Herbs - this is for medicine cats and healers only

[.:Speckle:.]

This is a post with different illnesses and the herbs that treat them.

Cough - a sickness that is like a human cold. Symptoms are just coughs and sneezes, though it can be dangerous to kits or young cats. Best Treatment: Tansy

Greencough - a sickness similar to pneumonia that is often rampant among the Clans in leaf-bare. Symptoms include wheezing, pus excreted from the eyes, fever, and green phlegm streaming from the nose and mouth. Best Treatment: Catmint, feverfew, and lavender

Whitecough - a mild sickness like a cold. More common than greencough, but can become greencough or even the fatal blackcough. Symptoms include sneezing, white phlegm streaming from the nose, and a slightly high temperature. This is similar to kittencough, which is the least harmful of all coughs and is mostly caught by kits. Best Treatment: Catmint

Kittencough - A cough that mostly kits get. Does barely any harm but is common for kits to get when leaf-bare begins. Usally only stays for a few days. Symtoms including coughing, sneezing, and and a runny nose. Treatment: Catmint, rest, sometimes no treatment needed

Blackcough - a fatal sickness that spells certain death for any cat who catches it. Symptoms are unknown, but the black might be blood. Best Treatment: None

Chill - a very mild ailment usually caused by very cold weather or falling into icy water. Much like whitecough, but with cold chills. Best Treament: Catmint, feverfew, and lavender

Cracked pads - a painful ailment usually seen in elderly cats. The pawpads crack from cold or dryness, and if untreated can lead to infection. Symptoms include swelling of the paws and pain. Best Treatment: Marigold, and poppy seed if there is pain

Aching joints - basically arthritis in cats. Caused by age or damp weather. Symptoms include pain and stiffness. Best Treatment: Anything that cures pain other than poppy seeds

Bleeding - blood loss due to injury, such as a wound sustained in battle. Severity depends on injury. Best Treatment: Cobwebs pressed onto the wound

Poisoning - The case of eating Deathberries, poisoned rabbits, or other kinds of harmful things. Best treatment: Yarrow and stinging nettle

Freezing - A case where a cat is too cold and might die. Best Treatment: Grooming fur the wrong way to get the blood flowing.

Starvation - A case where a cat is too hungry. Best treatment: Fresh kill or queen's milk.

Weakness - A case where a cat is exhausted. Best treatment: Rest


(I will add more)

[.:Speckle:.]

Calling all medicine cats! Okay, that herb list is really long and hard to remember, right? So I went and took the time to find the descriptions of every herb there is! I even double-checked Secrets of the Clans to be sure the herbs are correct. And just so you know for sure that it's a real herb and not some mock-up that someone made, there is a book and page number where you can find a quote that proves that herb was used in the books. So! Here is the really (ahem) extensive list of herbs.

Herb List:

Alder Bark: Best used for toothaches, it is only mentioned once in Forest of Secrets. As far as I know, anyways. (pg 84, Forest of Secrets)

Boarge Leaves: A plant that is to be chewed and eaten, borage leaves are great for nursing queens as it helps to increase their supply of milk. Leafpool uses them on Sorreltail to help the queen feed four hungry kits in Sunset. Borage can also bring down fever. (pg 26, Sunset)

Burdock Root: When the dug up root has been washed, it can be chewed into a pulp which is good for all cuts and scrapes, especially rat bites, even if they're infected. It was first used in Midnight by Squirrelpaw to help heal Tawnypelt's infected rat bite. (pg 277, Midnight)

Catmint: Used to treat blackcough, greencough, and whitecough, catmint (also known as catnip) can also help to relax a cat. When Bluestar was sick with greencough in Fire and Ice, Yellowfang sent Fireheart to fetch some catmint to help cool their leader's fever. (pg ??, Fire and Ice)

Celandine: Cleandine is best used to treat ailents of the eyes. Leafpaw mentions how useful this bright yellow plant is to Hawkfrost when she gives him a bundle to take to Mothwing in Midnight. (pg 217, Midnight)

Chamomile: Used to calm cats and to give them physical strength, Yellowfang and Cinderpelt mixed some into her traveling herbs for an agitated Bluestar in Rising Storm. (pg 52, Rising Storm)

Chervil: This white-flowered plant has several different properties. The plant itself can be used to treat infected wounds while the root is best for bellyache. Cinderpelt quizzes Leafpaw on her knowledge of this plant in Midnight. (pg 109, Midnight)

Chickweed: If there is no catmint abailable, chickweed is supposedly a good substitute for countering greencough. I say supposedly because I have yet to find an example in the books; please let me know if you find anything.

