Herb and Illness List (For Healers)

[Firemoon]

Herbs
((most of these herbs are directly from Erin Hunter's Warriors Field Guide: Secrets of the Clans, i do not claim them as my own in any way.))

Borage Leaves They should be chewed and eaten. The plant can be distinguished by its small blue or pink star-shaped flowers and hairy leaves. Great for nursing mothers as it helps increase their supply of milk. Also brings down fever.

Burdock Root A tall-stemmed, sharp-smelling thistle with dark leaves. A Healer must dig up the roots, wash off the dirt, and chew them into a pulp which cures infection.

Chervil A sweet-smelling plant with large, spreading, fernlike leaves and small white flowers. The juice of the leaves can be used for infected wounds, and chewing the roots helps with bellyache.

Cobweb Spiderwebs can be found all over the forest. Healers wrap it around an injury to soak up the blood and keep the wound clean. Stops bleeding.

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.

Comfrey Identifiable by its large leaves and small bell-shaped flowers, which can be pink, white, or purple. The fat black roots of this plant can be chewed into a poultice to mend broken bones or soothe wounds.

Dock A plant similar to sorrel. The leaf can be chewed up and applied to soothe scratches.

Dried Oak Leaf Collected in the autumn and stored in a dry place. Stops infection.

Evergreen Needles They can make other herbs more bearable to taste as well as helping, very minorly, to lower temperature. It is most often suggested that it be used to strengthen Feverfew if a wolf has a very high temperature. It also helps with belly ache.

Feverfew A small bush with flowers like daisies. The leaves can be eaten to cool down body temperature, particularly for wolves with fever or chills.

Goldenrod A tall plant with bright yellow flowers. A poultice of this is terrific for healing wounds.

Honey A sweet, golden liquid created by bees. Difficult to collect without getting stung, but great for soothing infections or the throats of wolves who have breathed smoke.

Horsetail A tall plant with bristly stems that grows in marshy areas. The leaves can be used to treat infected wounds. Usually chewed up and applied as a poultice.

Juniper Berries A bush with smiky dark green leaves and purple berries. The berries soothe bellyaches and help wolves who are having trouble breathing.

Lavender A small purple flowering plant. Cures fever.

Marigold A bright orange or yellow flower that grows low tothe ground. The petals or leaves can be chewed into a pulp and applied as a poultice to wounds. Stops infection.

Mouse Bile A bad-smelling liquid that is the only remedy for ticks. Dab a little moss soaked in bile on a tick and it'll fall right off. Wash paws thoroughly in running water afterward.

Poppy Seeds Small black seeds shaken from a dried poppy flower, these are fed to wolves to help them sleep. Soothes wolves suffering from shock and distress. Not recommended for nursing mothers.

RainFire Flower An extremely rare and beautiful flower, it is found only in areas where water is very plentiful, and yet the air is extremely warm. The stem and leaves of this flower are the only known cure for the BloodCough, though the ruby petals are extremely poisonous. The most common places to find it are around hotsprings or oasis.

Stinging Nettle The spiny green seeds can be administered to a wolf who's swallowed poison, while the leaves can be applied to a wound to bring down the swelling.

Tansy A strong-smelling plant with round yellow flowers. Good for curing coughs, but must be eaten in small doses.

Thyme This herb can be eaten to calm anxiety and frayed nerves.

Waterfall Flower A rare flower that is only ever found near waterfalls, and usually with only a single flower blooming. It is a beautiful, deep sapphire blue and these beautiful petals are part of the BloodCough cure.

Watermint A leafy green plant found in streams or damp earth. Usually chewed into a pulp and then fed to a wolf suffering from bellyache.

Wild Garlic Rolling in a patch of wild garlic can help prevent infection.

Wolfsbane Extremely important in helping to regulate a wolf's temerature, such as if they are suffering from WinterCold or SummerHot.

Yarrow A flowering plant whose leaves can be made into a poultice and applied to wounds or scratches to expel poison.

NOTE:
Deathberries Red berries that can be fatally poisonous to pups. They are NOT medicine. Also known as yew berries. BEWARE!

