Herbology Notebook - Year One
written by Elizabeth Black
Here are my notes from my first year of Herbology! In the last chapter I included links to all my other note books! Be sure to check those out!
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
11
Reads
1,170
Lesson Four
Chapter 4
Magic in The Air:
- non-magical plants are important and can actually be very useful
- use both magical and non-magical plants in their day-to-day lives
- non-magical plants used in even some of the most complex potions
- having an innate useful effect (healing or otherwise) does not make a plant magical
- a plant must either exhibit odd behavior or it must have unique abilities *really important to know!*
- Chinese Chomping Cabbage -- which is known to have a nasty bite -- are magical, whereas roses, while incredibly -useful, are non-magical *just bc. it is "good" or "bad" doesn't mean it's magical and useful, non- magical and not useful, or any other combo*
- non-magical does not mean ineffective
- non-magical plants can actually be utilized by Muggles to heal various ailments
- some less open-minded witches and wizards are skeptical of herbology
- Muggles can utilize the properties of non-magical plants, they are not able to tap into the herbs’ true potential
- To be clearer, a Muggle can use a plant for its base properties when brewing it in a tea or other non-magical herbal remedies (so they can use it's basic properties)
- wizard uses a plant in a magical situation, such as brewing a potion, the magic of the process interacts with the plant’s properties and unifies them with the magic of the potion (they can find and use the magic in the plant)
- magical plants possess (or can possess) that no non-magical plant can: Sentience
- evidence to suggest that at least some magical plants are sentient, or able to perceive the world around them and act in response
- some magical plants seem a little too aware of their surroundings to be natural
- It is not a choice or mental reaction in any way, though it may appear to us to seem that way.
- magic has not advanced far enough for herbologists to be able to tell if plants are in any way aware of their own existence, or can feel anything at all
- Non-magical plants are less reactive in potions, and therefore much less temperamental and more predictable
- addition of non-magical plants does not tend to cause explosions, major heat changes, or other, sometimes disastrous mishaps
- While magical plants are obviously necessary to create some potions’ effects, when a non-magical plant can be used, this alternative is usually safer.
How to Grow A Rose:
- The wild rose or Rosa carolina, one of the most common varieties, grows in partial to full sunlight.
- Make sure to plant your rose shrub in neutral to mildly acidic soil-- more specifically, any soil with a pH balance of 5.5 to 7.0
- it will look like nothing more than a pile of sticks, but don’t worry, that is because it is in a dormant state
- Dragon dung should be used to introduce nutrients into the soil and encourage the shrub to come out of its dormant state
- help the rose interact with magic more intensely later
- need lots of water, but do not drown them; let the water sink into the soil and be absorbed completely before adding more!
- do not water it a little bit every day, but give it a lot of water occasionally so the deeper roots are reached and the plant’s foundation is strengthened
- make sure the water can drain
- don’t forget to wear your dragonhide gloves while tending to roses to protect yourself from thorns!
All The Ways: Rose
- When planting, you will need to account for a potential growth of two to four feet in any direction, though specifics depend on the variety you obtain
- any different natural colors, unique scents, and levels of magical interactivity (or ability to work well with magic)
- Despite the fact that it makes a mess of naming conventions, the diversity of the rose contributes to their array of uses in medicine.
- The properties of the rose were first uncovered -- as far as we know -- in the first century B.C.E. by a naturalist and philosopher named Pliny the Elder
- it is unknown whether or not this man was Muggle, Squib, or magical, but what is known is that he discovered 32 medicinal uses for roses
- there are now 40 that we know
- roses are used in a number of potions or general herbal preparations (essentially non-magical potions,
- many of those things are highly unrelated or even opposites of each other, but it’s important to keep in mind that the properties of the plant can change (or specific uses can be emphasized)
- Let it not be said that non-magical plants have no use in the magical world
- non-magical plants are important and can actually be very useful
- use both magical and non-magical plants in their day-to-day lives
- non-magical plants used in even some of the most complex potions
- having an innate useful effect (healing or otherwise) does not make a plant magical
- a plant must either exhibit odd behavior or it must have unique abilities *really important to know!*
- Chinese Chomping Cabbage -- which is known to have a nasty bite -- are magical, whereas roses, while incredibly -useful, are non-magical *just bc. it is "good" or "bad" doesn't mean it's magical and useful, non- magical and not useful, or any other combo*
- non-magical does not mean ineffective
- non-magical plants can actually be utilized by Muggles to heal various ailments
- some less open-minded witches and wizards are skeptical of herbology
- Muggles can utilize the properties of non-magical plants, they are not able to tap into the herbs’ true potential
- To be clearer, a Muggle can use a plant for its base properties when brewing it in a tea or other non-magical herbal remedies (so they can use it's basic properties)
- wizard uses a plant in a magical situation, such as brewing a potion, the magic of the process interacts with the plant’s properties and unifies them with the magic of the potion (they can find and use the magic in the plant)
- magical plants possess (or can possess) that no non-magical plant can: Sentience
- evidence to suggest that at least some magical plants are sentient, or able to perceive the world around them and act in response
- some magical plants seem a little too aware of their surroundings to be natural
- It is not a choice or mental reaction in any way, though it may appear to us to seem that way.
- magic has not advanced far enough for herbologists to be able to tell if plants are in any way aware of their own existence, or can feel anything at all
- Non-magical plants are less reactive in potions, and therefore much less temperamental and more predictable
- addition of non-magical plants does not tend to cause explosions, major heat changes, or other, sometimes disastrous mishaps
- While magical plants are obviously necessary to create some potions’ effects, when a non-magical plant can be used, this alternative is usually safer.
How to Grow A Rose:
- The wild rose or Rosa carolina, one of the most common varieties, grows in partial to full sunlight.
- Make sure to plant your rose shrub in neutral to mildly acidic soil-- more specifically, any soil with a pH balance of 5.5 to 7.0
- it will look like nothing more than a pile of sticks, but don’t worry, that is because it is in a dormant state
- Dragon dung should be used to introduce nutrients into the soil and encourage the shrub to come out of its dormant state
- help the rose interact with magic more intensely later
- need lots of water, but do not drown them; let the water sink into the soil and be absorbed completely before adding more!
- do not water it a little bit every day, but give it a lot of water occasionally so the deeper roots are reached and the plant’s foundation is strengthened
- make sure the water can drain
- don’t forget to wear your dragonhide gloves while tending to roses to protect yourself from thorns!
All The Ways: Rose
- When planting, you will need to account for a potential growth of two to four feet in any direction, though specifics depend on the variety you obtain
- any different natural colors, unique scents, and levels of magical interactivity (or ability to work well with magic)
- Despite the fact that it makes a mess of naming conventions, the diversity of the rose contributes to their array of uses in medicine.
- The properties of the rose were first uncovered -- as far as we know -- in the first century B.C.E. by a naturalist and philosopher named Pliny the Elder
- it is unknown whether or not this man was Muggle, Squib, or magical, but what is known is that he discovered 32 medicinal uses for roses
- there are now 40 that we know
- roses are used in a number of potions or general herbal preparations (essentially non-magical potions,
- many of those things are highly unrelated or even opposites of each other, but it’s important to keep in mind that the properties of the plant can change (or specific uses can be emphasized)
- Let it not be said that non-magical plants have no use in the magical world
