#jondalar

[thepringlesofblood]

All Medicinal Herbs Mentioned In the Earth's Children Series by Jean Auel

So. I'm making a list of every plant in the Earth's Children series that is mentioned as being medicinal.

Why? Because I needed something to do before I go to sleep that doesn't involve screens, so I've been re-reading the series and writing down plant names and page numbers in a notebook, and now I want to digitize it and share it with the world.

Big thanks to Diane in Cincinnati, who is responsible for the "Ayla's Herbs" forum page that inspired all this. It focuses on matching recognizable plant names to pictures and further information about their medical uses. What I'm doing is way less work - I'm just making a list of plant names and page numbers.

list below bc it's Long. Also I'm not doing Land of the Painted Caves because I don't like it.

Criteria:

I'm not doing Every Plant Mentioned Ever, because I would die. These are all plants that have been mentioned as specifically being useful for medicinal purposes at least once. That includes soap. Soap is medicine. Also I forget if teasel is mentioned medicinally bc 99% of the time it's a hairbrush but I think it's medicine at least once.

Not every page number corresponds to a medical use of the plant, since many of them are useful for both food & medicine, but there has to have been at least one mention of it being medically useful in the series for it to count. Citations may also include any physical descriptions or alternate uses of the plant in question.

There's been a metric ton of different editions of these books since they're largely from the 80s. The ones I have are "Bantam Trade Edition: July 2002", so that's where these page numbers are from. My "Shelters of Stone" is a different edition though, "Bantam Mass Market Edition: July 2003".

Bolded means that it appears on the "Ayla's Herbs" forum page mentioned above [important to note: the forum page only covers up through Plains of Passage - I'm covering Shelters of Stone too]

abbreviations:

CCB - Clan of the Cave Bear VoH - Valley of Horses MH - Mammoth Hunters PoP - Plains of Passage SoS - Shelters of Stone

Agrimony - VoH (263, 312-313)

Alder - CCB (17-19)

Alfalfa - CCB (72, 310, 422, 425), VoH (313, 391), MH (168), PoP (194)

Anemone - SoS (761-762)

Antelope sage - CCB (291), VoH (457-458), MH (43, 212), PoP (21, 203, 291)

Arnica - VoH (310), SoS (283)

Artemisia - PoP (52, 214, 618)

Note: ayla says “artemisia wormwood” on several occasions, so I think it’s a type of wormwood. Also on 618 it turns out the Losadunai call it ABSINTHE???? Girl??

Ash (the tree) - CCB (79), PoP (409)

Balsam bark - CCB (175, 402)

CCB 175 says “balsam-gum bark” - uncertain if its the same thing

Balsam root - MH (428)

Basil - SoS (203)

Bearberry - PoP (21, 562)

Beech/beechdrops - PoP (91-92, 227)

Belladonna - MH (169)

Birch bark (to use as a cast) - CCB (225), PoP (261, 297-298, 304, 319, 663, 669)

Blackberries - CCB (402)

Black birchbark (to be boiled as a tea and taken internally) - CCB (429), SoS (202, 463)

Black raspberry - CCB (338)

Blue cohosh - MH (391)

Boneset - VoH (312-313)

Borage - VoH (261), PoP (194)

Brownwort - PoP (206)

Burdock - CCB (310, 402), VoH (184, 187, 343), SoS (191)

Cattail - VoH (15, 39, 293), PoP (26, 51, 95, 118, 168, 178-180, 401)

Ceanothus flowers - MH (73, 211, 428), PoP (262), SoS (88, 106)

Note: “coleanthus flowers” are mentioned on MH 442, seemingly for the same purpose - a typo?

