Herb

Herb was a broad term for a variety of plants used for medicinal purposes, crafting drugs and potions, seasoning and garnishing food, providing aromas to food or fragrances, and a variety of other purposes.

Herbs were often dried, ground up into a powder, and tightly packed in order to preserve them. Some felt that herbs were best used when fresh, though their effectiveness often wasn't hindered by it. The spells freshen and curdle were two magical means by which people altered the freshness of herbs. A herbalism kit was typically used to identify herbs and turn them into medicine.

Medical practice throughout Faerûn was dominated by herbalism. Firbolgs, alchemists, magic-users, rangers, and shamans were often skilled in plant lore regarding how to preserve medicinal herbs and craft medicines from them. It was relatively rare for sages to be knowledgeable of herbal lore, unless they were part of a Guild of Naturalists, like that of Cormyr. Some witches, known as bubudow, were specialized in the use of medicinal herbs.

Unlike spices, caravans carrying herbs were only lightly guarded, as most monsters and humanoid tribes had little interest in stealing them.

Availability
Some professional healers bought their herbs, while others cultivated herb gardens to save currency and maintain a steady supply.

Apothecaries often sold raw and prepared herbs for medicinal and culinary purposes.

Cultivated

 * Bhamm's Herbs
 * Herb gardens were common all throughout Cormanthyr.
 * In Daggerford one could find herbs for sale at the Physicians' Order and Wiston Apothecary.
 * In Goldenfields' western section there were semicircular gardens dedicated to herbs that were cultivated by Chauntean druids.
 * Hanno's Herbs and Medicines, an apothecary in the city of Wheloon.
 * Helmick's Herbs and Oddments
 * Hospice of St. Mariam, a Ilmatari monastery that was also a herbalist's shop and a hospital. Its residents cultivated and traded dried herbs with other abbeys across Calimshan and Tethyr.
 * House of the Broken God, an Ilmatari monastery in Keltar, cultivated beds of herbs that dominated its gardens and spread well beyond the borders of Keltar.
 * Javuhansa was considered a great source of imported herbs in Kara-Tur.
 * A number of temples in the Realms were known to cultivate and/or sell herbs. Some of these included the Bounty of the Goddess, House of Morning, and Song of the Morning.
 * Old Angrath's Smokehouse
 * Herbs were some of the common crops cultivated in Saradush.
 * Phalantar's Philtres & Components in Waterdeep.
 * In Ravens Bluff one could find herbs for sale at the Black Lotus, the Leaf in Root, and Morigan's Complete Components. Much of the herbs available in that city were produced by the Liontower family.
 * Shen's Herb Garden
 * Tatha's Broomworks
 * The people of Ulgoth's Beard had herb gardens atop their houses.

Wild

 * Herbs could be found in the jungles throughout Chu' Yuan.
 * The wildernesses of the Dalelands, Cormyr, and Sembia were all very abundant in herbs.
 * Evermoors
 * Numerous herbs could be found in the High Moor region, some poisonous and others with medicinal properties.
 * Valuable medicinal herbs grew on the slopes of the Katakoro Plateau.
 * Rare herbs could be found in the Spider Swamp.
 * Savory herbs could be found on the steppes of Thar.
 * Quang Muku Forest

Varieties
Herbs used throughout Toril included the following:
 * Alarvaun
 * Amaunauth
 * Bay leaf
 * Belladonna, otherwise known as wolfsbane
 * Beorunna's cure-all
 * Bloodpurge
 * Bloodstaunch
 * Blueglow moss
 * Cassil, a shrub that was used as a form of herbal birth control.
 * Catnip
 * Charchuka
 * Dathlil petals
 * Drace
 * Feverbalm
 * Fleshwort
 * Felsul bark
 * Garlic vine
 * Ghostroot
 * Harlthorn bush horns
 * Heliotrope
 * Henna, a Zakharan herb that was used to produce a widely used orange-red dye.
 * Horsetail
 * Hsin-feng ku gen
 * Jalap
 * Juniper berry
 * Mallow
 * Mordayn
 * Mother's leaf
 * Nararoot
 * Nychaki
 * Rosemary
 * Sage
 * Sandberry bush
 * Sindari
 * Silverbark sap
 * Spellbane
 * Spellshield
 * Tatterskye
 * Thelmallow
 * Tonandurr
 * Trueroot
 * Woundwort
 * Wyndor's herbs
 * Yarberry

History
The continual refinement of herbal treatment over time led to plagues becoming far less common in the Realms.

