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[Tuxman]

Dwarves can grow medicinal herbs which can help with certain nervous system or otherwise uncurable ailments in DF. Medicinal herbs grow very slowly but can be farmed.

They are also found in certain biomes.

Say, a rare herb that can help your high champion grow his arm back. Its a whole new challenge.

New Profession: Pharmacist.

New Plants: Various (I have no clue what to call them)

New Workshop: Pharmacy.

The plants would have to be grown both above and below ground. It would be good incentive to grow above ground crops. They are harvested and processed in a pharmacy. The completed medicines are added to hospital storage. Hospitals require these medicines.

The plants should grow at a slow rate and be hard to obtain. They should help only in impossible-to-heal without un-ordinary means wounds.

[Nikov]

Already exists in a sense; valley herbs can be turned into golden salve, which is presumably medicinal. However, it currently does not do anything.

I think the existing Alchemist workshop would do fine for this.

[Warlord255]

Beneficial syndromes, medicine and other things are planned, for certain. Not so sure about regeneration.

[Pilsu]

Already exists in a sense; valley herbs can be turned into golden salve, which is presumably medicinal. However, it currently does not do anything.

The plants themselves are fragrant. Aside from video game logic, the salve could just as well be a perfume compound with a mild intoxicating effect. Then again, gnomeblight turned out to be literal gnome poison so I guess Toady isn't that creative.


As for the thread itself, I don't think amputations and crippling injuries should be trivialized with magic herbs. Rarity does not change anything.

[Firehound]

I agree with pilsu on the no free get an arm back because you happen to be the millionth fortress deals. I am more willing to say medicinal herbs should do stuff like heal minor damage to the nervous system(The uber magic one might at best), remove pain, lengthen natural lifespan by a few months every year, useful things that don't make them neccesary, but make them worth picking up.

[thijser]

An interestting medical herb could be one that fights off infections so that if you don't have enough soap. You could use this as an alternative. This could also be combined with soap making the effect more powerfull.

Another medical herb would be able to sooth pain. We could also add something that would make them stop vometing and perhaps bleeding (This way you could stop a dwarf from bleeding to death in a hospital bed)

Perhaps another herb would effectifly render a dwarf unconsious so that it can more easily take the pain from surgery. This could perhaps even dubble surgery effectivesness. (the dwarf does not strangle in pain but simply lays down).

a 4rd herb would help the digestive system restoring minor damage to the digestive system.
5th: restore damaged skin and mussles.
6 gives a general happy feeling to everyone in the hospital.

[Cruxador]

An interestting medical herb could be one that fights off infections so that if you don't have enough soap. You could use this as an alternative. This could also be combined with soap making the effect more powerfull.

Another medical herb would be able to sooth pain. We could also add something that would make them stop vometing and perhaps bleeding (This way you could stop a dwarf from bleeding to death in a hospital bed)

Perhaps another herb would effectifly render a dwarf unconsious so that it can more easily take the pain from surgery. This could perhaps even dubble surgery effectivesness. (the dwarf does not strangle in pain but simply lays down).

These are good and useful things that deserve to be included.

[Pilsu]

Stopping bleeding and healing wounds go into the magical territory again. But yeah, other types of effects are pretty plausible.

Minor nervous system damage shouldn't matter much. Boxers seem to do just fine.

[Funk]

no herd shound magicaly heal any thing but a boost to the rate of healing and some tissues growth make sense.

think more steroids than magical heath drink.

[Mir]

Stopping bleeding and healing wounds go into the magical territory again.

Does it? I guess it depends on how fast it works.

There are real herbs with coagulant factors in them that when processed and applied to the wound properly can help stop bleeding. It's not a magic herb you eat, and suddenly you're perfectly well but it helps. There are also chemicals that help speed up the healing process... I don't think they exist naturally (think polysporin, zinc ointment), but nothing says an alchemist can't make similar things from herbal extracts. Antibiotic ointments speed healing, too, and although penicillin comes from a fungus and not a herb... there are probably some herb with similar properties. Maybe we can grow special mushrooms, too. Tea tree oil is also anti-fungal... etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.

There's a ton of room for alchemists to add a lot of value to the game without requiring us to resort magic.

Besides, are we discounting magic entirely anyway? Has it been said that magic will never exist? I don't know, I haven't paid a lot of attention until recently. We've got

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

demons

and stuff... so maybe magic is something we can consider anyway. 

[Neonivek]

Stopping bleeding go into the magical territory again.

Actually a lot of things can stop bleeding. A Thick Salve that solidifies when applied to a wound isn't very magical, in fact we already have it.

Rare and/or magical herbs don't have to be overwhelmingly powerful.

For example the thorns that come from the plants existing in lands of fire could be ground up into a fine dust. When that dust is applied to a wound it combines with blood it instantly heats the compound to a thousand degrees for a split second burning the surrounding area. While this would normally be harmful, and indeed it is, it can be used to burn wounds closed. Collecting these thorns are not too dangerous but being pricked by a thorn causes severe burns.

As for regrowing arms. It would probably require something significant. If something had the power to do so it should be very important.

For example if there was a herb that regrew arms then there would probably be large expiditions to collect them all. Then they would be hoarded by royalty. So finding them would be all but impossible. Though I'd always have that be randomated.

[Footkerchief]

Herbal medicine has been covered in a couple threads already:

http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=48753.0
http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=5551.0
http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=22009.0

It would be helpful if this thread takes those previous ideas into account.

[thijser]

Perhaps a herb could also be used against vermine as an alternative to cats. In reall live herbs are often used (sometimes burned sometimes just their pressence is enough) in order to keep insects and small animals away. This could prove really usefull for any fort without cats (we need some more alternatives so you don't always need a specific item in order to counter something).

[Sfon]

6 gives a general happy feeling to everyone in the hospital.

Also addictive, bwahahahahaha! Tantrum spiral because of the lack of available coca extract during a siege

[profit]

I kinda like this idea, but I think it should be pushed more into the realm of alchemy and be more about mixing and designing and not just creating.

It would really be nice if alchemy could have a mechanic where a novice alchemist could not brew something but a legendary one could...  But that is probably an idea for another thread..


Anyhow... Why can not Golden salve mixed with Dwarven Syrup be a muscle healer...

Maybe Dragon scales Mixed with golden salve and Giant Cave spider venom could regrow arms..

Maybe Dwarven Rum, gnomeblight and fungi-wood could be mixed for some sort of dwarven beserker tonic...

Maybe Aluminum, sun berries, and gypson could be mixed to make deoderant which gives dorfs  happy thoughts if they have some in their room and can use some when they wake up....

Maybe Longland Flour, plump helmets, gold, with Dwarven ale and Dwarven wine could make a tonic which gives dwarves bad thoughts but prevents them from needing food, drink or sleep for a year.

No real limit on what can be done...   And adding multiple ingredients would make the difficulty of any potions epic.