Please, I know you are still learning, but would you ever consider making a booklet with all your gardening and herbal knowledge? I would gladly pay for it, your knowledge is so precious and it's hard sometimes searching through your posts to find it all and try to apply it to my own garden! And it's so rare to get such specific knowledge from our region, I am from the Balkans too <3
I wouldn't mind at all, but do you have any idea of how that would be formatted? You can't make a book out of tumblr posts, and if I were to try and organize this into a book, it would be a huge project for me to do, I'd have to re-write everything into a format acceptable for literature.
I'm currently struggling with eviction and moving so I'm not able to put my energy into figuring this out, but do let me know if I can just format my posts better in order for you to be able to find them? I made a masterlist a while ago, would it help if I just made more of those?
Also if you are from the balkans, dm me! You can just ask me directly about anything you want to know. I am here for that!
Based off of this prompt. I originally intended for this to be just one long fic, but it has ended up being multi-chaptered. And Tumblr has been an absolute b*tch about letting me post it. So far I’m on ‘third times the charm’
MASTERLIST
Character Relationship(s): Thorin x dwarrowdame!OC (Estel) and Kili x dwarrowdame!OC (Lorelei)
Word Count: 1,877
Warning(s): Graphic depictions of injuries and BOTFA-nonsense.
Síndar Translation(s): Athelas, tavnen a Yavanna’s cam, cranthacîn thel: Healing plant/herb, crafted by Yavanna’s hand, complete your purpose.
Le hannon, mellon: Thank you, friend
Anor valthen, togo laugas lín nestad enin gûr hen: Golden Sun, may your warmth bring healing to this heart.
~~~~
I have to warn them.
The thought reverberated through my brain as I scrambled desperately up the icy slopes of Ravenhill.
They have no idea.
As damaged as Thorin and I’s relationship was, I still couldn’t stand by as the man I loved walked to certain death. While he may have broken my heart, he still held the shards in his hands.
Voices sounded above me as I slogged up a path, and I quickly pressed myself up against a rock, listening intently. It was orcs, I knew that for sure, based on the evil laughter.
Looking out across the wide expanse of ice, I could make out Thorin, Bilbo and Dwalin staring up at the tower that loomed above me. I searched for Fili and Kili, but saw no sign of them. Dread began to pool in the bottom of my stomach.
Where were they?
“This one dies first. Then the brother. Then you, Oakenshield. You will die last.” Azog’s voice traveled easily, and I let out a gasp, craning my neck to see which of my nephews Azog had captured.
“May the Grace of Gilthoniel spare them, please.” I begged in a whisper, “Eru, don’t end their lives so soon.”
Tears stung my eyes as I heard an all too familiar voice. “Go. Run!”
Fili.
A scream welled in my throat and I clamped a hand over my mouth, the world shattering around me as the tears flowed down my cheeks. My heart plummeted in my chest.
“Here ends your filthy bloodline!” Azog growled, and I flinched, closing my eyes as I heard the thud of a body hit the ground.
“Kili!” I heard Thorin bellow faintly, but I couldn’t pull myself away from my grief just yet. All I could see was the golden-haired dwarrow smiling, hands tucked into his belt as he listened to his dark-haired brother talk about something. Blue eyes that were so like Thorin’s, but brighter, less shadowed with the weight of sorrow.
It wasn’t right that his life should be claimed so soon.
Gritting my teeth, I walked slowly up the path, dreaded the scene I would come upon. Of how disfigured I might find my nephew.
Turning the corner, I paused for a heartbeat as I saw the spread-eagle form. Then I rushed over, wiping at the tears that had started to fall again. His chest still heaved, but for how long I did not know.
“Fili,” I breathed, falling to my knees beside him.
“Auntie?” His voice was breathless, quiet. “What are you doing here?” His words were stilted as he gasped for breath.