In the 14 century DR, the merchants of Semphar were known to supply the nomadic tribes of the Hordelands with herbs among other goods.

Prices
Prices varied between each type of herb, with one of many factors being whether they were local or exotic. However, in the bazaars of Zakhara the native spices could generally be bought for around 4 to 7 copper pieces per.

In the 14 century DR, markets in Waterdeep sold most herbs for around 5 copper pieces to 8 gold pieces per dry, though saffron in particular sold for 40 gold pieces per dry.

Culinary Usages

 * Herbs were sometimes mixed together into a type of cooking oil.
 * Some varieties of herbs could be used to purify water.
 * Herbs could be used to make tea in place of tea leaves.
 * The leaves of herbs were used to impart a green hue to wine in Cormyr and the Dalelands.

Magical Usages

 * Enchantment of an item with healing or necromantic effects sometimes involved an ointment composed of herbs harvested with silver weapons or a weapon consecrated to that item's creator deity under certain conditions.
 * Herbs were a material component of the spells hallow, unhallow, attract ghoul, and assist. Bitter herbs were a component of the Zakharan spell jungle avatar.

Miscellaneous Usages

 * Herbs could be used to make insect repellent.
 * Herbs were stuffed in perfume bags called satchets to provide clothing an aroma.
 * Herbs were placed in tubs of water to make herbal baths, a service offered by many festhalls and herbalists throughout the Realms. One such establishment was the Sapphire Peacock in Innarlith.
 * Some members of the Launderers' Guild in Waterdeep used strong herbs to impart a fragrant scent upon the clothing they handled.

Classes

 * Alchemists in the larger towns of the Savage Frontier were typically well versed in the medicinal application of herbs.
 * Hound masters proficient in herbalism used their knowledge to improve the health of their dogs.
 * Mystics in the Realms were capable of using their knowledge of herbs to manufacture magically enchanted candles.
 * Ninjas proficient in herbalism used their knowledge to create poisons and drugs that would knock a target out.

Groups

 * The Shad'iar, the nomadic tribes of the Land of the Lions, often used herbs on their simple foods.

Races & Intelligent Creatures

 * The araneas of the Spider Swamp, when in their human disguise, would trade the rare herbs of that swamp at human settlements.
 * Elven cuisine often involved frying or steaming vegetables with herbs.
 * Grungs used herbs to craft tonics that were part of the process of changing their skin color.
 * Halflings did not favored mixture of herbs over strong spices when it came to seasoning their traditional sausages, cheeses, stews, and baked goods.
 * Herbs were involved in the process of embalming of greater and standard mummies.
 * The unique stew that was a staple of the shan sao diet involved a mixture of herbs and spices.
 * Tabaxi were known to use aromatic herbs disguise their scent.
 * Weretigers who lived in cabins near human settlements often had herb gardens.
 * Rare herbs were sometimes involved in the complex transformation rituals of yuan-ti and they encouraged their cults to gather them. They would mix these herbs with certain roots and their own venom to make distillations that could transform humans into histachii.

Regions & Settlements

 * Rare herbs were a major export of the city Almraiven.
 * In the nation of Tethyr, herbs were one of many goods that people commonly bartered with.

Religions

 * Helpful herbs were one of the things that could typically occur following a manifestation of Chauntea.
 * The clergy of the Church of Ilmater were initiated in the art of herbalism and they frequently gathered medicinal herbs.
 * Priests in the Church of Silvanus were known to dispense herbs as part of their efforts to attract new followers.
 * The Seekers of Scales cult used a mixture of drugs and herbs to achieve a mental state in which they communed with the dragons they worshiped.
 * Poisonous herbs were a favored plant of the goddess Talona, which could be seen as an indication of her presence.