Herbology Review

First year student

Lesson 1

Intro to Herbology & Basic Equipment

What is Herbology & why is it important?

Herbology is the study of both magical and non-magical plants. Any witch or wizard who understands both the properties and the nature of plants is called a Herbologist.

There are many uses for the information gained while studying plants. You need to know the differences between each plant, how to care for them, how to gather them in the correct way without causing you or the plants harm as well as the properties of both magical and non-magical plants.

Without studying Herbology you would not have the needed information.

Basic Equipment

The equipment you really need are: Protective gloves (preferably Dragon- hide). Ear-muffs. Your Wand. Some Dittany. An Apron. A mask of some kind to cover your face while pulling

some plants up. Fertilizer – Mooncalf Dung is gentler than Dragon Dung

but not as powerful. Drink – most plants prefer Centaur tears as it is more

nutritious than normal water. Note = Never use Centaur tears on salt water plants - it is poisonous to them.

Lesson 2

Care & use of plants in Potions

Different plants need different types of care. The different aspects that should be taken into account when caring for plants are: Sunlight Watering Lifespan – This varies for all plants. They can end

up living anything from 3 years to 5000 years, this is only when they are healthy and being cared for properly. Trees are known to have a long lifespan compared to other plants.

Habitat- They are normally different for different plants. Many plants have ended up moving from their native habitat and have had to adapt to their new habitat.

Repotting - This is considered a very important stage and a right of passage. With many plants when they are repotting their diet will change, and they might need a different amount of water.

Type of soil & how deep the seeds need to go in the ground when planting them.

Care for plants

Uses in potionsPlants are a major ingredient when it comes to making

potions. Most potions would not work or get the correct effect if the plants are not added when required.

Some of the main plants used in potions are: Mistletoe berries/Peppermint/Knotgrass/Aconite

roots/Rose Oil/Rose thorns/Poppy headsWhile many plants are used as an active ingredient in

potions some are used as fragrance only. Others are used to simply make the potion fresh. Plants are often chosen for medical reasons, it all depends on certain properties, such as temperament and how toxic they are.

Lesson 3

Basic herbs & Fungi

Gillyweed This plant is native to the Mediterranean Sea. It

grows to between 5cms and 7cms tall. If somebody ate Gillyweed they would grow gills

and then webs would form between their toes & fingers.

Soil for Gillyweed must be kept with a P.H level of 7.9 – 8.4. It requires water in large amounts, and minimal sunlight. It is slimy to touch and grows in a bushel and is a grayish-greeny colour.

Valerian Root It is native to Europe as well as parts of Asia, as well as being

found in north America since having migrated there. Non-Magical people are aware of the Valerian root but not aware of it’s magical capabilities.

This plant is mostly used in sleeping potions. It’s anxiolytic and so it is used also in calming draughts too. It is mainly used in the draught of living death & the forgetfulness potion. The sprig of Valerian Root is used in perfumes as it smells of vanilla and cherry. Cats are very attracted to it.

It can grow up to 5 feet tall and grows in clusters of small flowers. It is best harvested in spring or in fall. To keep Valerian Root healthy it needs at least 7 hours of sunlight every day. It needs to be planted at 7/8ths of an inch down in soil with a P.H of 4.5 to 5.0.

Knotgrass This plant is native to Europe. It

grows anything from 4cms to 5cms wide. Knotgrass is required ingredient for the polyjuice potion, it is also used in mead and in some love potions. It has been used to treat urine infections as well as fertility problems.

Knotgrass grows best in soil with a P.H of neutral level. It needs loads of water and sunlight. It blooms in summertime with flowers that are white, pink & green.

Dittany This can only be found growing in Greece,

Crete, although herbologists and healers can mimic the climate in greenhouses and grow it in them.

Although Dittany has got romantic qualities it is mostly used in healing ointments, for preventing scarring, love potions, and sometimes is used as a wand core. Dittany has to be used in liquid form.