Cobwebs: It's common knowledge that cobwebs are used to stop bleeding and keep qounds clean, but there's a quote anyway in The Darkest Hour when Runningnose uses cobwebs to heal Blackfoot's injuries. (pg 298, The Darkest Hour)

Coltsfoot: This flowering herb is effective against kitcough, and the leaves can be chewed into a pulp which can be eaten to help shortness of breath. I haven't found a quote for this one, but it is mentioned in Secrets of the Clans. (pg 135, Secrets of the Clans)

Comfrey: The fat, black roots of this plant can be chewed into a poultice that helps mend broken bones or soothe wounds. It is also mentioned in the herb list in Secrets of the Clans. (pg 135, Secrets of the Clans)

Daisy Leaves: The leaves of this white and yellow plant work wonders on aching joints. I don't have an example for this plant; please tell me if you find one!

Deadly Nightshade: As poisonous as deathberries, deadly nightshade is mentioned only once by Cinderpaw in Forest of Secrets shortly after Cloudkit's encounter with deathberries. (pg 87, Forest of Secrets)

Deathberries: Deathberries (known to Twolegs as yew) are so poisonous that a single berry can kill a young cat. Extremely deadly, the first time it is mentioned is when Cloudkit nearly eats them and is saved by Cinderpaw in Forest of Secrets. (pg 85, Forest of Secrets)

Dock: Good for making a cat's coat as sippery as a fish, the leaf can also be chewed up and applied to soothe scratches. Feathertail and Tawnypelt used it for the former reason to save Squirrelpaw from a clinging fence in Midnight. (pg 205, Midnight)

Feverfew: The leaves of this bush can be eaten to cool down fevers or chills, as well as to treat head pain. It is another herb found on the list in Secrets of the Clans. (pg 135, Secrets of the Clans)

Goldenrod: A poultice of goldenrod is great for healing wounds, and can also help aching joints and stiffness. It is yet another herb found on the list in Secrets of the Clans. (pg 135, Secrets of the Clans)

Honey: This sticky golden liquid was used in Rising Storm by the RiverClan medicine cat, Mudfur, to soothe the throats of several ThunderClan kits who had breathed in too much smoke from the fire. It can also soothe infections. (pg 267, Rising Storm)

Horsetail: The leaves of this tall plant can be used to treat infected wounds, usually by being chewed up for a poultice. The sap can also be used in combination with cobwebs to stop heavy bleeding, like when Cinderpelt used it on Thornpaw in Rising Storm. (pg 194, Rising Storm)

Juniper Berries: The berries of this spiky green bush can soothe bellyache and help cats with breathing. Also good for calming cats, Cinderpelt gave some to Bluestar when she was ill after the fire in A Dangerous Path. (pg 20, A Dangerous Path)

Marigold: The petals or leaves can be chewed into a pulp for a poultice to wounds, as well as stopping infections. It is mentioned in Forest of Secrets when Yellowfang quizzes Cinderpaw on the best herbs for cracked paw pads. (pg 45, Forest of Secrets)

Mouse Bile: If I put a picture of mouse bile here, we'd all probably die from repulsion. When Squirrelpaw disobyed her mentor Dustpelt's orders in Midnight, he sent her to care for the elders, which included using mouse bile to rid their pelts of ticks. (pg 34, Midnight)

Poppy Seeds: The best herb there is to numb pain, distress, and shock and ensure a good night's sleep, Cinderpelt gave some to Speckletail to help the old queen cope with the loss of her final kit, Snowkit. (pg 101, A Dangerous Path)

Stinging Nettle: The spiny green seeds of this plant can help a cat who had swallowed poison, while the leaves can be used to bring down swelling. It is also mentioned on the herb list in Secrets of the Clans. (pg 136, Secrets of the Clans)

Ragwort and Lamb's Ears: Two different mountain herbs, ragwort is shown on the let while lamb's ears are pictured on the right. Stoneteller gave some to Tallstar to give the elderly WindClan leader strength while the Clans were traveling through the mountains. (pg ??, Dawn)

Snakeroot: This small, white-flowering plant can be used to counter poison, however it is not mentioned in Secrets of the Clans and I cannot find it in any of the books.

Tansy: This flowering plant has a strong smell to it, but in small doses is good for curing coughs. It is listed in Secrets of the Clans. (pg 136, Secrets of the Clans)

Thyme: Thyme has a sharp scent that soothes even the most agitated cat. Mothwing brought some for Leafpaw and Sorreltail after they had a bad scare when WindClan attacked them in Moonrise. (pg 55, Moonrise)

Watermint: A good treatment for bellyache when chewed into a pulp, Cinderpelt and Leafpaw used it to heal some elders who had drunk tainted water in Starlight. (pg 42, Starlight)

Wild Garlic: If you're got lots of cuts and scrapes, especially from rat bites, make sure you roll in some wild garlic to keep out infection. Firepaw was going to use some in Into the Wild, but a conversation between Tigerclaw, Darkstripe, and Longtail distracted him before the young hero could find any. (pg ??, Into the Wild)

Yarrow: This herb can be used as an intment, used to soften paw pads (see Marigold) or to make a cat sick so they can expel poison, the most famous case being Sorrelkit's in The Darkest Hour. (pg 45, The Darkest Hour)