“Save your breath,” I cautioned, pulling apart his maille to reveal a bleeding gash on his breast. I bit my lip as I took in the sight, wishing I had herbs on me. This was too serious to just bandage and leave. From the looks of the wound, the blade or whatever had stabbed him could have clipped an artery, which would meant that Fili had only minutes before he bled out.
My mind switched over from my anguished state into the mindset of a calm healer, and I took a deep breath. Grabbing my dagger, I cut off a strip of cloth from my tunic and pressed it against Fili’s chest. He let out a groan as I put pressure on the tender area.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered as I watched him grit his teeth; eyes tightly closed. Turning my gaze back to the cloth that was turning scarlet. I pressed harder, trying to stem the bleeding. Fili moaned, sucking in quick, shallow breaths through his clenched teeth.
Then to my horror he relaxed, and I hurried to grab his wrist to feel his pulse. It was rapid, but there. His breath still came in shallow gasps, but he was alive. I relaxed slightly as I realized he’d only lapsed into merciful unconsciousness. Now was not the time to worry about the head trauma he would have had to received from the fall he had taken. Anything that removed him from the agonizing pain he was in was a blessing.
Then I noticed the crimson stain spreading across the snow beneath him. “Merciful Manwë,” I breathed. He hadn’t just been stabbed, he’d been run completely through. “Damn it,” I swore, tearing another piece of cloth off my tunic and stuffing it under his back.
“I know I heard a voice. I am not a Dwarf, Eledhwen.” Elvish floated up to my ears and I looked around wildly for the source.
“Over here!” I called, and instantly I could hear footsteps crunching in the snow. In seconds, two blonde elleths appeared, and upon seeing me crouched over a body, picked up their pace.
“Do you have athelas? Or yarrow?” I asked as they crouched beside me. “He’s been run through, and I can’t get the bleeding to stop through putting pressure on it.”
“We don’t have athelas, but Idrial has yarrow, don’t you?” One of them—Eledhwen, I supposed—said, looking over at her comrade.
“Yes,” Idrial responded, digging in a pouch on her waist. “One moment…”
As we waited for Idrial to find the yarrow, Eledhwen reached out a gentle hand to smooth back Fili’s hair, her hand paused on his forehead for a moment. “He has no fever, so the blade was not morgul,” she murmured.
“Here!” Idrial exclaimed, pulling out a small leather sachet. She moved closer and I moved back to allow her space to work.
Removing the bloody rag from Fili’s chest, Idrial sprinkled the contents of the sachet onto his chest and packed it into the wound. “Athelas, tavnen a Yavanna’s cam, cranthacîn thel.” She intoned as she did so.
“This is one of Durin’s Line, is it not?” Eledhwen asked quietly, her brown eyes piercing as she looked over at me.
“Yes.” I replied softly, and she nodded.
“We can care for him. Something tells me that you will be needed elsewhere.” She murmured with a smile.
I gaped at her for a moment before rising to me feet. “Le hannon, mellon.” I whispered, smiling slightly at the look of shock that flickered across her face at my perfect Síndar.
Then I was off, climbing up the hill in search of Kili and Thorin, praying fervently that I wasn’t too late. But I couldn’t have just left Fili to die; the snow around him painted red with his blood as the world faded away into darkness and he drew a last trembling breath.
“NO!” A female wail shattered the air, and I jumped in surprise, hurrying in the direction of the scream. Perhaps I could be of help…
The thought vanished; run through with a frigid bolt of fear as I rounded a corner to see Kili on the ground, and a familiar elleth driving a large orc away.
My heart, only just back in my chest, plummeted again.
He was so still.
“Kili?” I called tremulously as I knelt beside him. “Kili?”
His eyes remained closed, and as I studied his face, my heart broke. I could see the wetness on his lashes, and a single tear on his pale cheek. The idea of Kili crying seemed so foreign, so wrong. It went against his cheeky nature.
With shaking hands, I searched for a pulse. But none pulsed readily beneath my fingers. Desperately, I continued to search.
