Interesting article for fantasy writers! I haven’t dabbled myself in growing and testing out plants that would have been available in medieval times, though I have benefited from historical accounts and the research others have done. I’m so glad that I don’t have to test remedies out on myself to find out what they can do, as people sometimes did in the past. For those who are new to my blog, I posted some of my own discoveries in the Medieval Monday section. Feel free to check them out as well. (Plants and herbs, part 1, and Plants and herbs, part 2)

But first, read Whitney Carter’s take on the subject…

I first started exploring herbs and what I could collect and do with them myself some years ago, and I have to confess that I was nervous about it at first. As a kid, there was a berry bush that grew at the edge of my back yard, and sometimes I would sit out there and pick the berries, just to squish them in my hand and smear the dark purple juice around.

I know now that they were Pokeberries, and they’re quite poisonous if ingested. This discovery highlighted my own ignorance about the plants around me, and even as I started dabbling and researching I was always well aware of the potential to miss something important. I have to imagine that the people who were first discovering the uses for all of our plants today had the same kind of excited fear going on.

As a writer, you needn’t worry about endangering yourself; research and creativity are your tools here. Before we get into some of our herbs that could translate well into a fantasy setting, take a look at the following list…

Source: What Herb to Use in Your Fantasy Story