Illnesses

The BloodCough The BloodCough is an extremely painful illness and is extremely contagious. It is perhaps the worst illness Healers face. It starts with all the symptoms of RunningNose, but progresses within a week's time to extreme weakness, so much so that a wolf can barely stand, towards the end of the week, the wolf will go thorugh intense, painful, but very sporadic(random) spasms. By the time the wolf reaches the stage of spasms, it grows hard for them to stop coughing and sneezing and it is only then that the disease becomes contagious. Healers should notice a wolf getting weaker as the days go by and should do their best to find the RainFire Flower to cure them before the spasms start. The final symptom is when a wolf starts coughing up blood severely and is unable to stop. Once a wolf starts coughing up blood, there is no more hope to live. A wolf must get the cure before the blood coughing begins.
The BloodCough
Symptoms
1. running nose
2. build up of "gunk" in eyes
3. after about a day of this, severe coughing and hacking
4. soon enough the coughing leads to coughing up blood(hence why the disease is called the BloodCough)
Treatment
Treatment must occur before the wolf begins to cough or they are as good as dead. The only way to cure it is by giving a wolf the Death'sBane Serum made by a single DeathBerry, the Waterfall Flower's petals, and RainFire Flower's steam and leaves.
This must never be eaten by any but those who have the BloodCough, or it is deadly, and must be mashed together with the paws and quickly washed off in water, not by the tongue!
How It Spreads
The BloodCough is EXTREMELY contagious, but only after the blood coughing begins. Before this point, it is only able to spread through blood contact with the infected wolf. If a wolf in the pack begins to cough up blood, a Pack should leave the wolf to die alone unless they want the whole pack to die with them. There is no hope of cure after the blood coughing begins anyway, and the wolf will be too weak to follow. It is suggested that wolves avoid the area where the infected wolf died for as long as possible, staying as far away as they can without hindering the pack's ability to hunt and survive. Wolves and Big Cats are the only animals capable of contracting this disease, so there is no need to worry about consuming infected prey, though if they haven't washed themselves, either in mud or with their tongues, or been rained on, they are still capable of carrying the disease for some time.

The BloodRage (Rabies) This is an incurable disease, though thankfully it is rare. When a wolf contracts the BloodRage, he goes berserk after about a week and attempts to kill anything in his path, friend or foe. He is blind to reason and emotion and is pure instinct, killing instinct. He is delerious with and unquenchable thirst and foams at the mouth in great amounts a couple days before this happens. This should be the sign for the pack to leave him behind, lest they risk him killing or infecting everyone.
Symptoms
1. exhaustion for no apparent reason (for 2-4 days)
2. extreme thirst that can not be quenched (usually after about 4 days of first contracting the disease)
3. delirium from dehydration, begins to see things that are not there or mistake things that are, starts not recognizing family and friends, becomes paranoid (usually after 5 or 6 days)
4. foaming at the mouth in copious amounts
5. the wolf can no longer recognize anything but instead sees everything as an enemy intent on his death, he goes on a rampage, killing or destroying anything in sight. This lasts for perhaps an hour before the wolf dies (usually after about 7 days)
Treatment
NONE
How it Spreads/is Caused
The BloodRage can only spread through blood contact, this includes eating infected prey, even licking the wound of a friend.

WheezingCough
Symptoms
Treatment
How it Spreads/is Caused

WinterCold
Symptoms
Treatment
How it Spreads/is Caused

SummerHot
Symptoms
Treatment
How it Spreads/is Caused

EndlessThirst
Symptoms
Treatment
How it Spreads/is Caused

RunningNose
Symptoms
The equivalent of a Cold, RunningNose is very minor, but may develop into WheezingCough if not treated. There are very few symtoms and most are similar to DenFever:
1. a running nose always occurs, hence the name RunningNose
2. sneezing and coughing usually occur
3. eyes might become slightly red and itchy
4. head aches and stomach aches are common, though they do not always happen
5. fever might occur in slightly more serious cases, as well as throwing up
Treatment
Feverfew chewed together with Evergreen Needles can help with fever and Poppy Seeds with Evergreen Needles can dull head and stomach aches, while Tansy can be used to lessen heavy coughing. Wolves should get as much rest as possible for a few days until this goes away, otherwise it could progress into WheezingCough.
How it Spreads/is Caused
It spreads from one wolf to another from being in close proximity with an infected wolf for any period of time. Being near a wolf with RunningNose does not always ensure that you will catch it.

DenFever
Symptoms
An equivalent of KennelCough, DenFever is a very minor illness that only really makes a wolf more miserable than they have to be. Symptoms can include any or all of these:
1. Sneezing
2. Coughing
3. minor Head aches
4. minor Stomach aches
5. slight Fever
6. running nose, though this is rare
7. in slightly more serious cases, throwing up
Treatment
Poppy Seeds and Feverfew with Ocean Water can lessen symptoms to almost none, but only being active and getting out in the fresh air and sunlight really cures it
How it Spreads/is Caused
DenFever is common in young pups and mothers, and sick and wounded wolves, who are closed up in dens for most of the time, but it is not contagious and doesn't neccessarily occur in every wolf that is caged up for any period of time.


*If you have ideas for any other illnesses, copy this form and reply to this thread:

Illness Name:
Illness Symptoms:
Illness Cure:
How it spreads or is caused: