Adventurer's Guide to Plant-Based Medicine

[@TravellingTortuga]

Friendly reminder to double check whether your source had been treated by pesticides or herbicides. Don't want you to find yourself poisoned through that, when the plant itself is edible.

[@robertjensen1438]

What should you do if you're addicted to sea weed? Sea kelp.

[@LivingAnachronism]

😂

[@arumatai]

Well, I recommend staying close to the coast!

[@demetrinight5924]

This should help with immersion with anyone with an Herbalist Kit or survival skill in D&D or Pathfinder. Having names of medicinal plants is more interesting than just saying "I use my Herbalist kit to make a salve."

[@LivingAnachronism]

Definitely agreed!

[@IluvinortheIneffable]

There's not enough desert fantasy. Desert is such a great setting.

[@lonelystrategos]

Dandelion salad is a traditional dish in the Saarland region of Germany and they have cultivated it to be less bitter.

[@vitriolicAmaranth]

I've used fresh yarrow on abrasions and occasionally deeper cuts countless times hiking and biking the rocky mountains. It works (FAST), it smells amazing (like if there were a high class perfume loosely based on the smell of medicine) and if you find some on the trail you can take a sprig and tuck it in your hat just in case you need it. It's like nature intended it as first aid. Definitely "if you know no other medicinal plant, you should know this one" territory.

[@publichearing8536]

my preferred herbal remedies are poppy, fly agaric, and silver haze.

[@i.b.640]

We have three types of plantain in Europe. Long leaved, broad leaved and middle leaved. This is Traditional European Medicine and I am not giving Medical Advice, just telling how it is used in my family: The long leaved (Plantago lanceolata) is for throat tinfections and cough, either as a tea or as a syrup (One layer of sugar, one layer of fresh long leaved plantain, one layer sugar and so on. You let it sit for a few weeks, it turns into a brown syrup. Filter out the leaves, done.) You can eat it as well. Middle leaved (Plantago media) is more or less just healthy food. Broad Leaved (Plantago major) is a major ally for insect bites and bee/wasp-stings. Either chew it or bruise it between your fingers and make a poltice. (Yeah, Spit poltice is a thing) or pick the leaves, cut them up and make an oil for an ointment. There is a catch though: The leaves keep their strong healing properties just until the plant goes to seed. So pick it until june or july the latest according to your climate - and make the oil for the rest of the summer.

[@arkenarikson2481]

Thanks, you saved me a lot of typing! XD

[@rocksnrolls]

Writing a short-story based on a small ranger group surviving a year in the wilds for a trial. (Low fantasy where there are a couple of monster species and very low magic) this is genuinely an amazing help!

[@LivingAnachronism]

Awesome! Glad you enjoyed!

[@BDSquirrel]

@@LivingAnachronism It is definitely going to help me run HackMaster in the future. Thanks a bunch.

[@publichearing8536]

one can turn low fantasy into high fantasy by consumption of another prominent herb

[@BDSquirrel]

@@publichearing8536 Very true

[@seanwright8384]

Yarrow is certainly the plant of all time.

[@LivingAnachronism]

Yarrow is LITERALLY a plant

[@jeanlannes4396]

Possibly one of the plants to ever exist.

[@littlekong7685]

@@jeanlannes4396 I would say it definitely is.

[@parablefilms6747]

Truly a great plant, but know how to identify it. The flowers are umbrel-like, and have been confused with Queen Anne's lace and even hemlock, both are toxic and can be deadly.

[@i.b.640]

@@parablefilms6747 Very true! It would be good to be once shown the difference by someone who is experienced. Both Queen Anne's lace and hemlock are true umbels, so you have one point from which all the blossom stalks emerge and a second point on said stalk were another bunch of stalks emerge. Yarrow on the other hand is NOT an umbel but has the stalks of its flowerclusters branching of at different points. ... Once you've seen it, you can easily recognize that. plus, the smell is very different. Yarrow has a strong medicinal smell and the others are faintly carroty. Here I thought my English was quite good, but as soon as you try to explain botany, my vocabulary gets really clunky. I hope it was clear none the less.

[@Beranicus]

1. Thank you so much for mentioning Dandelions! They are often so much considered a weed and a pest that so many dont even realise what an amazing plant it is. In Victorian England Dandelions were VERY popular and recognised for their benefits, so much so they were actively farmed. My favorite wild plant! 2. Plantain is EVERYWHERE in the UK, a very plentiful plant and I find it hard to imagine that it wasn't used in medieval times.

[@PeregrinTintenfish]

There is a region in France where they still farm dandelion. It is a seasonal food though.

[@IgnizAnima]

Dandelions have always been my favorite flower. Idc what anybody says about it.

[@ellenjohnson2826]

Dandelions are also great for your liver. You can eat dandelions raw, but they are very bitter so cooking them and add your favorite condiment is preferred

[@blandedgear9704]

Dandelions are a mild diuretic, by the way- which can be handy, but is something to look out for.

[@TheAsylumCat]

Also, should go without saying, but don't eat dandelions from the side of the street or the sidewalk. All sorts of chemicals get absorbed into it.

[@blandedgear9704]

@@TheAsylumCat A good point. If you intend to eat plants from your garden, you may also want to check that the soil is clean. There used to be an orchard behind my parents' house, and the pesticides and herbicides they sprayed have left the soil contaminated to the point where growing food plants there could be unwise. If so, you can grow food in plant pots instead!

[@TheAsylumCat]

@blandedgear9704 took the garden pill recently, I wanted to grow some amaranth this year, but someone decided that the planter I wanted to use was better for burning garbage. We already have enough microplastics in our food. So it's important to (ironically) keep your dirt clean. There's a lot of food that's just better grown at home.

[@psukebariah3435]

Dandelions are a diuretic, but their high potassium content keeps that from being as severe a problem than other diuretics. They are an excellent liver tonic.

[@blandedgear9704]

@@psukebariah3435 interesting!

[@TheMadPoetHimself]

As a long-time dandelion eater, 10/10 would recommend. Just be careful to avoid harvesting from areas that are less likely to have been treated with pesticides or weed killers... wild is best.

[@Theknightman-wg1dz]

Are the stems gross on those ones too?

[@TheMadPoetHimself]

Yes. It's like broccoli - eat the florets, not the stalks.

[@Non_Descript_Individual]

Dandelions are on official redord as a known super food. Just sayin.'

[@blandedgear9704]

Is that a double negative?

[@GannAinm]

Avoiding havesting in areas where people walk their dogs is also wise for hopefully obvious reasons.

[@tadhgbarker4050]

The plantain can be chewed into a paste and applied to bug bites as well. I learned at a scout camp years ago that it'll nearly completely get rid of a yellow jacket sting in about 8 hours.

[@cassandremenard9062]

I've converted many friends to this use of plantain during larps! 💚

[@jboulderct]

Great content choice! Much like Bushcraft, the practical knowledge overlap in your approach to Anachronism is super useful! I appreciate it very much

[@LivingAnachronism]

Thanks very much, glad you found it helpful, and hopefully entertaining!

[@jboulderct]

@@LivingAnachronism Always entertaining! You have a great presence.

[@brettonalwood4173]

This video is rated adventuring plant/10.

[@Atanalcar]

My vote for athelas is wild basil (clinopodium vulgare, not actually a basil, but a mint). It is an aromatic plant used for headaches, wound-healing, is anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, and antimicrobial, and a whole host of other things besides. The overlap with yarrow is quite large, and it is a bit closer in description than yarrow is.

[@PeregrinTintenfish]

Basil also means king.

[@Blondie42]

Living anachronism on a Monday? Shaweet

[@LivingAnachronism]

Had some delays over the weekend 😅

[@Blondie42]

​@LivingAnachronism I'll take it when ever 😉 Like the new logo, btw

[@riddytheone5435]

as someone who's currently finishing a horticulture course this vid got me excited

[@mansfieldtime]

. I love the "Traveling" studio set. Looks like your staying at an inn or lodge en route to your destination.

[@claire58412]

I'm loving your new series of real life adventuring. Plantain is the absolute best after-bite for stings and bites; even spider bites. Dandelion is a medicinal herb for liver support but it's also all those other things you said. A fabulous herb. Completely agree that yarrow is the best equivalent to king's foil. You've hit the mark with a great handful of herbs that are safe to use and easy to learn. Yay!

[@MystWalkur]

One very important thing to keep in mind when rural foraging (like grabbing dandelions from the backyard or park) is whether there has been weed killer used in the area While my family doesn’t use any weed killers, the neighbors to both sides of us do, vey often. So I’m very hesitant to use forgeables that grow in my yard

[@markfergerson2145]

The kind of weed killer matters. There are several kind of weed killers recommended for different weeds largely based on whether the weed is a monocot or dicot (how many leaves appear with the sprout). They have slightly different metabolisms and the weed killer interferes with one or the other. If your food plants do not die when exposed to the weed killer, it was the wrong kind and the plant will break it down into something that is not toxic to it, or to you. Almost all commercial weed killers are destroyed by ultraviolet from sunlight, their effect comes from prompt direct absorption through the plant’s “skin” and stomata. They do not get into the water table and can’t drift on the wind very far because the droplet size produced by sprayers is too large. If you’re still nervous about your neighbors being too “generous” in their use, don’t eat flowers, leaves or stems, but roots should be fine. “Military grade” herbicides like Agent Orange kill all kinds of plants, are nearly immune to UV and are very persistent, getting into the water table and drifting in the wind. Your plants are extremely unlikely to be exposed to them unless you live in Southeast Asia, but it does slowly break down so by now it’s gone for all practical purposes. I would be more concerned with insecticides. The most effective ones, organometallics, are very persistent and while they were tailored to kill only insects nonetheless have deleterious effects on other invertebrates like worms and we mammals, which is why they are banned in many places. However in places they haven’t been banned they are used widely to control or eliminate crop pests and disease carrying insects. Since organometallics came under fire, insecticide makers have tried to come up with equally effective but less dangerous substitutes with some success but the long term data isn’t in yet. If your concerns are not allayed, just consider all plants you grow to be decorative, unless you set up greenhouses.

[@GannAinm]

Nettles are a sorely underrated weed for eating; get them in Spring, boil them in salted water, let them dry a bit and chuck them in a salad with Dandelion and Wild Garlic or use them in a soup or dry the leaves fully and take as a tea. Apparently excellent for anaemia too. Mandatory mention of Dandelion and Burdock as a drink.

[@tfkns_14]

As someone who made play salad out of plantain all the time as a child, learning that it's actually edible makes me incredibly happy lol

[@saxonhermit]

So one time when I was coming home from work, my spouse was making a shepherd's pie and asked when I'd be home to have some. I was unaware of this and had grabbed a handful of dandelions off the side of the road and eaten them. So I told her that I had eaten some dandelions and was not hungry. She was, as you can imagine, not amused. Still ate the shepherd's pie later that evening, though.

[@mdksailormoon]

*Takes notes for if and when I play as a herbalist witch foraging through the grass.* Great video with great information!

[@Crisilac]

I, too, would rate peppermint as plant/10.

[@explorersguildpublishing9457]

Great to work with you, and fantastic video!

[@SirJohnsonLebaws]

Plantain (or Wegerich in German) was the first plant that my grandma showed me to be medicinal. She used to tell me that, when I cut myself in the garden, I can just rub a leave between my hands and use it as a bandage. As far as I know that is fairly common knowledge here in germany at least among the more elderly folk. Younger people tend to not care too much when medicine is readily available :D Edit: Forgot to mention that Wegerich/Plantain is very very common here in Germany!

[@Bluebelle51]

Indigenous people use cobwebs applied to a wound to stop bleeding. My grandmother called it "spider magic" and sometimes would dab raw honey on it "to stop it from swelling" but she meant preventing it from getting infected because honey has antibiotic properties

[@karladenton5034]

Several beekeepers I know encourage plantain to grow near their hives as a chewed-up leaf is a good poultice for random bee stings and bug bites. Another 'you can eat pretty much every part of it except the seed head after it flowers' plant is the cattail. Roots can be treated like potatoes, (including making them into starch flour), the inner non-woody parts of the leaves (especially the young leaves) are salad greens, the core of the immature seedheads can be eaten like those 'baby corn' bits in stir fry and soups, and the pollen makes a decent cornmeal substitute. The only concern is to be sure that the water the cattail plant grows in is reasonably clean. Both North American varieties and the European variety, while not medicinal, are very useful food sources.

[@gregkral4467]

Used to love whipping myself with handfuls of wild mint stalks, got rid of stink for hunting and cooled down the skin on a hot day, and a few leaves in the drinkig water... yum. And Yarrow, everywhere, and most useful. Sometimes when eyes are injured or slight infection, chamomile teabag and eyepatch for a while, feels very soothing.

[@knightjack]

Good sponsorship. Nicely executed

[@explorersguildpublishing9457]

Completely agree! :D

[@imagine3533]

Really cool video idea! For me as a non native English speaker it was cool to learn some of the English names of plants! I personally learned about plantain being able to stop bleeding, but I might very well be wrong about that. Yarrow grows essentially everywhere I live so I might try to do something with it! I personally already like to make teas out of stuff, currently St. John‘s wort because it‘s blooming, always very rewarding to dry your own plants.

[@AmrodSuri0n]

Here in the Netherlands we call plantain "Weegbree", It is a very common plant. I had a teacher in (what americans would call) elementary shool that taught us a lot about plants and ther (historical) medical uses, and Weegbree was on the top of his list (together with "Duizendblad", which translates to "Thousand Leave(s)", and I just found out is indeed, Yarrow). One of the main uses I remember and utilize, is helping against the sting of ant bites or Nettle (just rub the leaves into a pulp and rub it over the irratated skin), coincidentally, it grows in very similar conditions as nettle, so when you got skin irratation caused by Netle, there is very likely a bunch of Weegbree (plantain) nearby

[@gleann_cuilinn]

Plantain is mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon "Nine Herbs" charm! They called it waybroad (wegbrāde). I don't know what its medicinal use was, but translated into semi-modern English, the charm says: "And thou, Waybread, mother of plants open eastward, mighty within, carts ran over thee, ladies rode over thee, brides cried over thee, bulls snorted over thee, thou withstoodst them all and thou werst crushed, so mayest'ou withstand the poison and infection and the evil that travels round the land."

[@morgansmith1930]

This is such an awesome video. I'd also like to mention sweet woodruff (galium odoratum) as a possible analogue to aethelas - its folk name is "master of the woods," it has white star-like flowers and long lance-shaped leaves; it can be found by its strong wholesome scent (between mown hay and vanilla, which only increases when dried), and it was used to help cure consumption, insomnia, and as a restorative and air-purifier. In the Middle Ages, the leaves were also bruised and applied to cuts and wounds to encourage healing. I love this plant, though you do have to be careful when drying it, as it can apparently be dangerous if it gets moldy.

[@andydaniels3029]

It is important to note of course that all these herbs and more will benefit you most if you have a foraging bag or pouch of sorts with you to collect them on your adventures or travels. Also, perhaps as a facet of being anti-inflammatory, dandelion is also known as a detoxifying agent, particularly for the liver and the kidneys. Another plant to note for fantasy adventuring, particularly if you like other well-known fantasy influences, is wild lettuce, which is a real-world analogue to milk-of-the-poppy without having (as near as I’ve ever been able to find) the negative side effects of real-world poppy.

[@grbdevnull5611]

I thought I had a pot of spearmint in my back yard, so this video inspired me to look into the differences between spearmint and peppermint. Both are great plants, but peppermint is slightly more useful. I also learned that spearmint has green stems and peppermint has purple stems. I double checked my plant and it turns out I don't have spearmint, I have peppermint. Yeah me!

[@hollyingraham3980]

According to *Jeanne Rose's Herbal Beauty Book,* the two herbs to which the most people are contact allergic are mint and eucalyptus. So you might be cautious with using mint on your skin. Start small and infrequent, and pay attention.

[@micaelavelasquez12]

The Yarrow leaves and flower can be steeped. There’s so much we can grow that has health benefits. Lemon Balm is another great herb. We have a lot of mints and herbs growing. Soon we will plant Tumeric and Ginger. Fun stuff.

[@julianaxihluke3748]

Ok I've been doing herbalism for years and never thought about it's historical accuracy. You just gave me a reason too look up all my plants to see when they started growing in Europe 😂

[@Cyclonus5]

For historical accuracy, Tea (Carmilla Sinensis) wasn't introduced until the 1500s and so the word Tisane was used for medicinal Infusions before the Pembleton Witch Riots in the 1600s, when it and Elixer, the medicinal equivalent of tincture, became associated in English with Witches Brews.

[@STWnd-tu8zk]

Plantain weed is actually native to Europe and parts of Asia. It's seeds are sticky and that's how it got so widely spread - everywhere humans go, plantain comes with them on the soles of their shoes. That is likely how it got to America, the locals even used to call it "white man's footprint". Here in Ukraine we call it подорожник, which means something like "co-traveller" or "travel companion". I remember when I was a kid we used to treat our scratches and other minor injuries right on the spot, by grabbing a few plantain leaves, crupmling them thouroughly, adding some spit (i doubt this particular step is sanitary) and putting it on the wound.

[@gregmchugh7462]

Great video! This style of video would be a great series! As far as dandelion, I read a book about a shot down WW2 pilot who had some dandelion tea, and he said it saved him from dying as he was forced marched between prison camps at the end of the war. Good luck with your new adventure out west!

[@tamathacampbell4985]

Warning about peppermint oil: it's a "drying oil" that heats up as it polymerizes, so if you get it on cloth, paper, rags, or whatever, make sure it is in an open, non-flammable container until it is completely dry. Chucking it into a garbage can cause a fire.

[@erusoth]

This topic is of utmost importance for grasping important knowledge regarding the use of herbs. Please do create extensive content relating to this subject. Farewell and be merry in your activities.

[@EmeraldVideosNL]

Agreed, this stuff should be common knowledge.

[@graywolfdracon]

There is an echinacea and peppermint tea that I keep on hand for when I'm sick. My local grocerie store sells it. I still take other medicine but I've noticed it helps me get better quicker.

[@TheGenFem]

KRAMER, I hope you see this. The corks on tincture bottles are gorgeous but can allow the alcohol to evaporate off. Sealed tinctures can usually keep for about 2-5 years (some say indefinitely) but with a cork, I would use them within the year. I make my tinctures in mason jars then decant them as needed in the cute corked bottles which I keep in my kitchen.

[@tessareea]

Highly recommend From the Shepherd's Purse now you're in Utah. (It's pricy because it's out of print, but it's one of the best herbals for anyone in the Rockies.)

[@e.c.5994]

Comfrey can be used for wasp stings. Last year I got stung on the hand, went and crushed up a comfrey leaf and rubbed it all over the sting, and within two minutes the swelling had reversed and it no longer hurt. Aloe barbadensis is a great desert plant that is used internally for digestive issues, and topically for sunburns or minor wounds. Just make sure the wound site is very clean because the skin WILL heal over incredibly quickly, and if there's any foreign matter left it will fester and you'll have to reopen it and try again (happened to me once, not fun). Mullein leaf is our family's favorite thing to use for persistent bronchial coughs - it helps more than any other medicine we've tried, and we've tried a lot. We crush up the dried leaves and put in in capsules. Not exactly a weed, but pot marigold or calendula is excellent for skin, especially the flower, which is also edible (and smells amazing).

[@FairbrookWingates]

I've had home-brewed dandelion wine. Alas, didn't care for it at all. The elderberry wine, on the other hand, was some of the best I've ever tasted!

[@Eindkaas]

All great plants and uses. As for yarrow tea, you can use both fresh or dried leaves. Fresh tastes a lot better tho. When using it to make a tincture or an enriched oil (that you could mix with beeswax to even make a salve), then it sadly loses its great smell and even becomes a bit stinky. But still useful! I keep all the "weeds" mentioned in my garden for their medicinal properties.

[@candicabaniss2560]

I attended a class on herbal treatments. We have a professor at our small university who is trying to get a medieval apothecary garden in a park started. I have Yarrow which is doing well in my garden. I looked at the plant and thought...Hmm if I chop and dry the leaves and flowers, wrap it in lambsfoot, used as a bandage, then pack in wax with some cloth bandages, I have a larp med kit. Heck I have a med kit.

[@RoseKB22]

Thanks so much for sharing what you've learned about herbs and wild plants. I'm trying to learn what I can.

[@ezmoore27]

PSA: Don't eat dandelions if any insecticides or herbicides have been used in the area. Residual chemicals can be consumed and make you sick.

[@Philtopy]

Admit it. This video was sponsored by the peppermint lobby

[@explorersguildpublishing9457]

I've been called many things, but never the peppermint lobby...

[@Philtopy]

@@explorersguildpublishing9457 yeah I have seen through your disguise! 😂

[@RichWoods23]

Big Menthol.

[@PhoenicopterusR]

Big Mint at it again

[@sarahclutter7649]

Went on a trail walk today (in MI) and there was yarrow along the path pretty much the entire way. I love it.

[@randomdude4505]

Plantains can also be used as a bandage if crushed and dried, and are very effective of removing the sting and itch from stinging nettle, and some insect bites.

[@dirtywhitellama]

For making yarrow tea the flowers are preferred as far as I know. It does not need to be dried. It is a good tonic for overall health.

[@lhughes6656]

This was so good Kramer! And so useful. You've given me some great immersive ideas for my reenactments, so thank you. Informative and fun as always. I would love a part two!

[@emblemarms]

I know ancient Egyptians used honey in a lot of their remedies. And the stuff basically has no expiration date and it is also a great sweetener for food and drinks. I would definitely have a container of honey with me if I was adventuring.

[@SimpleDesertRose]

It can ve used on burns and as a antiseptic because it has hydrogen peroxide in it.

[@Beranicus]

Some hospitals are now prescribing it in the UK for wounds such as bedsores due to its antibacterial properties. Amazing stuff. Local honey from your area can also be a huge help for hayfever sufferers.

[@EmeraldVideosNL]

Local honey for the win! The bees wax contains pollen that when chewed can boost resistance. We got confirmation of this recently because a friend of mine who sometimes has to stay inside for days due to terrible hayfever, took some spoonful's of our own bees' honey, and it greatly diminishes her symptoms. Be aware to get actual flower honey and not the honey bees make out of refined sugar though.

[@gregkral4467]

plantain seeds are fun to eat, taste like flax seed. Good for burn and sting ointment along with yarrow, oil, and beeswax. Battered and breaded dandelion heads fried in butter are very tasty, and the roased root is a nice substitue coffee, and good for liver. Root is also diuretic, and a garbage bag of flowers makes a nice wine when boiled with sugar and left to ferment with wine yeast.

[@blandedgear9704]

I find the idea of breaded and battered dandelion heads very funny. Like, hipstery natural salad so-called 'superfood', battered and fried in butter. Also, I guess the dandelion wine from the Redwall books is a real thing! Nice.

[@gregkral4467]

@@blandedgear9704 hutterites out here make a lot of dandelion wine. just sugar and boiled flowers, strain and pitch yeast, let sit for a few months in 5 gallon bottles. And the battered and fried heads, eat em right away, they get mushy real quick. Made me feel like growin my goatee back, hehe. maybe with some quinoa...... and dandelion leaf salad and a twist of honey and lemon. that'll be 40 bucks right there..... hehe.

[@DH-xw6jp]

​@@gregkral4467dandelion mead (made with honey instead of plain sugar) is great. Super easy too, I just fill the fermentation bucket as full as possible with the heads without packing it (just loosely filled) and then pour the hot honey water over it and steep like a giant cup of tea. Then add the yeast once it has cooled enough to not kill it.

[@Cursedzeba]

Oh more of this would be amazing! Perhaps a “potion making” episode in the future?

[@Melonlordrinrei]

Not medicinal in part, but the ribwort plantain flower heads are edible and taste like fresh (uncooked) mushrooms, and can be turned into a flour: good as an emergency adventure grain. Dandelion roasted root is a well known coffee alternative. I always recommend stinging nettles and cleavers both as food and as medicine: stinging nettles are really good for hay fever and both are good for scurvy. (Had to learn the extra stuff because I'm allergic to the daisy family.)

[@Melonlordrinrei]

I say as though I haven't eaten daisy heads because they're also edible and taste nice. Tart.

[@jmoneyjoshkinion4576]

14:29 for about 6 months my mother's insurance refused to pay for her insulin (type 1 diabetic) and she stayed alive by eating dandelions (dried and used like parsley) in every meal. Later -Medicaid- her crappy insurance started paying for it again. She would have died 12-13 years earlier if not for that simple weed. Thank you Mother Nature!

[@LivingAnachronism]

That's an amazing story, insurance is a pain and a racket. Glad your mother was so resourceful!

[@Danny-he4hi]

Excellent video on herbs and their applications! As a ranger / burgular myself this will kome in handy whilst out on missions of the night which require bushcraft survival skills 🍂🌛 The night time is the right time 😀

[@ADesertForestWildlander]

Dandelion is a medicinal herb, also known as Pissendent, in older times. Aka pee the bed. It was traditionally used as a tea to aid with bladder issues especially bladder infections and dehydration. It is easily found in most stores to this day.

[@ArtemisDalmasca]

I dunno about the Medieval accuracy, but Elderberry is amazing at helping to boost your immune system. In northern AZ it's possible to find some bushes in the wild. They can be made into a bunch of stuff to ingest, including tea. We have some homemade Elderberry Syrup in the fridge that can be taken as a spoonful while sick, or even put over ice cream. Following with the pain killer trend too, Arnica is effective at reducing swelling - though I'm not sure about the plant it comes from, since we have little pills in our home lol. There's another swelling reduced but I don't remember what it's called - you just can't take it with arnica since they Don't play nicely together. They're ideally taken 15 minutes apart. Side note: My MIL does some herbalism as well, and recently started making tin tinctures ^^ It's cause of her I learned about Elderberry & Arnica ^^

[@katiagrafton5710]

Perfectly timed video! Thank you! I was just researching this very topic, and learned about Calendula, which is another flowering plant that would be useful topically. Good for wounds, burns, and rashes. It is native to Asia/southern Europe, and was used in medieval times. Recommend looking that one up, too!

[@lilykatmoon4508]

This was very cool. I’m very interested in learning to forage, and I’d like to study herbalism. I live in SE Texas and have learned of a very ubiquitous shrub here called yaupon holly. It contains caffeine, increases mental clarity, and apparently doesn’t have the crash that coffee produces. It’s often used as a landscaping shrub. It was also used by indigenous peoples in a ceremonial context where it was prepared into a highly concentrated form that was used for ritual purging. I just love learning about this topic. Thanks for a very informative video!

[@WildLastFrontier]

Yarrow mentioned 💪🏼 my favorite herb, it's all over Alaska and works as a pretty good mosquito repellant too

[@Ozarkwonderer]

Nice coverage of these plants. Theres so much just in our backyards. Youll be a Ranger yet

[@killercake5942]

Once cooled down chamomille infusion is also a really good eye wash, for red and itchy eyes!! Nice video 🥰

[@cryptokev1759]

I'm sorry, I have not forgiven you for coming out as a Bard

[@LivingAnachronism]

Still a ranger centric video though 😃, as I said I want to be a ranger so I'm continuing to learn the skills to "justify" being a ranger to myself.

[@Non_Descript_Individual]

Hey, there are no rules saying Bards are prmanently incapable of being good fighters. That's first off. Second, think about this: In troubled times on the adventure trail, he / she who can play inspiring music to motivate oneself and one's fellows can therefore boos any waning morale int he group so they may once more steel their will toward final victory.

[@elky5987]

​@@LivingAnachronism multi-classing is a very acceptable option.

[@markfergerson2145]

@@Non_Descript_IndividualThe tradition of warrior poet exists for a reason.

[@mkultraification]

​@@LivingAnachronismIn the original D&D, one could only become a bard after playing all the other classes.

[@CsZsolt]

Wonderful video. With all of the modern medicines available everywhere (in modern Human settlements), less and even less people know the medicinal plants, of which many can be found in nature. Please, make more videos about herbs!

