Herbalism

Basic Information

Herbalism is a form of traditional medicine which relies on using the naturally occuring properties of plants (herbs) to treat patients. One who practices herbalism is called a herbalist.

Depending on the setting this may be the core of traditional medicine, part of a suite of techniques or merely a source of quack remedies.

Historically the use of plant based therapies goes back to the dawn of time and was a normal part of medicine prior to the development of modern synthetic chemistry … and even in the synthetic era, many pharmaceutical companies are searching the biotae of the world for drugs that can be extracted or copied from natural sources¹. In a future where wet biotechnology is the norm, pharm crops may be specifically developed to express useful compounds in fruit or other parts. In an after the end setting, herbalists may use the feral descendants of pharm crops in their practice.

Herbalistic preparations may be delivered in pretty much any conformation known to man, from compresses to enemas depending on the application and requirement … they are not, however, safely injectable.

Herbalism may also stray into alchemy in the sub-art of spyragic. In a setting which uses such things, herbalism may be a necessary adjunct to healing magic.

Sources

Bibliography

1. full source reference

Game and Story Use

• The science of ethnobotany concerns studying herbalisitc practices to identify drugs suitable for full medicalisation.
• Herbal medicine is likely to be normal any time before the mid 19th century.

Footnotes

1. Indeed significant numbers of current drugs have herbal origins, including quinines (from Jesuit's Bark), NSAIDs (starting with aspirin from willow bark), digitalin (extracted from foxgloves) and scolpamine (from belladona).