“You can’t be gone, Kili. You’ve got that lass of yours waiting for you, remember?” I choked out, letting his arm drop to the rocky ground. Pulling apart his tunic, I laid a hand on his chest, avoiding the bleeding gash in chest that eerily mirrored Fili’s.
Faintly, I could feel his heart beating weakly. Letting out my breath in a rush, I cut off another strip of cloth from my tunic to press to his chest. This time, I knew that he hadn’t just been stabbed.
But I feared that time was running out. Kili was so pale, and his pulse so weak, I half expected his shallows breaths to cease altogether. It would take more than yarrow and counter-pressure to bring him back from the edge of death.
“Anor valthen, togo laugas lín nestad enin gûr hen.” I murmured, exerting pressure on Kili’s chest. “May the grace of the Valar spare him. Please.” My voice broke.
“Kili.” A heartbroken, trembling voice whispered behind me, and I looked over my shoulder to see Tauriel limping over. “Is he..?” Her voice trailed off.
“No, he’s still alive, but I don’t know for how long.” I replied, and she let out a long sigh. “I don’t have the skills of an Elf, but you do. At this point, I’m powerless.”
Tauriel looked at me apprehensively. “I don’t have any herbs with me, what can I do?”
“Help him hold on a little longer until someone who does comes along.”
I pushed myself to my feet, wincing at the ache in my bones from staying in the same position. “I need to go find Thorin before he gets himself killed.”
Tauriel nodded silently, her hands pressing firmly on Kili’s chest.
Taking one last glance, I ran up Ravenhill, dodging dead orcs that littered the trail. I found it comforting that I didn’t see any scarlet spatters, only black from the orcs.
Reaching a wide expanse of ice, I stopped, looking around for Thorin. My eyes fell on the carcass of the pale orc, a sword still skewering his chest.
But no Thorin.
Cautiously, I stepped out on the ice, sliding across it as my gaze searched the rest of the ice.
Shadows fell across the ice, and I looked up to see the Eagles swooping in on the orc army far below. I smiled, watching as they decimated the ranks with ease.
But then my gaze fell onto the huddled figure on the ice.
“No! Thorin! Thorin, don’t you dare…”
It was Bilbo, and he was cradling Thorin’s head as he lay on the ground in a pool of scarlet.
My heart dropped into the swirling abyss that had opened up in the pit of my stomach, vanishing from existence as I began to scream.
“Thorin!” I wailed, running towards him with tears streaming down my face. “Thorin!”
~~~~
The darkness was comforting, calling for him. It promised an ease from the excruciating pain that burned his side.
He had no regrets. He’d made his peace with the hobbit and redeemed his people from both the dragon and the pale orc. That was much more than he'd set out to accomplish, but he had done it.
Except…
Estel. His last words with her were harsh; his last memory of her one of bitter regret as he watched her eyes fill with tears as she turned away from him.
The darkness nudged at him again, and he relented to its irresistible tug. The hobbit was saying something about eagles, but that didn’t matter anymore. Thorin was going to rest.
Blinking blearily, he saw a figure coming towards him, obscured with bright white light. An angel of sorts, he presumed. Strange how it looked just like Estel.
The wind screamed his name as he closed his eyes, a broken, desperate cry that faded away with everything else.
Photo by Elina Fairytale on Pexels.com
It seems that I have developed an interest to gain an in-depth understanding of herbs and their functions, though I believe that this interest has always been there but was lying fallow somewhere in the recesses of my mind.
Now and again, the desire to start the journey into the jungle of herbs and its usage briefly bubbles to the surface and I picture…
This is a blog that will document my herbal journey. I've always wanted to heal friends and family with herbs and I've finally gotten the chance to do that. Not as frequently as I would like, but enough that I can attempt to keep my family healthier than usual. On this blog I will mark my herbal research and recipes, adding to it as my research furthers. This post will act as a Table of Contents (each completed page will have a link that will take you to that specific post) to help organize the different posts. I'm not sure how it will end up looking, but I'm hoping it will be straightforward. Feel free to comment, add your thoughts, and/or your own research for me to look into and potentially add to my research. I will do my best to add sources to my posts. If you notice any missing please let me know and I will attempt to find where I got the information and fix the error.