For Dittany to grow properly it needs loads of sunlight & warmth. It needs soil at the P.H level of 6.6 to 7.3. The temperature must be at 13 degrees Celsius.

Lesson 4

Dangerous Plants

Mandrake Mandrake is mostly used in Sleeping potions, love potions

and in the potion to restore people who have been petrified.

In the olden days they would uproot the mandrake by digging the roots up then tying a rope around the roots and tie the rope to a dog. The dog would follow the owner when they walked away and the plant would scream and therefore kill the dog.

Nowadays they have safer ways to uproot mandrakes. They just simply wear earmuffs and then put the plant

into a aquatandisu potion which prevents the mandrake screaming.

First Aid = If a person touches a mandrake, going into a coma, you need to wash the area where it touched, and get a healer to give them a tandisu injection. If the person dies, there is no cure. Side effects are hallucinations, coma and can kill with its cry.

Also known as Mandagora, they grow mostly in European countries. They are shaped like a parsnip with the root looking like a very wrinkly person. The part that grows above the ground grows to between 5 and 40cms.

Devil’s Snare It natively grows in Scotland, in the highlands and the lowlands. It will attack people when they are sleeping, with their backs turned, or are already within the devil’s snares grasp. It is quite like quicksand in the way it sucks people in, the more they struggle the quicker it kills them. To escape you need to relax, and the plant will release you,

or if able to get to your wand you could do Incendio – this is the best method of defence against them. This plant is usually used in assassination attempts, or as a distraction.

There is a law in place about this plant saying that it cannot be grown or planted within 1000 meters of anyplace muggles go often.

First aid = Treat them for strangulation in an emergency. Spells that could be used are; Rennervate & Anapneo.

Bubotuber This plant is also native to Scotland. It looks like a big black

slug and when it is squeezed it releases a gassy yellow pus. Once the pus is diluted it can be used to get rid of acne, if

touched before being diluted it can cause rashes and burns. It is classed as corrosive by the non-magical people even

though they have no idea what it is. To grow it must be planted in the dark with the soil being

rich and not much sunlight. It is also recommended that loads of dragon dung is used as fertilizer.

First aid = cleanse the area for 5 minutes under clean cold water. After this apply dittany and if needed take a pain potion.

Lesson 5 – Rat RootIt is a reed like plant, a water plant and it grows to about 1

meter tall. It has a strong scent and bitter taste. It must be watered every 2 to 3 days. The best place for this plant is in marshes, shallow water and needs to be in the sunshine, never in the shade.

Properties are: Sedative/Abortifacient Otalgic/Laxative/Anodyne Hallucinogen/ Counters hallucinogens Diuretic/ Cariminative Aphrodisiac/Anthelmintic As it has so many properties it is used to a variety of things, as

floor covering, in healing potions, digestive potions, as well as being used to calm people.

Lesson 6

Advanced Herbology

Bouncing bulbs

They are purple and shaped like a bulb. It can grow as big as a door way sometimes.

They need enough dirt to fill a bath with a neutral P.H. level. They prefer to have centaur tears than normal water and like bright lit areas.

When they are not restrained they can jump and move about. When threatened they can be dangerous, to subdue them there are separate ways for young and matured bouncing bulbs.

For young – flippendo should work to knock themback. For mature – you will need to Incendio them.

Gurdyroot They look like mini onions, but they smell so it is easy to tell

them apart. They are used when warding evil off and in similar effect potions. An example is that they ward of Gulping Plimpies. Gurdyroot is used in the drink; the Gurdyroot infusion.

They live in a variety of places, as long as the soil there has enough nutrients. They can live for a few months and they will grow to be 15cm diameter when given enough sunshine.

Aconite Also known as monkshood or wolfsbane. It

is a poisonous sedative, powerful even in small doses. It’s used to slow heart rates and to treat prickly pain on the skin.