Chamomile - CCB (144), VoH (118, 206, 222, 264, 418), MH (212, 235), PoP (62, 71), SoS (53, 195, 203, 286, 410)

Chrysanthemum - CCB (290)

Clover - CCB (17-19), VoH (433), MH (428)

Club moss spores - SoS (761, 777)

Coltsfoot - CCB (310), VoH (74, 263, 394), MH (130, 480), PoP (26, 51, 95, 177, 220, 484, 731)

Columbine - MH ((flowers) 442), PoP ((root) 61, 71)

Comfrey - VoH (222, 264, 309, 310), MH (298), SoS (285, 762, 786)

Coneflowers - CCB (171)

Corpse plant - CCB (97), PoP (91, 228, 269, 291), SoS (784)

note: this plant has been mentioned & described many times in the series, probably more than I have cited, but it’s never referred to by name. “Corpse plant” is the name Ayla gives it when describing it to Jondalar on PoP 91 - other times, it’s just “the plant Iza used to use for my eyes” or referred to by description

Cranesbill - PoP (22)

note: cranesbill is a TYPE of geranium

Damiana - MH (212)

Datura (aka thorn-apple) - CCB (24, 84, 175, 380-382, 437), VoH (313, 324, 346), MH (169), PoP (26, 240, 249-250, 252, 664-665), SoS (284, 787, 852-853)

Elecampane - CCB (153, 338, 399, 403), VoH (271), PoP (26)

Ergot - CCB (154, 290, 305, 430), MH (167)

Evergreen needles [steeped as a tea to prevent scurvy] - PoP (562)

Feverfew - PoP (61)

Fireweed - VoH (39), MH (287)

Flax - SoS (206)

Fleabane - MH (569)

Foxglove - MH (169-172), PoP (252), SoS (69, 283)

Gentian roots - SoS (283)

Geranium - CCB (174), VoH (309), MH (494), SoS (761)

Gillyflowers (?) - PoP (194, 270)

Ayla specifically mentions they don’t have a medical use, but they smell nice and taste nice so she’s using them for a reviving tea for Roshario. I think that counts.

Ginseng - MH (212)

Goldenrod - CCB (171)

Goldenseal root - MH (515), SoS (762)

Golden thread - CCB (291), VoH (457-458), MH (43, 212, 437), PoP (21, 203, 291, 294, 320, 337)

Goosefoot - PoP (44, 51, 61), SoS (422)

On PoP 24, Ayla says that a plant that Nezzie would call “goosefoot” is what she would call “pigweed”, but goes on to use both terms at different times, so I've cited them differently. What gives, girl?

Grape hyacinth - CCB (409)

Groundsel - CCB (409)

Hellebore - MH (169)

Henbane - CCB (153), MH (169)

Hollyhock - CCB (35, 154, 408)

Hops - CCB (16, 18, 19), SoS (203, 283)

Honeybloom root - MH (300)

Horsemint - CCB (171, 177)

Horseradish - MH (299), PoP (21, 26, 52, 57)

Horsetail fern - CCB (61-62, 171, 376, 409), VoH (443), MH (217, 442)

Hyssop - CCB (155, 171), PoP (270)

Iris - CCB (16, 17, 19), PoP (26, 710)

Juniper - PoP (561), SoS (762)

Licorice root - MH (212, 428), PoP (401), SoS (286, 386, 458)

Linden - VoH (186, 188), MH (428), PoP (267, 269), SoS (53, 203, 280, 318, 386, 410, 852-853)

Lobelia - MH (515)

Lavender - VoH (261), SoS (410)

Lavender toothwort (?) - PoP (227)

Maidenhair - CCB (402)

Male catkins (from alder trees) - PoP (194)

Marigold - VoH (222, 264, 308-309), PoP (206), SoS (762, 786)

Milk thistle seeds - SoS (203)

Mint - CCB (72, 144, 425), VoH (261, 327, 391, 468), MH (214, 287, 331, 438), PoP (593), SoS (53, 159, 203-204, 379, 551, 737)

Mistletoe - CCB (289-290), VoH (457)

Mullein - MH (515), SoS (295)

Nettle - CCB (72), VoH (13, 394), MH (429), PoP (44, 177), SoS (519)

Pasque flowers - PoP (45)

Pigweed - VoH (13, 74, 360-361, 394), MH (134), PoP (24, 220, 394), SoS (726)

See “goosefoot” - on PoP 24, Ayla mentions a plant that Nezzie would call goosefoot and she would call pigweed, but she uses both terms at different times throughout the book.