I've been debating on where to start with this blog. I figured I should start with some recipes I've already tried with my family, with some success. Adding pages to talk about the different herbs involved with those recipes, and perhaps the different herbs found in some healing teas I already have. I also will probably go into the herbs and plants found in my yard along with my families. The next question to myself was whether I should only stick with plants that are useful, or add the plants I end up researching and finding out aren't useful in healing too. I might dedicate a section to plants that aren't useful in herbal healing, but have yet to decide how to go about that.
Without further ado.
Table of Contents
Herbal Knowledge
Why herbs?
Knowing the Human Body Systems
- Cardiovascular System
- Respiratory System
- Gastrointestinal System
- Endocrine System
Therapeutic Actions & Their Definitions
Plant Constituents & Their Basic Functions
Medicine Cabinet Terms & Their Definitions
Wildcrafting
Flower Essence?
An Herbalists Kitchen
Using Herbs
Dosing Guidelines for Adults & Children
Herbal Resources
Herbs/Ingredients
Beeswax
Black Pepper
Black Walnut
Calendula
Cannabis
Cayenne/Jalapeno Peppers
Chamomile Flower
Chickweed
Comfry
Cornstarch
Cramp Bark
Elder Flower
Fine White Clay
Garlic
Ginger
Goldenseal
High Proof Alcohol
Honey
Horseradish
Lemon
Marshamallow
Mint
Mullein
Myrrh
Olive Oil
Pennyroyal
Peach Tree Leaf
Peach Tree Bark
Plantain
Raspberry Leaf
Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
Red Onion
Sage
Statice
Tansy
Thyme
Turmeric
Valerian
Witch Hazel
Wormwood
Yarrow
Recipes
Anti-Yeast Tea
Cramp-T Tincture
Eczema Wash
Fire Cider
Ginger Lemon-Aide
Green Dragon Tincture
Morning Sickness Tea
Sage Mouth & Throat Spray
Thyme Syrup
Yarrow Venous Salve
Yoni Powder
...I've set myself up with a lot of homework and research. I guess I better get started. I'll be starting with filling out the recipes with my own notes and where I got them from, how they've worked for me and my own observations. I’ll start with recipes I’ve done, then the ingredients and why they’re used. After that, I'll fill out the basic herbalist information. So I'll be working backwards, I guess. If you find this blog early on, welcome. If you find it once it's more established, also welcome, and I hope it's to your liking. (This is being pulled directly from Blogspot. From the blog I created.)
I will always be available for questions, but I must put a disclaimer.
Any information on this blog is for my own record keeping, and for people to see similarities in their own experiences with herbs. This blog makes neither medical claim, nor intends to diagnose or treat medical conditions. Links to external sites are for informational purposes only. This blog neither endorses them nor is any way responsible for their content. Readers must do their own research concerning the safety and usage of any herbs or supplements.
So, apparently, this one doctor thought it would be a very good idea to give me - a heavily overweight woman - a drug that contains Chelidonii Herba (Schöllkraut) without the proper instructions to NOT take too often or for too long.
He did mention said things when it came to the other drug, but not this one. Because "it's just something herbal."
Dude.
Chelidonii herba is toxic for the liver.
Of course, people take it for certain problems with their stomach (which is what he prescribed it for with me), but I am already overweight. The chances of me having a fatty liver are basically 100%. The chances for my liver to already have problems are 100%.
And he gives me that with the nonchalant phrase of "don't worry, it's only herbal"?!
I am SO angry right now.
Nevermind that it actually helped. The dose he prescribed me are way too high.
That dude is going to hear something at our next appointment, and it's not going to be a satisfyed customer voice.