[@eliabeck689]

The trick with echinacea is to only use it when you need it. If you use it steadily for a long period of time, your body will get used to it and it will lose its potency. I've eaten straight peppermint oil. It won't kill you, but it is extremely strong and bitter, especially in amounts more than a drop. The best use I know of is to put a couple drops in a batch of home-made ice cream! (Just make sure you have pure oil. If it's not pure then don't eat it.) Whenever my cousins get bumps, bruises, or broken bones, they use blue yarrow essential oil on it. Apparently it helps draw the body's resources to the injured area so it will heal faster. On the topic of tinctures, there are three main kinds: alcohol, apple cider vinegar, and glycerin. Glycerin "tastes the best" because it makes the tincture extremely sweet (I personally dislike it because it's way too sweet); alcohol tinctures are generally nasty; and the apple cider vinegar tincture I'm most familiar with contains garlic and some other herbs because it's meant to fight off colds, so the flavor is very sharp!

[@Clan.Bourbon]

Quite interesting. You should do one of your cooking videos on preparing these potions, and including a list of your source material in these comments would be of interest to many.

[@TheCraftyAtelier]

This is such great information! My husband and I are micro urban farmers and I will need to add yarrow to my herb garden as this just solidified what I have heard about it. And yes, dandelion salad and tea is rather good! Plus you tied it back to adventuring which makes it all the better! It would be cool to see how the different avenues are made and stored such as tinctures versus oil infused versus topical? (if that makes sense).

[@josuesepulveda6850]

Very informative,cool set up with the "potions"on the table.

[@conscript900]

Ive always wanted to improve my knowledge in general on herbal remedies you never know when youll need that knowledge. Plus if you are good at recognizing said herbs you can forage and use it in various cooking and teas and when you need some relief when you arnt near medical supplies. EDIT: You can also make a jam with Dandelion

[@mentalrebllion1270]

“…That means don’t eat it.” Oh my god I had to pause because I started a laughing fit over how you said that. Please tell me there is a story there! Lol 😂

[@LivingAnachronism]

There isn't, just a funny delivery

[@mentalrebllion1270]

@@LivingAnachronism Well, very well said then 🤣 Thank you for the laugh!

[@laramontgomery1030]

This is my favorite video to date. Great job, and thank you!

[@sayntgeorge]

I love Kobolds!! This will be fun for us

[@thenerdfaraway]

Hail Ravenhelm! (If I may be so bold and refer to you that way, sir) Apparently I've been saying chamomile wrong ... Nicely done! This will certainly be going into my reference library !

[@totallynuts7595]

You're giving me more and more incentive to start growing herbs in my flat... I know in some countries you have landlords (I imagine you pay rent to them?) and you can't do anything you want if they don't approve. Where I'm from, my flat is fully owned by me and, unless I bother my neighbours, I can do basically whatever I want.

[@Non_Descript_Individual]

Also, a question: Will you ever be doing more combat related videos? I miss those, and you had some good notions about the subject thus far. Me for example; As an SHTF prepper whose anticipation of a worldwide regression of civilization nack to anything from the old west to any number of ancient eras, I've been watching all your videos as part of my research into medieval times and how life / defensive combat was back then (on top of my genuine artical HEMA practice, of course). This is relevant to me because, as part of that expected scenario, I foresee the day when the total lack of modern ammo in a post-SHTF world that's not making more of it... will force whoever survives into the long term SHTF world to fall back on ever older forms of warfare. In short, people in large numbers will be forced to fall back on ancient-times melee weapons combat from any number of historical periods and regional warrior classes. And my being predominantly German, I've chosen the medieval knightly combat arts of my late-13th to eartly-15th century German ancestral people of the Germanic Empire (a.k.a. the Holy ROman Empire that was first unified by Emperor Frederich). I even have the Germanic empire hanging on my wall, to commemorate the might of my ancestors. My weapons of choice: 1) The German longsword doctrine first set forth in what history now knows as 'The Zettel,' a poetically written manuscript created by the mid-to-late 14th century German sword master Johhanes Leichtenauer (a longsword fighting style that was later expanded upon ingeniously by his most famous early-15th century successor Sigmund Ringeck). Leichtenauer and Ringeck were not talking about nor training students for knightly sport tournaments where points were scored and rules followed - they were talking about taking someone out in actual battle on the lawless battlefield of open war against an actual enemy. And in the equally lawless civilization-vacant post-SHTF world I see coming, I will need such skills as these for what in those coming times will be that very reason. 2) The German knightly medieval dagger for short range fighting as necessary in that world; I may need such short-range edged weapon skills when defending myself against surprise attacks by other knife wielding attackers, while I'm in abandoned houses scavenging or scouting out a place of shelter for me and mine that day. 3) The medieval tomahawk, as used by the Germanics and the Vikings alike, as well as various other knightly classes shortly thereafter throughout Europe. This training actually pertains to two separate weapons in my knightly arsenal - because the moves, techniques and skills used to weild a tomahawk in battle are all the exact same such skills used with the short-handled back-spiked war hammer. So in trainng with either one, I am in fact simultaneously training in both at once. 4) The single-bladed 2-handed medieval battle axe - also weilded by the Germanics as well as the VIkings and everyone else. 5) The spear, and medieval spike-topped pole axe / Halberd with curved back spike; In the SHTF world to come, ranged weapons (especiallycombined multi-class ones) will be employed by post-apocalyptic looter gangs and the like, including but not limited to rudamentary makeshift spears and better. Some will even learn to use long-shafted farm tools as makeshift fighting weapons, with what will eventually be real effectiveness. Anyway, I just thought I'd just see where your channel's at on future combat related vids. Thank you.