Plantain - VoH (40), PoP (206)

Note: “water plantain” is referred to on PoP 177 - unsure if it’s the same thing

Pokeweed - CCB (134, 141)

Puffball mushroom - SoS (762)

Rattlesnake root/snakeroot- CCB (297, 299, 429), PoP (22), SoS (203)

NOTE: in PoP & SoS, she specifically refers to the plant Iza got her when she was pregnant that made her go out in the cold and get tuberculosis, but she calls it “snakeroot”, not “rattlesnake root” as it is referred to in CCB.

Raspberry leaf - VoH (391), MH (168), SoS (203, 852-853)

Red clover - MH (212)

Red-rooted pigweed - CCB (61-62, 376) [note: pigweed is only referred to as "red-rooted pigweed] in CCB

Rosehips - VoH (75), MH (130, 212, 214, 382), PoP (182, 561)

Sage - VoH (50), MH (483, 515), PoP (51, 213)

note: I need to check my citations and make sure this is actually used for medicine at some point, im pretty sure it is but it may have also just been for tea

Slippery elm - CCB (301), SoS (631)

Snowberry - CCB (163)

Soaproot - CCB (61-62, 376), VoH (73, 341, 442), MH (442), PoP (198*, 267, 269), SoS (87, 106**, 321, 421, 426, 671)

*On PoP 198, it is referred to as "soapwort". Thanks to the Ayla's Herbs forum page, we can see that they are both names for the same plant, Saponaria officinalis. However, upon further research, it seems "soaproot" can also be a general use word for a saponin-producing plant (i.e a plant that makes soap).

**On SoS 106, Ayla notes that the “soap plants” growing around the Ninth Cave are different than the ones she’s used to, but continues to use the term "soaproot" for these plants. So, it looks like Jean Aeul is using the term “soaproot” to mean a category of saponin-producing plant [such as the genus Chlorogalum], rather than the specific plant linked on the Ayla's Herbs page, soapwort (Saponaria officinalis).

Other well-known soap plants include Gypsophila (aka baby's breath) and Chlorogalum pomeridianum

Sorrel - PoP (731)

Spikenard - CCB (174), PoP (252, 261), SoS (283-285)

Starch root - CCB (402)

Sweet grass - VoH (394), PoP (711)

Sweet rush - CCB (155, 171-172, 290), SoS (202, 463)

Tansy - CCB (290), VoH (457), SoS (631)

Teasel - VoH (107, 139, 335, 341, 433), MH (29, 163, 167), PoP (176), SoS (351)

Thistle - CCB (171 (blossoms), 409), MH (212, 428, 589), PoP (51, 118), SoS (191)

Triticum - CCB (179)

Valerian - SoS (283)

Wild cabbage - VoH ((leaves) 327), PoP (24, 26)

Wild carrot (aka Queen Anne's lace) - VoH (39-40, 418), MH (589), PoP (24, 51, 375, 483)

Wild cherry bark - CCB (134, 140), VoH (75, 271), MH (391)

Wild marjoram - PoP (206), SoS (203, 463) [note: in PoP it’s “wild marjoram” but in SoS it’s just “marjoram”]

Wild oats - PoP (22, 26), SoS (806)

Wild rose petals - VoH (264)

Willow (usually bark) - CCB (29-30, 38, 175, 299, 398), VoH (97, 312, 313, 320, 326), MH (167, 285), PoP (102, 410), SoS (279, 463, 521, 852-853)

Wintergreen - MH (298, 517), PoP (227), SoS (214, 551, 737)

note: initially referred to as "spotted wintergreen" but after that they just say wintergreen

Wood betony - MH (285)

Wood fern - MH (442)

Wood sorrel - VoH (181, 394)

Woodruff - CCB (179), PoP (61, 618), SoS (203)

Wormseed - CCB (106)

Wormwood - MH (484), PoP (22, 71, 206, 211, 214, 618)

Wort flowers - CCB (338, 402)

Yarrow - CCB (402, 408), MH (167, 168, 285), PoP (252, 261), SoS (51-53, 284)

Yellow dock - CCB (179 (root)), MH (212, 322)

