Post by The Muse on Mar 31, 2011 10:06:25 GMT -5
Whether we are writing science fiction or Fantasy or "real life" fiction, usually at some point in the story SOMEBODY gets sick, wounded or both.
In Fantasy we may choose to have a Healer. They may or may not have magical skills. But they would need a knowledge of healing itself. Part of that could include Herbal lore.
In Science fiction we would have medics. If we choose not to rely strictly on amazing medical apparatus that can fix anything, we would still need to provide medicines for our Medics to use.
Same goes for the "Real Life" type stories.
There is a lot of Herbal lore out there and you may be surprised to discover that many modern medicines are actually derived from plants that have been used for centuries.
There is Herb Lore from every corner of the world, from many ancient civilizations. This gives an excellent opportunity for the author to enrich his or her story with some great detail to make it all the more believable and realistic.
Since it is WAAAAY to much for me to list, I have found a resource which is sort of a list and starting point to head you in the right direction.
There is an e-newsletter called The Herb Companion. The July/August issue of 1998 has a great List that goes from the first/second century BC to the twentieth century. It lists various Cultures and their herbal traditions as well as gives you the names of ancient Works on the subject, thus allowing you to research those works and learn more.
Again these type of things are minor details in our stories..but they lend a more authentic feel to the situations and credibility to our writing.
In Fantasy we may choose to have a Healer. They may or may not have magical skills. But they would need a knowledge of healing itself. Part of that could include Herbal lore.
In Science fiction we would have medics. If we choose not to rely strictly on amazing medical apparatus that can fix anything, we would still need to provide medicines for our Medics to use.
Same goes for the "Real Life" type stories.
There is a lot of Herbal lore out there and you may be surprised to discover that many modern medicines are actually derived from plants that have been used for centuries.
There is Herb Lore from every corner of the world, from many ancient civilizations. This gives an excellent opportunity for the author to enrich his or her story with some great detail to make it all the more believable and realistic.
Since it is WAAAAY to much for me to list, I have found a resource which is sort of a list and starting point to head you in the right direction.
There is an e-newsletter called The Herb Companion. The July/August issue of 1998 has a great List that goes from the first/second century BC to the twentieth century. It lists various Cultures and their herbal traditions as well as gives you the names of ancient Works on the subject, thus allowing you to research those works and learn more.
Again these type of things are minor details in our stories..but they lend a more authentic feel to the situations and credibility to our writing.