[@Sawtooth44]

im actually a backer of both kobold quest 1 and 2, one of the first 50 on 2 aswell i made SO MANY kobolds because i could

[@askys5546]

Apperently if you dig Dandelion roots up, roast them well, and grind em to a powder, and mix with hot water. You get a sorta Caffeine free earthy coffee, aint tried it myself so cant tell for certain. Ive seen references to BroadLeaved Plantain in my home country Sweden from the 1600's and its quoting older stuff i cant find anymore :c and read about narrow leaved from celtic history from before the 1000's So im quite certain Plantain was used in most of Europe ^-^ Keep up the good content!

[@TheMagnoliaWitch]

Yarrow as a tea is very good for treating stomach ulcers, though it doesn't taste very good. 😂 Honey is good to add to it, provided no one drinking it is allergic to honey and the honey wasn't made from highly poisonous flowers.

There is also wild garlic (or ramsons, or cowleekes), rowan and nettles. But there also plants that are very toxic.

[@chane8824]

This series is absolutely fantastic!

[@iluvhammys]

broadleaf plantain [plantago major] is native to Europe and has the story that it was called 'white man's footprint' when it was brought to the Americas because it was found growing wherever European colonists went and resembled the print of 17th century heeled shoes. it also followed the common native American principle that plants grow near where they would be needed; it was used to treat some of the illnesses and injuries that white people brought with them, like cold and flu, as well as to pack wounds.

[@HugoHackbert]

Narrowleaf plantain and broadleaf plantain are actually native to Europe and grow all over the place as weeds. And pretty sure they were used in medival medicine here.

[@Beranicus]

Came here to say this, its everywhere in the UK.

[@duanebouchard8736]

I think one of the nicknames of plantain was "white mans foot" wherever the colonists went so did plantain, it was just so useful

[@LuxisAlukard]

Yarrow is called "hajduk's weed" in Serbian, named after hajduk (plural hajduci) - guerilla freedom fighters against Ottoman rule, who used it to treat their wounds. I use it to make tea or as a spice :)

[@fyrekrystaal27]

I use a mentholatum ointment you can get in a store like vicks for insect bites. I use ginger for an upset stomach because I am not found of peppermint.

[@hendrikm9569]

About Plantain: Especially the more pointy type, plantago lanceolata is amazing with insect stings, as well as nettle stings. Also, when you have a cold with an hurting throat, it is quite helpful, as it continues mucilage. I am really fond of this plant. However, I feel like it should be said, that if you go on an adventure, while it is great to be able to use plants effectively, you should probably have some "real" medicine with you, as well as other things to treat wounds. While plants can do amazing things, pure active medical ingredients formulated as drugs, in case of emergency are usually more effective and faster. Tldr: use common sense and be aware that modern medicine is, in case of emergency, probably a safer bet. Better to break character than to suffer longer consequences.

[@hendrikm9569]

Also: Plantago lanceolata, as well as plantago major, I think thats the one you showed in the video, is also native to europe. According to the german Wikipedia article, the plant also appears in romeo and juliette, and the german name Wegerich comes from old german (Althochdeutsch), which was spoken between 750 - 1050 ce. So I'd say, having plantains in medieval fantasy is certainly historically plausible. By the way, if anyone cares: Plantago lanceolata is Spitzwegerich - pointy plantain in german and plantago major is Breitwegerich - broad plantain.

[@neoaliphant]

we grow mullein, yarrow, peppermint, chamomile and numerous otehr plants for medical purposes, its great to keep old hernalism going....a lot of people lump herbalism in the same quackery as crystals, essential oils, expensive supplements....

[@pandereodium]

There is a monthly pass for public transport system called "Plantain" in Russia, and it's tagline says "Apply the Plantain!" and people literally bring their green plastic cards to the validators) Also the plant itself is a meme, there are many pictures of broken things with a plantain applied to them in an attempt to fix them))

[@no1ofconsequence936]

Imagine you're about to go into a long battle, and your herbalist friend brings you some soup. She says it will help you not to soil yourself in battle. You thank her and go about your business. When you come back, the victory feast, she says, will help you expel that waste. You thank her because it had to come out somehow.

[@RichardT2112]

Man I needed this today more than you know! Wish you were local so I could buy you a pint or five …