It grows in the wild, places such as mountain ranges and forests that have moderate temperatures. It does best when in dark, fluffy soil and in shady areas, so it’s best to plant them near trees.

When caring for Aconite you need to always be wearing dragon-hide protective gloves. When harvesting outside don’t leave the roots open as they will harm the nearby wildlife.

Never tend to this plant with an open wound on your hands as if poisoned then it will affect it. Apply the antidote straight away and then go to the hospital.

Wormwood Wormwood is normally found in

Europe. It is wood like with roots and leaves. It grows to be 1 to 2 meters tall.

Also known as absinthe, it is normally associated with sorrow and bitterness. Wormwood likes salty water rather than normal water, this is believe to be due to the bitterness of the plant.

It is a main ingredient for the draught of living death, used by healers to help heal digestive disorders, as well as used to treat insect bites, fevers, and gall bladder.

Properties of wormwood are; Ability to induce sweating, stimulates imagination, increases hunger, settles stomach and reduces pain.

Lesson 7 – Non-magical plants

It is important to notice whether a plant is magical or not.

Non-magical plants tend to be less temperamental, safer as well as they usually do not cause a explosion.

Lily Plants

Lilies are most known for their flowers. They come in so many different colours, shapes and sizes. They interact well with magic, and magic will help it grow quicker.

They need to be planted a quarter of an inch into the ground with soil filled with nutrients and they need some access to sunshine, only 4 or 5 hours though. Regularly water them as well.

They are a plant known to attract birds. They also provide many health benefits when dried such as treating angina. They are also great for treating burns and preventing scarring. Also used for coughs, fever, stomach problems, wounds, sores, and washing swollen areas.

The scent from the lily plant is often used for aromatherapy and the oil is used in anti-depression potions.

English Rose

There are also many uses medically for English rose seeds, such as the seeds are a laxative, treats headaches, relieves colic, coughs, dry skin, itching in women, clears up acne, helps with grief and insomnia, stress, prevents scurvy. When they are eaten it helps ease colds, fevers, swelling in puffy skin, sometimes it helps induce sleep and regulate blood thickness.

English Rose This rose grows in both

partial and full sunshine. It is a shrub that grows anything from 7 to 20. When planted it needs to be put into soil with a P.H. level of 5.5 to 7.0. It needs loads of water, be careful not to drown them though.

Always wear protective dragon-hide gloves with this plant.

The medical uses are:

•Sore throat/ Flu/ nosebleeds/ headaches/ colic/ coughs/ fevers/

•Burns/ dog bites/ chronic finger sores/ dry skin

•Diarrhea/ kidney stones/ seeds are a laxative

•Period regulator/ anti-depressant/ anti-inflammatory/ itching in women/ scurvy

•Clears up acne, helps with grief, insomnia, stress, regulate blood thickness.

Lesson 8

Challenges in Herbology

The Gardening effect It is called this because of the negative perception given to

herbology in the last 300 years or so. Herbology plays an important role in both worlds, but is especially so in the areas of medicine and healing.

The wizarding world is not enthusiastic to fund herbology, but potioneers have been donating money to fund more research to further peoples understanding of plants and their properties, only problem is this funding was limited to only how plants are used in potions. St mungo’s also donated but didn’t give much as they were worried of what the public would say or do.

It lacks candidates, most people who start studying it further change to a different field of study such as healing or potions. They usually end up making less money than other people with the same amount of education as well.

The Alien species Another problem in the world of herbology is alien species,

which is plants or animals which live outside of there usual habitat, ecosystem or geological range. This can have so many effects on other plants.

Invasion for example is one challenge. This is where the seed or plant multiply in a new territory, they then adapt to that new territory, leaving that plant to ‘take over’ the new area.

The plant keeps multiplying until there are so many even the ecosystem cannot handle it.

The hazards are; The alien plants usually need more resources which further drains the ecosystem, it’s a major issue especially when it is to do with water as they could cause the ground to become too dry and cause other plants to die out.

THE END!!