Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
"I look for...plant. Tall stem...flowers hang down...purple, red spots inside. Big leaves, feel like fur, underside. Make heart...push." MH
Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger)
"...it can be dangerously poisonous if used as food. ... The different parts are used for different things, but all of them are good for pain. It can be made into a tea and drunk - it's very strong, doesn't take much - or into a wash and applied on the skin. It stops muscle spasms, calms and relaxes, brings sleep." CCB
Hollyhock (Alcea rosea)
"Hollyhocks are good for soothing irritations, sore throats, scrapes, scratches. The flowers make a drink that can ease pain, but it makes a person sleepy. The root is good for wounds. I used hollyhock roots on your leg, Ayla." CCB
Hops (Humulus lupulus)
"You used something from your medicine bag, too."
"Powdered hops, the mature cones with the fine hairs, to calm her and make her sleep restfully. While the spirits battle, she needs rest." CCB
Horseradish (Cochlearia armoracia)
"Nearby was a horseradish plant with small white flowers clustered in a bunch on stems with small narrow leaves, and lower down, long pointed, shiny dark green leaves, growing up from the ground. ...it was an interesting flavor with meats, but Ayla was more intrigued with its medicinal use as a stimulant for the stomach, and for passing water, and as an application to sore and swollen joints." PoP
click for big pic Horsetail Fern (Equisetum hyemale)
"The child felt her head being bent forward, then the warm liquid from the bowl of ferns poured over her. ...The woman massaged in the lice-killing liquid extracted from the horsetail fern." CCB
"He picked up a bowl...the finish was so smooth... With a rounded stone and sand, she smoothed both inside and out until hardly a ripple could be felt, and gave it a final finish with scouring horsetail fern." MH
Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis)
"...Ayla stopped and pointed to an herb with bluish purple flowers, about a foot high. "There's some hyssop. The tea is good for coughs when you have a cold, right?" "Yes, and it adds a nice spicy flavor to any tea." CCB"
"...What does that do?" he asked. "It clears the chest, helps breathing." PoP

/ A-C / C-E / F-H / I-P/ S-Y / Terminology /

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CCB The Clan of the Cave Bear
VoH The Valley of Horses
MH The Mammoth Hunters
PoP The Plains of Passage

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Book Quotes copyright Jean M. Auel.