An Unofficial Complex Medicine Cat Guide.

Herb Care Tips & Some General Terminology.

Herb Care Tips!

Gather some fox dung and place it near and around patches of herbs to keep rabbits and any other animals away from the plant.

Soak wilted leaves in water. Make sure to be very gentle when taking them out so that they don't fall apart. Only use this as a last resort.

Make sure to clear the plant from any bug infestations.

If an herb is wet, take it out of the den and lay it on a flat rock in a sunny area to dry (except for bark).

Gather fresh herbs when stock gets low.

Leave enough of the herb on its plant when you collect so it can reproduce.

Check your stock often and throw out any old herbs.

Herbs are best to collect at sunhigh, as the dew will have evaporated and it won't rot.

Seeds are best to collect when they have freshly fallen off its plant.

If an herb's roots have any holes, don't bother taking it back to your stock.

Herb flowers that have lush appearances and scents are best to collect, though once an herb's flower petals start to wilt or fall off, it would be best to throw them away.

The bark is ideal to collect in new-leaf, and is best used fresh. Dry the bark in only shady, crisp, dry areas. Do not store in moist conditions if you're planning to have some for a while.

Dig holes in the ground place your herbs there and cover them with fern fronds to keep them fresh.

Even if your juniper berries are shriveled up, it's best to keep them in your stock until you collect fresh berries, as they are very valuable.

Though herb leaves and flowers are dead during leaf-bare, berries, bark, and broom are still able to be collected.

It's smart to make your poultices, pulps, pastes, ointments, and extracts beforehand, but throw them away if they aren't used 4-5 days afterward, so do only if you know at least somewhat certain that they'll be used.

An herb's root should be firm, not too soft nor too hard. Soft roots are very old and have lost their healing qualities, while hard roots are not ripe enough.

If one of your herb plants seems to be growing a lot slower than normal, take a leaf and put some water on it to water the plant. Herbs that grow in sand will need to be watered more frequently than others that don't.

Take off dead stems of last season's growth on mint, rosemary, and tansy. Taking the dead stems off it encourages a more compact herb and is much stronger while taking off dead stems, make sure to get rid of any weeds that take over the herbs.

Keep your den in order, to do this, divide your herbs into categories, either putting all herbs that help sickness into their own space or putting herbs that help anxiety and stress in their pile. Or you can go by which specific use they have. Make sure that they are in a loose pile.

Only collect the leaf of an herb if it is green, fresh, and filled with its healing properties. Do not collect an herb leaf if it is brown, crunchy, or has holes (Oak leaves may have an exception, though).

(Note: No, you don't have to use these, yeah, they're probably not the safest way to store medicine in reality, but it's what we've found so it's here lol).

General Terminology!

Ingest: To eat, drink, or otherwise consume.

Juice: Unlike tonics, juice is almost always a very thin liquid with pieces of the needed herbs, often used to refer to water downed tonics and sometimes used for surface massages, though mostly drank during treatment.

Ointment: A smooth oily preparation that is to be rubbed on the skin. Used during deep muscle massages, to loosen muscles, etc.

Paste: A paste is a thick, soft, moist substance, that is to be put on the body, or consumed. Use more thin layers of it so the cat absorbs it and then reapply.

Poultice: A soft, moist mass of material, typically of plant material, applied to the body. Medicine cats chew and spit out or crush (depending on the oils in a plant and how they may affect oneself if ingested while chewing) a plant's leaves, roots, or seeds to be used in a poultice. Sometimes water from moss may be applied to make the poultice more moist. Occasionally honey may be used to make the poultice stick to the body better.

Pulp: A pulp is a wet, soft, shapeless mass that is to be eaten or plastered onto a cat's body, thicker than a poultice, and meant to remain on the injury for a long time after it's dried. Whereas a poultice is meant to be somewhat absorbed into a cat's injury.

Sedate: To make a cat sleepy or fully place them into unconsciousness for procedures, to calm and give them peace/quiet while in pain, or to help them have an easier passing.

Tonic: Similar to a poultice, but ingested. The herbal material is crushed or chewed and then placed on a broad, cupping leaf where water is applied to make the mixture a drinkable liquid.