by Cyda Gwae'nóna
In a time where it is considered easier to make your way to an Alchemists Lab, or the nearest Cathedral or Temple to cure an illness, often the simplest tried and true methods of tending common ailments have been all but forgotten. In this and the following articles I will be writing to share with those who would lend an ear, or at least wish to save a little gold, how to use the most common treatments with the highest efficiency and best outcomes. Today, I will write of one of the most familiar herbs one encounters on an everyday basis: Peacebloom.
It is perhaps the most widely used and known herb. It is found outside the gates of nearly every large city, but thrives best in mild climates and in areas with rich soil and full sun. The small white flower is a versatile herb that can be used to treat a wide variety of common ailments ranging from headaches, to skin rashes, sleeplessness, and upset stomachs. Proof enough of the plants medicinal usage is the fact that it is the first herb an alchemist is taught to harvest and use in various healing draughts.
There are several ways to prepare the herb, after harvesting the flower. The first and most common is to dry the bloom. To do this, one should cut the Peacebloom at the base of the plant where it sprouts from the earth, tie each handful off at the bottom and hang it from a high, dry place. Afterwards the head of the flower can be crushed and a spoon full placed in small gauze bags for tea, and soaks. Another method of of preparing Peacebloom is upon harvesting the plant, remove the flowering heads and grind them into a paste with the aid of a mortar, pestle and a dram of water for consistency.
When places in a tea, Peacebloom flowers are used internally for many common physical symptoms: a woman’s moontime cramps, indigestion, fever, colds, headaches, sleeplessness, vomiting, stress, nervousness, and poor digestion. For babies, the tea can be mixed with his mothers milk to treat symptoms of teething pain and colic. Externally, Peacebloom flowers can be ground into a paste and used to treat skin irritations such as blisters, infections, rashes, and burns. Lastly, dried Peacebloom flowers can be inhaled for breathing troubles and allergic issues such as asthma, and hay fever by steeping the gauze-bags in a teapot. Then with a towel draped over ones head and shoulders, breathe in deeply the steam issued forth for relief from that which plagues.
In closing, Peacebloom is a versatile plant that is relatively easy to harvest and prepare, however, I feel the need to remind that even healing herbs can turn poisonous if not prepared correctly and so, I would suggest visiting your local apothecary to pick up one of the many books available to the public, or ask for some instruction on the particulars.
