool down body temperature, particularly for cats with fever or chills.
Ginger root
Woodlands | Year-round
The spicy root of this heart-shaped, mat-forming plant can be chewed to soothe bellyaches.
Honey
Beehives | Year-round
A thick, golden created by bees. Difficult to collect without getting stung, but great for soothing infections or the throats of cats who have breathed smoke. Honey is tasteless to cats but provides a pleasant cooling sensation when swallowed.
Juniper berries
Woodland edges and Twolegplace | Year-round
The small, dusty blue berries of this prickly conifer bush may be eaten to soothe bellyaches and ease troubled breathing.
Marigold
Sunny fields and Twolegplace | Newleaf through Leaf-Fall
A small shrub with golden flowers that bloom throughout the year. The colorful petals and juice of the leaves can be applied as a poultice to wounds to stop bleeding and prevent infection.
Moss
Moist, shady areas | Year-round
Fresh moss is used to carry clean water to cats unable to leave the camp. Dry moss is also collected by apprentices and used to line nests.
Mouse bile
Freshkill | Year-round
This foul-smelling substance is extracted from freshly-killed mice and applied with moss to remove ticks. New apprentices are most commonly assigned this unpleasant task.
Poppy seeds
Sunny roadsides and Twolegplace | Greenleaf and Leaf-Fall
These tall, showy flowers contain tiny, precious seeds used frequently to induce sleep or soothe a frightened or anxious cat. Poppy seeds are not recommended for nursing queens, as the sedative properties of the herb have been known to pass into milk.
Substitute dandelion root, a more common but less potent pain reliever, in times of shortage or for nursing queens. Thyme is also commonly used as a calming aid for distressed cats.
Snakeroot
Forests | Year-round
Juice from the thick, red root of this herb, identified aboveground by its characteristic zig-zagging stem, may be used to alleviate snakebites. But beware, some venom cannot be healed.
Stinging nettle
Disturbed land | Newleaf through Leaf-Fall
The spiny leaves of this tall, bushy plant are used to bring down swelling on a wound. Less commonly, its seeds can be swallowed to induce vomiting.
Traveling herbs
Various | Various
Woodsorrel, daisy, rose hips, and coneflower are bundled together and consumed to decrease appetite and promote vigor for long treks. Individually, each is a potent immune booster, but together, but they are most commonly eaten as a mixture.
The StoneClan medicine den is shaded by a tangle of wild roses, whose red fruit are regularly fed as a strengthening herb to most patients. Rose hips are sweetest after the first frost of Leaf-Fall, and when dried, store well.
Violet
Shady areas | Flowers in Newleaf, leaves year-round.
Violet's fragrant purple flowers, and to a lesser extent its bitter, heart-shaped leaves, is used as an antiseptic and to treat toothache.
Willow
Streeamsides | Year-round
The delicate bark of young willow is chewed to ease aches and pains. The leaves can also be fed as a pulp with cats suffering from an upset stomach, but care must be taken not to ingest too much of either substance. StoneClan camp is nestled under a woven crown of young willows, and the springy stems are used by warriors for construction and storage.
Yarrow
Everywhere | Newleaf through Leaf-Fall
The feathery, fernlike leaves of Yarrow are extremely useful in inducing vomiting after ingesting crowfood, Twoleg waste, or other poisons. Fresh supplies are kept at the ready at all times for speedy use.