Spirit World Stuff

this is for things that maybe don't have a medical purpose but are used for spiritual ceremonies/rituals - aka potential hallucinogens

Datura aka Thorn-apple - It's in the list of normal medical stuff too because it's often used for pain relief or anesthetic purposes throughout the series, but in different preparations it's also used for ceremonies, especially in CCB. CCB (24, 84, 175, 380-382, 437), VoH (313, 324, 346), MH (169), PoP (26, 240, 249-250, 252, 664-665), SoS (284, 787, 852-853)

"The Shamud's Mushrooms" - on VoH 197-198, at Thonolan's bachelor party, Chalano brings out some mushrooms, and talks about recreational mushroom usage among the Sharamudoi. Markeno asks "Those aren't the Shamud's mushrooms, are they? Those red ones with the white spots can be dangerous if you don't prepare them properly." Chalano assures everyone "...these are nice safe little mushrooms that just make you feel good."

Somuti - On MH 570, Vincavec points out some mushrooms (ALSO red with white spots) that he calls "somuti", which can be used for Spiritual Purposes. Ayla remarks that they are extremely poisonous, and he responds that they can be consumed if prepared in a very specific way by Those Who Know Their Secrets.

The reason I note the mushrooms down at all is because some of the most commonly known mushrooms in the Amanita genus are red with white spots and are extremely toxic. So I think that's what Jean Aeul's trying to get at there maybe.

The Sacred Roots - These are never named and very rarely described. At most, we know that they are roots that have to be dried a certain way, and if you chew them up and spit it into some water and mix it around, it makes a whitish cloudy fluid. I didn't know how to include them since they don't have a name, but they're in Ayla's medicine bag, so I feel like I have to. Here's the citations I have - CCB (84, 381-384), MH (303-305), PoP (291-294)

We don't know what's in the drink Zelandoni makes to Visit The Spirit World in SoS - Ayla only mentions it tasting very bitter.

Plants Without Names (non-comprehensive, so many plants are described and not named).

“A certain kind of yam” - CCB 291 - Iza mentions this as a potential alternative to antelope sage root, told to her by a medicine woman from another clan, but gives no name to it

She also mentions using “a certain kind of yam” (idk if its the same one but it would make sense) on CCB 300 when Ayla is giving birth

on MH 298 Ayla describes a plant that might be pokeweed but also might not

MH 480 - Ayla describes a certain type of flower that looks like it was dipped in something

might come back to this and make a Top 10 Caveman Plants list or something lol

[fan-of-the-cave-bear]

Thinking that maybe Jean m. Auel wanted really badly for Lumi and The Mother to line up thematically and aesthetically to Jondalar and Ayla a little bit too much. Bc Lumi.... Would not do That* to his mate...

(*That is being a jealous hypocrite btw)

The better parallel is Durc and Wolf tbh....

Bc did anyone else notice that the grey Wolf is Durc's totem? And that Ayla kind of(?) got her son back, if only in a superficial way.

Edit: spelling whoops

[elmurid]

people love to joke about "if you showed this to a cave man they'd die immediately" when really it's like if some 21st century millenial or zoomer caught even a glimpse of the ecstatic ritualistic visionary states they would work themselves into by tripping on mushrooms or datura, sitting in a drum circle, while watching the light and shadows from their communal fires dance on their masterfully painted cave wall while being guided by their spiritual leader/shaman/magician, they would never be able to talk about anything else and probably need to be institutionalized afterward

[mangalho]

Solidariedade

[earthschildrenfanstuff]

Valley of Horses has always been my favorite of the series. Ayla’s chapters are the best for someone like me who loves wilderness survival stories, but Jondalar’s chapters have good bits too. I love learning about the people he and his brother meet along the way, though I do tend to skip over his lengthy sex scenes and cringe a little at his fuckboi ways. Mostly though, I listen to the audiobook on repeat the way some people loop a favorite playlist just because it’s familiar and comforting noise.

[vilcade]

[luxluxluxy]

this next one's called "i have nothing to post so heres some from last week"

[jenna-louise-jamie]